We know how it works: You load up a cart, get cold feet, and close the tab, and within hours, sometimes minutes, your inbox fills up with a subject line that feels almost personal. Did you forget something? You didn’t forget, but now it turns out that waiting is worth money.
New research from web data company Decodo, which tracked more than 1,500 products across 120 retailers in over 40 countries throughout 2025, found that cart abandonment discounts follow highly predictable patterns by retail category, and that shoppers who understand those patterns can use them to their advantage.
But the catch is that the same algorithm designed to win you back can also work against you, depending on how you’ve been browsing.
“You can both win and lose,” Decodo Senior Product Marketing Manager Gabriele Vitke told Fortune. “It really depends on the category you’re shopping in.”
If you’re buying fast fashion or beauty, don’t wait long
