Abandoned cart are one of the most persistent challenges in digital commerce. Customers may browse products, add items to their cart, and even begin the checkout process, only to leave before completing the transaction. As a result, online businesses lose a significant amount of revenue.
For international merchants selling into Brazil, the problem can be even more pronounced. While Brazilian consumers are highly engaged in e-commerce and digital services, the country’s payments ecosystem differs from global markets. Local payment preferences, installment expectations, and the widespread adoption of alternative methods such as Pix all influence how consumers complete online purchases.
When the payment experience fails to align with these expectations, even highly motivated buyers abandon the transaction, which is reflected in Brazil’s high cart abandonment rate of over 70%. In many cases, the issue is not a lack of interest in the product, but friction during the final steps of the payment process.
The good news is that an abandoned purchase does not necessarily mean a lost customer. With the right recovery strategies, merchants can reconnect with buyers and provide a simpler path to completing their payment. In fact, data show that half of abandoned purchases can be recovered by using automated flows like a payment link.
In this article, we’ll explore why abandoned purchases happen in cross-border sales to Brazil, strategies merchants can use to recover these transactions, and how payment links can provide a fast and effective way to convert unfinished checkouts into completed sales.
Why cart abandonment is especially common in cross-border sales to Brazil
Brazil is one of the largest and fastest-growing digital commerce markets in the world. Consumers are highly engaged online, and adoption of digital payment methods has accelerated rapidly in recent years. However, the country’s payments ecosystem has its own characteristics, which can create challenges for international merchants if their checkout experience is not properly localized.
- Preference for local payments: Brazilian consumers strongly favor familiar, locally relevant payment options when shopping online, particularly Pix and digital wallets. Pix alone has already been used by about 95% of Brazilian consumers and continues to gain share: According to the Global Payments Report 2025 by Worldpay, it accounted for 41% of e-commerce transaction value in Brazil in 2024 and is projected to reach around 58% by 2030. As this preference continues to grow, merchants that fail to offer these payment methods or make them difficult to use risk increased cart abandonment, as customers are unlikely to proceed with unfamiliar or inconvenient options.
- Authorization challenges: Cross-border card payments often experience lower approval rates due to international processing rules, fraud checks, or restrictions on foreign transactions. Even when customers intend to complete their purchase, a declined payment may interrupt the checkout process and lead them to abandon the transaction entirely.
- Installments: Brazilian consumers expect the option to divide purchases into multiple payments when using a credit card. When installment options are unavailable, the perceived cost of the purchase increases, which can discourage customers from completing the transaction.
- Mobile-first: Brazil is a strongly mobile-first market. Around 8 in 10 Brazilians shop online via their smartphones, which means checkout experiences must be quick, simple, and optimized for smaller screens. Any additional friction during payment can quickly cause customers to drop off before completing their purchase.
For international merchants, these factors mean that even when there is strong demand for their products or services, payment-related friction can interrupt the purchase journey and result in abandoned checkouts.
Strategies for recovering abandoned purchases
While abandoned purchases are a common challenge in digital commerce, they also represent a significant opportunity. When a customer reaches the checkout stage, they have already demonstrated strong purchase intent. The goal of recovery strategies is to reconnect with these customers and make it easier for them to complete the transaction.
Over time, several approaches have emerged as effective ways for merchants to re-engage customers and recover unfinished purchases.
1. Reminder e-mails
One of the most common approaches is sending automated reminder e-mails after a customer leaves the checkout process that encourages them to return and finalize their purchase. According to a Moosend survey, more than 40% of cart abandonment e-mails are opened, showing that many customers are willing to revisit their purchase after leaving the site.
For some customers, abandonment simply occurs because they were distracted or interrupted during checkout. A timely reminder can prompt them to return and complete the transaction.
However, these reminders typically direct customers back to the same checkout flow where the abandonment occurred. If the original friction was related to the payment experience — such as limited payment options or a declined card — the underlying issue may still prevent the purchase from being completed.
2. Re-engagement through retargeting
Many merchants also use retargeting campaigns to reconnect with customers who left the checkout process. Ads displayed on social media or across other websites remind users about products they previously viewed or added to their cart.
This approach can help maintain visibility and bring some customers back to the purchasing journey. At the same time, retargeting requires additional marketing investment and still depends on the customer returning to the same checkout experience.
3. Assistance through customer support
For higher-value purchases, merchants may choose to follow up with customers directly. Customer support or sales teams can reach out to answer questions, provide additional information, or assist the customer in completing the purchase.
While this approach can be effective in certain situations, it often involves manual effort and may not scale easily for businesses managing a large volume of transactions.
4. Direct path to payment
Another increasingly popular approach is to reduce friction by giving customers a direct path to completing their payment.
Instead of asking the customer to return to the website and restart the checkout process, merchants can use a variety of communication channels to send a payment link that leads directly to a payment page where the transaction can be completed. This shortens the path between purchase intent and payment completion, making it easier for customers to finalize the transaction.
When implemented effectively, this approach can significantly increase the chances of turning abandoned checkouts into completed purchases.
Why payment links are so effective for recovering purchases
There are various reasons why payment links can be especially effective in converting unfinished purchases into completed sales.
Here are some the major advantages:
Faster path back to checkout
When a customer abandons a purchase, asking them to restart the entire checkout journey can create additional barriers. They may need to locate the product again, re-enter information, or navigate multiple pages before reaching the payment stage.
Payment links remove these extra steps. With a single click, the customer is taken directly to a payment page where they can finalize their transaction. This streamlined experience helps maintain the momentum of the original purchase intent.
Flexibility across communication channels
Another advantage of payment links is their flexibility. Merchants can deliver them through a variety of communication channels, including email, SMS, customer support chats, and messaging platforms.
This makes it easier to reconnect with customers in the same channels where conversations are already taking place. In a market like Brazil, where messaging apps such as WhatsApp are widely used for both communication and commerce, this flexibility can play an important role in recovering transactions. With around 206 million active users, Brazil is WhatsApp’s third-largest market globally, behind only India, highlighting how central messaging apps are to everyday digital interactions in the country.
Opportunity to retry payment with an alternative method
As mentioned earlier, a common cause of abandoned purchases is payment failure. A transaction may be declined due to authorization issues, insufficient funds, or restrictions on international cards.
Payment links allow merchants to offer another chance to complete the payment. Instead of restarting the entire checkout process, the customer can return directly to the payment step and select the option that works best for them.
In Brazil, this flexibility can be particularly important. If a card transaction fails, customers may prefer to complete the purchase using alternatives such as Pix. Providing an easy way to retry the payment with the right method can significantly increase the likelihood that the transaction will be completed.
Support for other payment scenarios
Payment links are not only useful for recovering abandoned carts. Merchants also use them to:
- Resolve failed payment attempts
- Complete orders through customer support interactions
- Allow customers to finalize purchases after leaving the checkout process
In each of these situations, the objective is the same: give customers a convenient and immediate way to complete their payment without forcing them to restart the entire purchasing journey.
However, the effectiveness of a payment link ultimately depends on the checkout experience behind it. For merchants selling into markets with unique payment behaviors like Brazil, the payment page must support local payment methods and consumer expectations.
This is where more advanced solutions can make a significant difference.
PagBrasil Checkout: The complete cart abandonment recovery solution
PagBrasil Checkout, the next evolution of the payment link, provides a payment experience designed specifically to address the challenges of selling into Brazil. By combining a localized checkout environment with flexible payment links, it allows international merchants to reconnect with customers and offer a convenient way to finalize their purchase.
Instead of directing customers to a generic payment page, merchants can send a payment link that leads to a checkout experience optimized for Brazilian payment behaviors. This helps ensure that when customers return to complete their purchase, they encounter the payment methods, authorization infrastructure, and security protections needed to successfully finalize the transaction.
At the same time, working with a local payment partner helps businesses navigate the operational complexities of the Brazilian payments ecosystem, including regulatory requirements, compliance standards, and local payment infrastructure.
Below are several ways PagBrasil Checkout helps merchants recover abandoned purchases and improve payment conversion in Brazil.
Access to Brazil’s most popular payment methods
One of the most important factors in recovering abandoned purchases is giving customers the ability to pay using the methods they trust and use most often.
PagBrasil Checkout supports a wide range of payment options widely used in Brazil, including:
- Pix via PagBrasil, including 1-click Pix for payments without redirection
- Automatic Pix for recurring purchases
- Local credit cards with installments
- Digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay
- Boleto (bank slip), a still-popular option for B2B transactions
By presenting familiar payment methods when the customer returns to complete their purchase, merchants can remove one of the most common causes of checkout abandonment.
Mobile-optimized checkout with faster payments
A large share of online purchases in Brazil take place on mobile devices, making a smooth and intuitive mobile checkout experience essential for maximizing conversion rates.
Our payment link features a mobile-responsive layout designed to provide a seamless payment experience across devices. To further reduce friction during the payment process, it includes address validation and autofill capabilities, allowing customers to complete required fields more quickly and with fewer errors.
The checkout experience is also optimized for fast payments through 1-click Pix. Returning customers can finalize their transaction without leaving the checkout, taking advantage of the speed and convenience that have made Pix one of the most widely used payment methods in Brazil.
By combining mobile optimization with streamlined payment flows, our payment link helps merchants capture conversions that might otherwise be lost during the final stage of the checkout journey.
Improved authorization rates with multi-acquirer technology
Even when customers attempt to complete their purchase, payment authorization issues can still prevent transactions from going through. Cross-border card payments, in particular, may experience lower approval rates due to international processing restrictions or fraud checks.
PagBrasil’s payment link helps address this challenge through multi-acquirer technology, which intelligently routes transactions to improve approval rates. By increasing the likelihood that legitimate transactions are authorized, merchants can recover more purchases that might otherwise fail during the payment process.
Fraud protection designed for the Brazilian market
Balancing fraud prevention and conversion is another critical factor in successful payment recovery. Excessively strict fraud controls can block legitimate credit card transactions, while insufficient protection exposes merchants to risk.
PagBrasil’s payment link integrates PagShield®, an intelligent fraud prevention system specifically trained on Brazilian transaction data. This localized approach helps merchants identify suspicious activity while minimizing false declines that could prevent legitimate customers from completing their purchases.
A smarter way to recover abandoned purchases
Abandoned purchases don’t have to mean lost revenue. With the right recovery strategies and a checkout experience designed for Brazilian payment behaviors, merchants can give customers a simple way to return and complete their purchase.
PagBrasil helps international businesses do exactly that, combining localized payment methods, optimized authorization infrastructure, and flexible payment links to support higher conversion rates in Brazil.
Talk to a specialist to explore how PagBrasil’s payment solutions can optimize your checkout experience and payment performance.
FAQ: Payment links and abandoned purchase recovery
1. When should merchants send a payment link to recover an abandoned purchase?
The effectiveness of abandoned purchase recovery often depends on timing. Many merchants initiate follow-up communication shortly after the checkout session ends, while the customer’s purchase intent is still high.
In some cases, businesses may implement multiple recovery attempts. For example, they may send an initial reminder soon after abandonment and a second follow-up later if the transaction remains incomplete.
2. Are payment links secure?
When generated through a trusted payment provider, payment links direct customers to secure payment pages that use encryption and established payment infrastructure to process transactions.
PagBrasil’s payment link operates with the highest level of PCI DSS compliance, helping ensure that payment data is processed securely while protecting both merchants and their customers.
3. How can merchants measure the effectiveness of payment recovery strategies?
Businesses typically evaluate payment recovery performance using metrics such as recovered transactions, payment completion rates, and authorization rates.
Monitoring these indicators helps merchants understand how recovery tools like payment links contribute to improved conversion rates and overall revenue performance.
