Back to Community
Home / Community / Plugin → Woocommerce cart abandonment recovery

Why Your Abandoned Cart Coupons Aren't Working (And How to Fix It)

47 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Woocommerce cart abandonment recovery

Content

The Problem: Coupon Codes in Recovery Emails Fail to Apply

A common issue reported by users of the WooCommerce Cart Abandonment Recovery plugin is that the discount coupons included in recovery emails do not work as expected. When a customer clicks the recovery link, their cart items are restored, but the promised discount is not automatically applied. This creates friction, confuses customers, and ultimately defeats the purpose of the recovery campaign by potentially leading to a second abandonment.

Why This Happens: Common Causes

Based on community reports and troubleshooting threads, several factors can cause this problem:

  • Test Emails Use Dummy Codes: When you use the 'Send Test Email' function, the plugin inserts a placeholder code like "DUMMY-COUPON." This code is not a real, functional coupon and will never apply a discount. This is the most frequent cause of confusion during setup.
  • Coupon Functionality Disabled in WooCommerce: The plugin relies entirely on WooCommerce's native coupon system. If coupons are disabled in WooCommerce > Settings > General, the recovery coupons cannot function.
  • Plugin or Theme Conflicts: Other plugins that modify coupon behavior, checkout fields, or cart sessions can interfere. Common culprits include other coupon-related plugins or custom checkout solutions.
  • Incorrect Plugin Settings: The "Auto Apply Coupon" option may not be enabled for the specific email template, or the coupon's usage restrictions (e.g., expiry time) may have already passed.
  • Coupon Usage Limits: There is a known scenario where automatically generated coupons show a usage limit of "0/1" in the admin panel, preventing their use until the limit is manually increased.

How to Troubleshoot and Fix the Issue

Follow these steps to identify and resolve the problem.

1. Verify with a Real Abandoned Cart Test

Never rely on the 'Send Test Email' function to check coupon functionality. To properly test:

  1. Add an item to your cart.
  2. Proceed to checkout and enter a real email address you have access to.
  3. Close the browser tab without completing the purchase.
  4. Wait for the abandoned cart email to be sent according to your schedule (e.g., after 1 hour).
  5. Use the recovery link in that email to check if the coupon is applied automatically.

2. Ensure WooCommerce Coupons Are Enabled

Verify that the coupon feature is active in your WooCommerce settings. Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > General and ensure the "Enable coupons" checkbox is checked. The Cart Abandonment Recovery plugin cannot work without this.

3. Check for Plugin Conflicts

A conflict with another plugin is a very common cause. To test for this:

  1. Temporarily deactivate all plugins except WooCommerce and Cart Abandonment Recovery.
  2. Repeat the real abandoned cart test (Step 1). If the coupon now applies, a conflict exists.
  3. Reactivate your plugins one-by-one, testing after each activation, to identify the conflicting plugin.
  4. Pay particular attention to other coupon, checkout, or cart-related plugins.

4. Review Your Email Template Settings

Double-check the configuration for each of your recovery email templates:

  • Confirm the "Create Coupon" option is enabled for the template.
  • Confirm the "Auto Apply Coupon" option is checked. This is crucial for the discount to be applied automatically when the recovery link is clicked.
  • Verify the discount amount, type (percentage/fixed), and expiry time are set correctly.

5. Check Coupon Usage Limits

If a customer reports a "Coupon Usage Limit" error, check the coupon in WooCommerce > Coupons. For auto-generated coupons, you may need to manually adjust the "Usage limit per coupon" if it is incorrectly set to 0.

Important Notes on Plugin Behavior

  • Coupon Visibility: Coupons generated automatically by the plugin are not listed in the WooCommerce > Coupons admin screen. This is normal behavior.
  • Multiple Coupons: The plugin is designed to apply its own auto-generated coupon. If a customer had a different manual coupon applied when they abandoned their cart, it will not be restored; it will be replaced by the plugin's coupon.
  • Coupon Restrictions: The free version of the plugin generates coupons that apply to the entire cart. It does not include options for advanced usage restrictions (e.g., excluding certain products or categories) that are available when creating coupons manually in WooCommerce.

Conclusion

Most issues with coupons not applying from abandoned cart emails can be resolved by thoroughly testing with a real abandonment scenario instead of a test email and systematically checking for conflicts with other plugins. By understanding how the plugin interacts with WooCommerce's native coupon system, you can effectively troubleshoot and ensure your recovery campaigns work smoothly to convert lost sales.

Related Support Threads Support