> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.rafflex.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.rafflex.io/marketing/website-tools/dropped-basket-recovery/dropped-basket-reminders-explained.md).

# What a Dropped Basket Reminder Includes

What a dropped basket reminder email contains, and the times it is held back or skipped so the right customers are nudged at the right moment.

***

In short: each abandoned basket can lead to at most one reminder email. That email only ever shows competitions that are still open, and it is quietly skipped in a few sensible situations. This page walks through exactly what the customer receives and when no email goes out, so you can choose your settings with confidence.

If you have not set the feature up yet, start with [Dropped Basket Recovery](/marketing/website-tools/dropped-basket-recovery.md).

***

### What the customer receives

The reminder is a branded email that matches your site, so it clearly comes from you. It is sent from your **Site Email** address under your site name, and any reply the customer sends comes back to that same address.

From top to bottom, the email contains:

1. **Your logo**, which links to your homepage. Your **Email Logo Override** is used if you have uploaded one, otherwise your **Site Logo**. See [Add Your Logo](/customise-your-site/add-your-logo.md).
2. **A greeting** using the customer's first name, for example "Hi Sam,".
3. **A headline panel** with a short badge, a heading and a sentence of encouragement (the wording depends on the version, see below).
4. **A summary** showing the number of **Items** (tickets), the basket **Total**, and where the button will take them (**Return to** Basket or Checkout).
5. **A large button** that takes the customer straight back to where they left off, with a short line underneath reminding them that popular draws can close while they are away.
6. **A "Ready for you" list**, with a card for each competition that is still open. Each card shows:
   * The competition's image and title.
   * The price per ticket (for example "£0.99 each").
   * The date the draw closes (for example "Draw closes Fri 10 Oct").
   * The quantity they had chosen (for example "Qty 5").
   * The line total for that competition.
7. **A "Why come back now?" note**, which reminds them their picks are saved and invites them to reply to the email if they need a hand.
8. **A second button**, repeating the one above, so it is always easy to find.

The colours of the headline panel and buttons come from your **Primary Color** and **Button Text Colour**, so the email feels like part of your site. See [Choose Site Colours](/customise-your-site/choose-site-colours.md).

{% hint style="info" %}
Prices and totals in the email use each competition's current ticket price (including any sale price) multiplied by the quantity in the basket. They do not include discount codes or other savings that are worked out at checkout, so the final amount the customer pays may be a little different.
{% endhint %}

#### The two versions

The wording changes depending on the last thing the customer did before leaving:

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Basket reminder" %}
Used when the customer added tickets but did **not** open the checkout page, or changed their basket again after visiting checkout.

* **Subject:** your **Basket Reminder Subject**, or "You left something behind!" if you left it blank.
* **Badge:** Basket saved
* **Heading:** Your basket is still waiting
* **Button:** Return To My Basket, which opens their basket.
  {% endtab %}

{% tab title="Checkout reminder" %}
Used when the last thing the customer did was open the checkout page, but they did not pay.

* **Subject:** your **Checkout Reminder Subject**, or "You were so close!" if you left it blank.
* **Badge:** Checkout saved
* **Heading:** Pick up exactly where you left off
* **Button:** Complete My Order, which opens the checkout.
  {% endtab %}
  {% endtabs %}

Every link in the email carries tracking tags, so when a customer comes back and buys, the order is marked as recovered in your **Orders** list. See [See how it is performing](/marketing/website-tools/dropped-basket-recovery.md#see-how-it-is-performing).

{% hint style="warning" %}
**The basket is saved in the browser the customer used.** If they open the email on the same device and browser they shopped on, their basket is waiting for them. If they open it somewhere else (for example, they shopped on a laptop and open the email on their phone), or their basket has since been cleared, the basket will be empty. In that case your site takes them to your homepage with a "Your Cart is empty." message, and they can add the competitions again from there. The checkout reminder button may also ask them to sign in first.
{% endhint %}

***

### Only competitions that are still open are included

This is the part most worth understanding. The email is built from the customer's basket as it was the last time they changed it, but each competition is checked again at the moment the email is about to be sent.

A competition is only included if, at that moment, it is:

* **Active** (switched on in your admin panel),
* **Open for entries** (it has reached its start date), and
* **Not ended** (its end date has not passed).

When a competition sells out, it closes, so a sold out competition is left out too. If a competition in the basket closed, sold out or was switched off during the delay, it simply drops off the email.

So a customer can receive a reminder that lists fewer competitions than they originally had in their basket. This is by design. It avoids nudging someone back towards something they can no longer buy.

***

### When no email is sent at all

A reminder is skipped entirely in these situations:

1. **The customer completed an order.** If they finished an order before the reminder was due (including a free ticket order, or one paid with site credit), there is nothing to recover.
2. **The customer emptied their basket.** If they removed everything from their basket, there is nothing to remind them about.
3. **Nothing in the basket is still open.** If every competition they had added has since closed, sold out or been switched off, no email is sent.
4. **The customer is in their cooldown.** If they were already sent a reminder and your **Dropped Basket Cooldown (Hours)** has not yet passed when the new reminder is due, this basket is not reminded about. See below.
5. **The customer recently had a behaviour intervention.** To protect customers who may need a break, reminders are held back for anyone who has recently had a [behaviour intervention](/standards/player-protections/behaviour-interventions.md).
6. **You switched the feature off.** If **Dropped Basket Emails** is switched off by the time a reminder is due, it is not sent.

In each case the basket quietly stops being tracked. The customer is never chased about a basket that no longer makes sense.

{% hint style="info" %}
Only customers who were signed in while adding to their basket can receive a reminder. Your site cannot email a visitor it does not know. A customer who builds a basket while signed out and only signs in at checkout is not reminded, unless they change their basket after signing in.
{% endhint %}

***

### One reminder per basket, plus a cooldown

Two safeguards stop a customer being chased repeatedly.

* **One reminder per basket.** Each abandoned basket results in at most one email. Once it has been sent, that basket is no longer tracked. If the customer changes their basket again after the reminder, it is treated as a new basket, and the cooldown below decides whether it can be reminded about.
* **A cooldown between reminders.** After a reminder is sent, the **Dropped Basket Cooldown (Hours)** setting stops the same customer receiving another one for the number of hours you choose. This applies even if they start and leave a brand new basket in that time.

The cooldown is checked at the moment a reminder is due, not when the basket was started. For example, with a 60 minute delay and an 8 hour cooldown, a customer who was reminded at 9am and then leaves a new basket at 10am gets no reminder for it, because it would be due at 11am, which is inside the cooldown. If they leave a basket at 4.30pm instead, that reminder is due at 5.30pm, after the cooldown has ended, so it is sent.

{% hint style="success" %}
**Completing an order resets the cooldown.** As soon as a customer completes an order, their cooldown is cleared. So a loyal customer who buys regularly can still be reminded about a future basket straight away, without waiting for the cooldown to run out.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
The **Dropped Basket Delay (Minutes)** timer starts when the customer first adds something to their basket. If they keep adding to the same basket, the timer is **not** pushed back. The reminder is still sent at the originally planned time, using whatever was in the basket the last time they changed it.
{% endhint %}

***

### How this should shape your settings

Use these behaviours to pick values that suit your competitions.

* A **longer delay** gives customers more time to come back on their own. The trade off is that competitions in their basket are more likely to close or sell out first and drop off the email, or that the email is skipped because nothing is left. Baskets are also only saved for a limited time, so with a very long delay the customer is more likely to find an empty basket when they click through.
* A **shorter delay** catches more of the original basket intact, while the customer's interest is still fresh. The minimum is 15 minutes, so a customer who is simply taking a few minutes to find their card is not interrupted.
* A **longer cooldown** is gentler on customers who browse often. A **shorter cooldown** means more abandoned baskets are followed up. Choose a length that feels respectful for your audience.

If your competitions sell out quickly, lean towards a shorter delay. If your draws run for days or weeks, a longer delay is usually safe.

{% hint style="success" %}
You do not need to worry about these reminders flooding inboxes. With one email per basket, the cooldown, and the automatic skips above, the feature is built to nudge gently rather than nag.
{% endhint %}

***

### Related pages

{% content-ref url="/pages/wuOBxOwWDRUnnTrDqRil" %}
[Dropped Basket Recovery](/marketing/website-tools/dropped-basket-recovery.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/sab6ApZeLwj7vOrDOrDt" %}
[Orders](/managing-your-site/orders.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}