Whaleal Cart Help Center

Your complete guide to abandoned cart recovery & email automation

What is Whaleal Cart?

Whaleal Cart is a powerful abandoned cart recovery solution designed specifically for Shopify merchants. When customers leave their shopping carts without completing a purchase, Whaleal Cart automatically sends personalized recovery emails—and, if you turn it on, one recovery text—with unique discount codes, helping you win back lost sales and increase revenue.

Our mission is to make cart recovery simple, effective, and affordable for businesses of all sizes. Whether you are running a small boutique or a large e-commerce store, Whaleal Cart helps you recover revenue that would otherwise be lost.

💰 Start Free

100 abandoned carts per month → 200 recovery emails (2 per cart)
No credit card required. No time limit. Upgrade anytime as you grow.

Why Cart Recovery Matters

Did you know that the average abandonment rate for e-commerce is around 70%? That means 7 out of 10 visitors leave without buying. Whaleal Cart helps you recover these lost sales.

📈

Boost Revenue

Recover 5-15% of abandoned carts on average

⏰

Save Time

Fully automated - set it and forget it

🎯

Personalized

Unique discount codes per customer

📊

Track Results

Real-time analytics and reporting

🚀 Quick Start Guide

Get Whaleal Cart running in under 5 minutes:

3 min · Whaleal Cart — 3-minute setup walkthrough

Step 1: Install Whaleal Cart

Go to the install page, enter your store domain (e.g. my-store.myshopify.com), and approve Whaleal Cart

Alternatively, install from Whaleal Cart on Shopify App Store.

Step 2: Configure Your Settings

In , decide whether the channel is on / off and pick a tone: Friendly, Professional, Urgency. . Set your discount rules — percentage or fixed amount, and which email gets the code.

SMS recovery uses your own SMS account. Add your API key in Whaleal SMSand pick the send delay.

Step 3: Save & Watch Results

Hit Save. Whaleal Cart registers its Shopify webhooks and starts tracking new checkouts. Most stores see their first recovery data within 24-48 hours.

Open the Dashboard to follow recovery rate, recovered revenue, and every email sent.

✨ Features Overview

📊 Dashboard

Real-time metrics: recovery rate, recovered revenue, email performance.

🛒 Abandoned Carts

Every recovered checkout with its items, total, and customer locale.

📧 Email History

A log of every send with open and click tracking.

🌐 Multi-language

App interface in English and Simplified Chinese; recovery emails are sent in English.

🎨 Tone templates

Three tones — Friendly, Professional, Urgency. Available on every plan.

🤖 AI Drafting (optional)

On Growth and Pro, drafts a subject line, heading, and intro for you to review and switch on.

Growth & Pro

📱 SMS Recovery Channel

One automated text per abandoned checkout, on its own schedule, using your own SMS account.

🔒 Compliance Ready

GDPR webhooks, one-click unsubscribe, automatic data deletion on uninstall.

💳 Pricing Plans

Free

$0

Forever free

  • 100 carts/month
  • 200 emails/month
  • 2 email sequence
  • Tone templates
  • SMS channel (own account)
  • Basic analytics
MOST POPULAR

Growth

$9.90/mo

Per store

  • 500 carts/month
  • 1,000 emails/month
  • 2 email sequence
  • Optional AI drafting
  • SMS channel (own account)
  • Advanced analytics
  • Priority support

Pro

$29.90/mo

Per store

  • 2,000 carts/month
  • 4,000 emails/month
  • 2 email sequence
  • Optional AI drafting
  • SMS channel (own account)
  • Advanced analytics
  • Priority support

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How does the free plan work?

The free plan includes 100 abandoned carts per month and 200 emails (2 emails per cart). There is no credit card required, no time limit, and you can stay on the free plan forever. Upgrade to Growth ($9.90/mo) or Pro ($29.90/mo) anytime you need more capacity. When you hit the quota, sends pause—no surprise overage charges.

What does the AI drafting feature do?

On Growth and Pro it drafts three fields of a recovery email—subject line, heading, and intro paragraph—for you to review and switch on; your live emails do not change until you activate a draft. Input is limited to your shop name, the selected tone, and the discount structure. On the free plan the three built-in tone templates (Friendly, Professional, Urgency) cover every email at no cost.

Do I need a separate SMS account for text recovery?

Yes—SMS recovery is bring-your-own-account. Create an API key in your Whaleal SMS console at sms.whaleal.com, paste it in Settings, and write your message template. Whaleal Cart then sends one automated text per abandoned checkout, on its own delay and independent from the email sequence. The channel is free and unlimited in the app; message costs are billed on your own SMS plan. Only customers who left a phone number at checkout receive a text, and SMS is regulated—make sure your consent practices meet local rules (e.g. TCPA in the US).

sms.whaleal.com

Is install hard? Do I need to edit my theme?

No theme edits required. Install from our install page or the Shopify App Store, approve checkout / discount permissions, then set tone and discount rules in Settings. Most stores are live in under 15 minutes.

install page

Will I be charged automatically for overages?

No. Paid plans are billed per month through Shopify Billing. If you hit your cart/email quota, recovery sends pause for that period—we do not auto-bill overages. Upgrade only when you choose to.

Full plan comparison: Pricing →

How do discount codes work?

Whaleal Cart automatically creates unique one-time discount codes in your Shopify store for each customer when a recovery email is sent. You do not need to pre-create any codes - just set the discount type (percentage or fixed amount) and value in Settings. The app handles everything via the Shopify API.

When are recovery emails sent?

By default:

  • First email: 1 hour after cart abandonment
  • Second email: 24 hours after first email (if enabled)

You can customize these intervals in Settings. Some merchants prefer 2 hours + 48 hours, or other combinations.

Can I send emails manually?

Yes! Go to the Abandoned Carts page, find any cart, click "View Details", then click "Send Email" to manually trigger a recovery email at any time. This is useful for following up with high-value customers.

How do I track performance?

The Dashboard shows real-time metrics including:

  • Recovery rate (%)
  • Revenue recovered ($)
  • Emails sent / opened / clicked
  • Conversion rate
  • Recent activity timeline

The Email History page shows detailed logs of every email sent.

What happens if a customer unsubscribes?

Whaleal Cart automatically respects unsubscribe preferences. When a customer clicks the unsubscribe link in any email, they will not receive any further emails from Whaleal Cart. This ensures compliance with CAN-SPAM (US) and GDPR (EU) regulations.

Do you support multiple languages?

Yes! Whaleal Cart supports English and Simplified Chinese. The app interface and email content automatically adapt based on the customer Shopify language settings.

Is my data secure?

Absolutely. Whaleal Cart follows industry best practices for data security:

  • All traffic encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS); data at rest on encrypted cloud storage
  • Customer data used only for cart recovery — not sold or shared for advertising
  • One-click unsubscribe honored on every email
  • Automatic data deletion on uninstall and after a maximum 180-day retention period
  • GDPR webhooks implemented (customers/redact, customers/data_request, shop/redact)
How do I cancel?

Simply uninstall the app from Shopify Admin → Apps. Your data will be automatically deleted within 30 days. There are no cancellation fees, contracts, or minimum commitments.

💡 Best Practices

Get the most out of Whaleal Cart with these proven strategies:

🎯 Optimize Your Discounts

  • First email: 10% off is a good starting point
  • Second email: Increase to 15-20% for stronger incentive
  • High-value carts: Consider fixed amounts (e.g., $10 off orders over $100)
  • Test: A/B test different discount values to find your optimal rate

⏰ Timing is Everything

  • 1 hour + 24 hours: Classic sequence that works well for most stores
  • 2 hours + 48 hours: Gives customers more time to decide
  • Urgent segments: Consider 30 min + 4 hours for time-sensitive offers
  • Don't over-email: More than 2-3 emails can hurt brand perception

📧 Write Better Emails

  • Personalize: Use customer's name in subject line
  • Be clear: Show the discount code prominently
  • Show products: Include cart items in the email
  • Create urgency: "Only valid for 24 hours" drives action
  • Mobile-first: Over 60% of emails are opened on mobile

📊 Monitor and Optimize

  • Check your Dashboard weekly for trends
  • Recovery rate: Aim for 5-15% of abandoned carts
  • Open rate: Good is 20-30%, great is 30%+
  • Click rate: Good is 5-10%
  • Conversion: Track how many codes are actually used

🔧 Troubleshooting

Emails not being sent?

  1. Verify Whaleal Cart is enabled in Settings
  2. Check that email permissions are granted during app install
  3. Ensure the cart has a valid customer email (not all checkouts have emails)
  4. Check Email History for failed sends - look for error messages
  5. Verify your Shopify store is in active status

Discount codes not working?

  1. Verify discount/price-rule permissions are granted
  2. Check that the code has not expired (default: 24 hours)
  3. Ensure the code has not already been used (one-time use)
  4. Verify discount value matches your Settings configuration
  5. Check if there are usage limits on the code

Dashboard shows no data?

  1. Wait 24-48 hours - data needs time to accumulate
  2. Verify you have abandoned carts in your store
  3. Check that Shopify webhooks are properly registered
  4. Ensure Whaleal Cart is connected to your store

SMS not arriving?

  1. Confirm Enable SMS recovery is on and SMS is in your recovery channel list
  2. Click Verify key — an invalid or revoked API key stops sends
  3. Check the cart actually has a phone number (texts only go to customers who left one)
  4. Remember the delay: texts go out after your configured delay, and the scan runs every 15 minutes
  5. Message costs are on your own SMS plan — verify that account has credit

📞 Need More Help?

Our support team is here to help you succeed!

Email: support@mail.whaleal.com

Response Time: Within 24 hours (business days)

Shopify App Store: Whaleal Cart