Abandoned bag reminder

I designed an Abandoned Bag modal to re-engage high-intent shoppers by combining prior intent, real-time context, and a clear value proposition.

Company & role

Macy's Inc.
Senior UX Designer

Timeline & platform

1 month
Macy's Mobile web

The opportunity

Customers showed intent, then disappeared

Customers frequently added items to their Bag but didn’t check out. Reasons ranged from comparison shopping to price sensitivity and surprise costs at checkout. When they returned, there was no clear reminder to re-engage with what they had already considered.

From a business perspective, this represented high-intent traffic left untapped.

My approach

Target high-intent users without disrupting discovery

Hypothesis:
If we re-surface abandoned Bag items and introduce urgency or incentive, customers will be more likely to complete their purchase.

Focus:

  • Design an experience that felt timely, not intrusive

  • Reinforce value without cheapening the brand

  • Meet customers while they were still browsing and inspired

Key decisions:

  • Target signed-in users with an abandoned Bag

  • Trigger after 15 days of inactivity

  • Limit exposure to upper-funnel surfaces (Homepage, PLP, PDP)

  • Pair the reminder with a clear, tiered incentive

The image featured at the top of the about us page #1
The image featured at the top of the about us page #1

What I designed

A contextual reminder that makes returning to checkout feel worthwhile

The Abandoned Bag modal successfully reintroduced customers to their saved items and reinforced urgency through value messaging.

Experience highlights

First name personalization

Greets customers by name to immediately signal relevance.

Why it works: Confirms the message is personal and context-driven, increasing attention and trust at the moment of interruption.

Optimized copy layout

Structures tiered offers in a clear visual hierarchy that’s easy to scan and compare.

Why it works: Reduces cognitive load and helps customers quickly understand value, encouraging higher basket sizes.

Clear and actionable CTA

Uses a single CTA that takes customers directly to their Bag.

Why it works: Maintains momentum and removes ambiguity at a high-intent moment.

Impact & reflection

Interruption isn’t aggressive when it’s earned

Modals are often criticized as loud or disruptive, but this work reinforced that the real risk isn’t interruption, it’s irrelevance. The abandoned bag experience was deliberately designed to activate only when customers showed clear purchase intent and hesitation, using behavioral signals and strict frequency controls to avoid overexposure.

Incremental revenue

in 2025 since September launch (5 months)

$104M

$104M

CVR

Conversion rate

+5.3%

+5.3%

RPV

Revenue per visitor

+6.5%

+6.5%

UPT

Units per transaction

+1.0%

+1.0%