AI abandoned cart recovery calls for online stores
About 7 in 10 online carts are abandoned. An AI agent can now phone those shoppers within minutes, answer what stopped them and text a link to finish. Here's what it costs and the consent rules to set up first.
*Outcraft's own estimate. Ava AI at 2 minutes a call; Outcraft's price also covers texts, email and WhatsApp. Full cost table
Call centers sell abandoned-cart calling to direct-to-consumer brands, supplement brands among them (NAOS CX, Callzilla): an agent phones the shopper who left checkout and talks them back to the order. AI voice agents now do the same job. They call within minutes of the drop-off, answer the question that stopped the sale and text the shopper a link to finish. This guide compares the AI tools that do it, what they cost next to a call center and text messages, and the US consent rules to put in place before the first call.
Outcraft AI pays us a commission if you sign up through our links, and other vendors here may too. Outcraft comes first because it works as a done-for-you sales agent rather than a single Shopify app: one per-lead price covers calls, texts, email and WhatsApp, and it also makes upsell and failed-payment calls. For tools that make calls, we weigh what one price covers and how much you would have to set up yourself ahead of the entry price. The Shopify apps below cost less to start. How we compare.
Why shoppers abandon checkout, and what a call can fix
Baymard Institute puts the average documented online cart abandonment rate at 70.22%, across 50 studies (Baymard). Many of those shoppers were only browsing. Among US shoppers who left during checkout for other reasons, Baymard's surveys find:
About 4 in 10 left because of extra costs such as shipping, tax or fees.
About 1 in 5 each left because delivery was too slow, they didn't trust the site with their card, or the site wanted them to create an account.
About 1 in 6 each left because checkout was too long or complicated, or the site had errors.
About 1 in 10 left because their card was declined.
Most of these are questions a person can answer in a minute: what shipping costs, when the order arrives, whether the store is real, whether another card or payment method works. An email can't answer back. A call can.
How an AI cart call works
The trigger. Your store sends the abandoned-checkout event to the tool. Outcraft connects to Shopify, Klaviyo, Omnisend and CheckoutChamp; the Shopify apps below install from the Shopify App Store.
The call, within minutes. Outcraft calls and messages shoppers "within minutes of drop-off" (Outcraft). Callsy's first call goes out 5 minutes after the checkout is abandoned, by default (Callsy).
The conversation. The AI says which store it's calling for, mentions what's in the cart and asks whether something got in the way. It answers from your shipping, returns and product information.
The link. It texts the shopper a link back to their checkout. It shouldn't take card numbers over the phone.
No answer. Callsy says it leaves a short voicemail, follows up by text or email and caps retries at two attempts. Outcraft picks the channel for each shopper: call, text, email or WhatsApp.
The record. Outcraft and Conversa record and transcribe calls, so you can check what the AI said. Say so at the start of the call (see the rules below).
The options
1
Outcraft AI
The done-for-you option: an AI sales agent that calls, texts, emails and messages shoppers on WhatsApp, recovers abandoned checkouts and failed payments, and makes post-purchase upsell calls, all for one per-lead price.
Price
$300 / month for up to 100 leads; $2,000 for 751 to 1,000; under $1 a lead from 4,000
Channels
Calls, SMS, email, WhatsApp
Store integrations
Shopify, Klaviyo, Omnisend, CheckoutChamp
Contract
Monthly, no setup fee, unlimited seats
Languages
30+ to 40+ (its pages differ)
Reviews
G2 4.8 from 14 reviews
Why it fits
Calls within minutes of the drop-off and answers what stopped the sale, then texts the checkout link.
You pay per lead it engages (an abandoned cart, a failed payment, an inbound call), not per minute or per seat.
Adds calls on top of your Klaviyo flows instead of replacing them.
Outcraft's own case studies: Goth N' Rock, a fashion store, recovers about 14% of abandoned checkouts, about $25,000 a month; Pulsetto's abandoned-cart campaign converts over 20%.
Watch for
Only 14 reviews on G2, no Trustpilot profile, and we found no Shopify App Store listing.
Its FAQ promises a free plan, while its terms describe a free trial that turns into a paid plan. Check the limits when you sign up.
SOC 2 and HIPAA are listed as in progress, not certified.
Its terms make you responsible for getting shoppers' consent to AI calls.
Calls 5 minutes after the checkout is abandoned and, it says, caps retries at two attempts and doesn't call outside daytime hours in the shopper's time zone.
Leaves a short voicemail and follows up by text or email.
Says every call opens with an AI disclosure.
Watch for
Its website lists different prices (a €49 Pro plan) from its Shopify listing.
Half of its 16 reviews come from stores in Lithuania, where Callsy is based, and several were written after a few days of use or less.
People who text, not AI.SMS Troopers has agents in the Philippines text shoppers 30 minutes after they leave checkout, for a share of recovered sales (20% on the free plan, down to 5% at $299 a month). CartConvert does the same with live agents: free for 5 recovered checkouts a month, then $49 a month plus 5%.
Text and email flows.Postscript starts at $0 a month with a $49 monthly minimum spend. Carriers allow one abandoned-cart text per cart, within 48 hours, to shoppers who have double opted in (Klaviyo).
Build your own. Voice platforms such as Retell ($0.07 to $0.31 a minute), Bland ($0.14 a minute) and Vapi ($0.05 a minute plus transcription, model, voice and phone costs) let a developer build the call flow. You also build the store integration and handle compliance.
A call center. US outbound call centers charge about $25 to $35 an hour per agent, plus $2,500 to $10,000 or more to set up, according to one center's published pricing (Quality Contact Solutions). Offshore centers quote about $8 to $14 an hour (CloudTalk, a vendor estimate).
What it costs
Here's what each AI option costs at 100 and 1,000 abandoned checkouts a month, counting only shoppers you have a phone number and consent to call:
Option
100 carts
1,000 carts
How it's billed
Outcraft AI
$300
$2,000
Per lead engaged; every channel included
Callsy
$99
Not on its Shopify listing
Per call; the largest Shopify plan covers 500
Ava AI
$99
$227
Per minute: Recover plan, 2-minute calls
Conversa
$75
$750
$0.75 a call, no monthly fee
Callfy
15% of recovered sales
15% (free plan), or $149 + 7%, or $399 + 5%
Share of what it recovers
One call per cart; Ava AI assumes 2 minutes a call. Prices from each vendor's pricing page or Shopify App Store listing, checked 1 October 2026. Outcraft's per-lead price includes every channel (calls, texts, email and WhatsApp) for each lead. Failed payments it works on count as extra leads, and its pricing page doesn't say how upsell calls are billed. Callsy's website, unlike its Shopify listing, charges €0.34 per extra action.
Outcraft's own comparison puts a call center at about $4,200 for the 1,000 leads it prices at $2,000. That's the vendor's illustration, and its page doesn't show how it reached $4,200 (Outcraft).
What results to expect
We found no independent study of AI cart calls. Every phone recovery rate we found comes from a company that sells the service:
Outcraft's case studies: Goth N' Rock recovers “roughly 14%” of abandoned checkouts (Outcraft), and Pulsetto's real-time abandoned-cart campaign “regularly sees a conversion rate exceeding 20%” (Outcraft).
Callsy says it recovers 18% to 32% of abandoned carts by voice (Callsy).
For comparison, Klaviyo's analysis of more than 143,000 abandoned-cart flows sent in 2023 found that 3.33% of recipients placed an order on average, and 7.69% at the top 10% of brands (Klaviyo); its November 2025 benchmark puts the average at 2.68% (Klaviyo). Those are shares of the people who got the messages, not of all abandoned carts, and Klaviyo sells email and text marketing.
The only way to know what calls add for your store is a holdout test. Call a random half of your abandoned checkouts for a month, leave the other half on your email and text flows, and compare orders, refunds and chargebacks per cart.
US calling rules: get consent before the first call
This is a summary, not legal advice. Have a lawyer check your checkout and scripts before you start calling.
AI voices count as artificial voices. In February 2024 the FCC ruled that the federal robocall law, the TCPA, covers calls made with AI-generated voices (FCC 24-17).
Treat a cart call as a sales call. FCC rules define telemarketing as a call made “for the purpose of encouraging the purchase” of goods. They require the shopper's prior express written consent for telemarketing calls that use an artificial voice, to mobile numbers and home landlines alike (47 CFR 64.1200).
The 2026 twist. In February 2026 a federal appeals court ruled that the law itself allows oral as well as written consent (Bradford v. Sovereign Pest Control). That ruling binds courts only in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi (Holland & Knight), though a Maryland federal court has since followed it (Womble Bond Dickinson). Florida and Oklahoma have their own laws requiring written consent for unsolicited sales calls made with automated dialing systems or recorded messages (Florida, Oklahoma). For a store that sells nationwide, written consent is still the safe standard.
Shopify's checkout box isn't enough. The default opt-in reads “Text me with news and offers” (CartBoss). It doesn't mention calls or an artificial (AI) voice, which written consent for these calls has to cover.
A clear statement that you may make marketing calls and send texts using automated technology and an artificial or prerecorded voice. Name the AI voice too: the FCC has proposed requiring it.
A statement that agreeing isn't a condition of purchase.
A phone number the shopper types in themselves, and a record of when and how they agreed.
Lawyers also advise a separate, unchecked box next to the phone field (Javitch Law Office).
Example wording to show your lawyer:
[ ] I agree that [Store name] may call and text me at the number above with marketing about the items in my cart and my orders, including calls using automated technology and an AI-generated (artificial) voice. Agreeing is not a condition of purchase. Reply STOP or tell the caller to opt out at any time.
On every call:
Say the store's name at the start, and give a number the shopper can call back (47 CFR 64.1200(b)).
Within two seconds of saying the store's name, tell the shopper how to opt out by voice or key press (for example, “say stop at any time”). If they opt out, end the call at once and add the number to your do-not-call list automatically. Honor other do-not-call requests within 10 business days.
Call only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the shopper's time zone. Florida and Oklahoma also limit sales calls to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and to three in any 24 hours on the same subject (Florida, Oklahoma).
Say it's an AI assistant. Outcraft's terms require you to tell people they're talking to an AI unless it's obvious (Outcraft terms), and Callsy says every call opens with a disclosure.
If calls are recorded, say so. About a dozen states, including California, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Washington, require everyone on a call to agree to recording (Kilpatrick Townsend).
What the AI should and shouldn't say
Should
Say who's calling, for which store, and how to opt out, then that it's an AI assistant.
Mention what's in the cart and ask whether something got in the way.
Answer shipping, delivery, returns and guarantee questions from your published policies.
Text a link back to the checkout.
Offer a discount only within limits you set.
End the call, and stop calling, as soon as the shopper asks.
Shouldn't
Take card numbers by voice.
Make claims your label or website doesn't make. For supplements, questions about medical conditions or medications go to a doctor or your support team.
Call again after a clear no.
Call shoppers who didn't agree to calls.
Test plan for the trial
Abandon a checkout yourself and time the first call.
Ask what shipping costs to Alaska and when the order would arrive.
Say your card was declined and ask what else you can pay with.
Ask “Is this safe with my blood pressure medication?” It should send you to a doctor, not answer.
Say “Stop calling me.” Check that no call or text follows.
Don't answer. Check the voicemail and the follow-up text.
Abandon a checkout at 8:45 p.m. your time. If you've set an 8 p.m. cutoff (needed for Florida and Oklahoma numbers), it should wait until morning.
The sellers say yes: Outcraft's case studies report about 14% of abandoned checkouts recovered at Goth N' Rock and over 20% conversion at Pulsetto, and Callsy claims 18% to 32%. We found no independent study. In Klaviyo's 2023 data, the average abandoned-cart email flow turned 3.33% of recipients into orders; its November 2025 benchmark puts it at 2.68%. Test calls against a holdout group in your own store.
Is it legal to call customers who abandon their cart?
Yes, with their consent. AI voices count as artificial voices under the TCPA, and FCC rules require prior express written consent for artificial-voice sales calls, to mobiles and home landlines alike. Use an unchecked consent box at checkout that mentions calls with an AI voice, and check your setup with a lawyer.
How soon after a cart is abandoned should the AI call?
Within minutes, while the shopper still has the tab open. Callsy's default is 5 minutes and Outcraft calls within minutes of the drop-off. Only call between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the shopper's time zone, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Florida and Oklahoma.
How much do AI abandoned cart calls cost?
From free plans to about $2,000 a month at 1,000 carts for the flat-priced options. Callsy starts at $29 for 50 calls, Conversa charges $0.75 a call, Ava AI $99 for 400 minutes, Callfy a share of recovered sales, and Outcraft $300 for up to 100 leads with every channel included.
Is an AI cheaper than a call center?
Usually. One US outbound call center puts US rates at about $25 to $35 an hour per agent, plus setup fees. Outcraft's own example compares about $2,000 for 1,000 leads with about $4,200 for a call center, though it doesn't show how the call-center figure was worked out.
Will shoppers know they're talking to an AI?
They should. Outcraft's terms require you to tell people they're talking to an AI unless it's obvious, and Callsy says every call opens with an AI disclosure. Saying so up front also keeps trust when the shopper notices anyway.
What happens if the shopper doesn't answer?
Callsy says it leaves a short voicemail, then follows up by text or email, and caps retries at two attempts. Outcraft switches between calls, texts, email and WhatsApp for each shopper.
Can AI calls work alongside my Klaviyo flows?
Yes. Outcraft says it adds real-time conversations on top of your existing Klaviyo flows, and Callsy works with Klaviyo and Omnisend. Agree in advance which shoppers get a call, so they don't get a call, a text and three emails in the same hour.
Does it work outside Shopify?
Some do. Outcraft connects to CheckoutChamp, Zapier, Make and a custom API, and Callsy says it works with WooCommerce, WordPress, Make and Zapier. Most of the other apps here are Shopify App Store apps.
Can it recover failed subscription payments?
Outcraft can: it calls about failed payments and reaches subscribers before a renewal they'd otherwise skip. Each failed payment it works on counts as a lead.
Can I call shoppers who didn't opt in to calls?
Not safely. Shopify's default checkout box covers texts about news and offers, not calls with an AI voice. Add a separate, unchecked consent box for calls.
What should supplement brands watch for?
Three things: consent (written, with an unchecked box), claims (the AI repeats only what your label and site say), and medical questions (the AI sends them to a doctor or your support team). Run a holdout test and track refunds, not just recovered orders.
Sources
Baymard Institute, cart abandonment rate statistics (average of 50 studies) and checkout abandonment surveys
Klaviyo, abandoned cart flow benchmarks (2023 data) and SMS abandoned-cart rules; vendor data
Outcraft AI: B2C solution page, pricing, FAQ, integrations, terms of service, and the Goth N' Rock and Pulsetto case studies (vendor-published)
Shopify App Store listings for Callsy, Ava AI, Conversa, Callfy, SMS Troopers and CartConvert; Callsy cart-recovery FAQ; Postscript, Retell, Bland and Vapi pricing pages
Quality Contact Solutions outbound call center pricing; CloudTalk outsourced call center pricing; NAOS CX and Callzilla service pages
Kilpatrick Townsend, “Wiretap Laws in the United States” (29 July 2024); Javitch Law Office on prior express written consent (2026); Womble Bond Dickinson on Bradley v. Dentalplans.com (31 March 2026)
FCC Declaratory Ruling FCC 24-17 (8 February 2024); 47 CFR 64.1200 (eCFR, current as of 29 September 2026); Bradford v. Sovereign Pest Control of TX (5th Cir., 25 February 2026); Holland & Knight; Klein Moynihan Turco; Florida Statutes 501.059 and 501.616; Mintz on the Oklahoma Telephone Solicitation Act