Return AddressLearn

The learning center

Checkout recovery, explained like you’d want it explained.

Plain English, honest math, no jargon left undefined. Why carts abandon, what wins them back, what a card should cost you — and the thinking behind it, whether or not you ever install anything.

Checkout recovery, explained

Why carts get abandoned, what recovers them, and how to time every touch.

Checkout recovery 101Seven in ten checkouts are abandoned — and a good share are recoverable. How recovery works, which channels earn their keep, and what a realistic program looks like.Why carts abandonShipping surprises, forced accounts, wandering attention: the real reasons checkouts stall, split into what your store can fix and what recovery can win back.Recovery timingThe first hour matters most, but the window is longer than you think. A practical timing ladder for recovery emails and the high-value postcard follow-up.Recovery discountsDiscount every abandoned cart and shoppers learn to abandon on purpose. When an offer helps, when it hurts, and ladder strategies that protect your margin.GlossaryAbandoned checkout, recovery window, live link, suppression list, usage record — every term you will meet in cart recovery and direct mail, defined without jargon.

Direct mail for recovery

Real postcards for high-value carts: costs, design specs, and when paper beats email.

Recovery postcardsA printed 4×6 in the mailbox reaches the shopper email lost. What recovery mail costs, how the QR reopens their exact checkout, and which carts justify a stamp.Postcard design specsWhat 300 DPI, bleed, and the address safe zone mean for a 4×6 recovery card — and the exact pixel sizes that print sharp. A checklist for print-ready artwork.

Measurement you can trust

Recovery ROI, honest attribution, and the thresholds that keep every card profitable.

Recovery ROIA $1.50 card against a $140 cart is easy math — against a $25 cart it never was. The cart-value threshold formula, with an interactive calculator.⚙ Cart threshold calculatorHonest attributionSome abandoned carts come back on their own — and dishonest tools claim them all. Attribution windows, order matching, and holdout testing in plain English.

Pricing & compliance

How app billing, spend caps, and consent rules work — no surprises.

App billing & spend capsSubscriptions, usage records, capped amounts: how recovery charges appear on your Shopify invoice, why a spend cap makes surprise bills impossible — plus a plan calculator.⚙ Plan cost calculatorConsent: email vs. mailAn abandoned checkout is not automatic marketing consent. What recovery email legally requires, why postal mail plays by different rules, and how good tools behave.

Try the numbers yourself

The two calculations behind every recovery-mail decision — live, with your inputs.

Cart threshold calculator

Breakeven cart value$50
Comfortable minimum (2× breakeven)$100

Below breakeven, mailing that cart loses money even when it works. Set your minimum-cart rule at the comfortable line and every card that goes out has real expected profit behind it — that’s the arithmetic behind Return Address’s minimum-cart setting.

The full walkthrough: recovery ROI, explained.

Plan cost calculator

Starter$0/mo · $1.50/card after$90cheapest
Recover$49/mo · 10 cards included · $1.50/card after$124
Recover Pro$99/mo · 25 cards included · $1.50/card after$151.50

Total monthly cost: subscription plus cards beyond the included volume, printing and postage included. Every plan caps against a spend limit you set yourself.

What these numbers mean: how app billing works.