=== CartCue - Sales Automation for WooCommerce ===
Contributors:      userelements
Tags:              abandoned cart, woocommerce, cart recovery, woocommerce automation, email automation
Requires at least: 6.2
Tested up to:      7.0
Requires PHP:      7.4
Stable tag:        1.0.3
License:           GPLv2 or later
License URI:       https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
WC requires at least: 3.6
WC tested up to:   9.9

Recover abandoned carts, automate WooCommerce emails, win back inactive customers, and recover lost sales — no SaaS subscription required.

== Description ==

**CartCue** is the WooCommerce abandoned cart recovery and sales automation plugin that runs entirely inside your WordPress dashboard — no monthly SaaS fee, no customer data leaving your server.

Most WooCommerce stores lose 60–70% of shoppers at checkout. A customer abandons a cart. A payment fails. A first-time buyer never hears back. A loyal customer goes quiet. CartCue turns those moments into automated revenue recovery — set once, run forever.

= Abandoned cart recovery that works =

CartCue detects when a shopper enters their email at checkout and leaves before completing the order. It then waits your chosen delay (10 minutes, 1 hour, or 1 day) and sends a personalized abandoned cart recovery email with their cart contents, total, and a direct recovery link. You can include a unique coupon to bring them back.

Works for both registered customers and guest shoppers. No external account needed.

= WooCommerce automation without the complexity =

Every automation in CartCue follows a plain-English flow:

1. **Trigger:** what WooCommerce event starts this automation?
2. **Timing:** how long to wait before acting?
3. **Conditions:** who should receive it?
4. **Action:** send an email, generate a coupon, add an order note, or change order status.

No drag-and-drop canvas, no flowcharts, no 40-tab setup wizard. Most stores are up and running in under 5 minutes.

= Automation triggers included free =

* **Cart Abandoned** — recover carts from shoppers who entered their email and left.
* **Checkout Started** — catch shoppers who reached checkout but did not finish.
* **Order Paid** — post-purchase follow-ups, thank-you emails, review requests, cross-sell offers.
* **Order Status Changed** — trigger automations when orders move between WooCommerce statuses.
* **Payment Failed** — send a recovery reminder when a customer payment fails.
* **Order Refunded / Cancelled** — follow up after refunds or cancellations.
* **New Customer Created** — welcome new registered customers automatically.
* **Customer Win-Back** — re-engage customers who have not ordered in N days.
* **Never Purchased** — nudge registered users who signed up but never bought.

= Personalized WooCommerce emails =

CartCue emails support built-in variables for customer name, order details, cart contents, coupon codes, store name, and recovery links. Emails are sent through `wp_mail()` — the same delivery path WooCommerce uses — so they work with any SMTP or transactional email plugin you already have.

Variable fallbacks prevent awkward blanks: `{{customer.first_name|there}}` outputs "there" when a guest has no stored name.

= Audience conditions — send to the right customers =

Avoid sending every message to everyone. Add conditions to each automation:

* Order total above or below a threshold
* Customer placing their first order
* Customer has ordered N or more times
* Customer is a registered user or guest
* Customer has a specific WordPress role
* Customer registered before or after a date

= Automation recipes — launch in minutes =

CartCue includes ready-made recipe templates for the most common WooCommerce automations:

* Abandoned cart recovery (1-email and 2-email sequences)
* Post-purchase review request
* Win-back offer for inactive customers
* Welcome email with coupon for new customers
* Failed payment recovery
* Post-purchase cross-sell

= Reports and email tracking =

Track how your automations are performing from the CartCue dashboard:

* Email open rate and click rate per play
* Revenue attributed to each automation
* Activity log with success, skipped, and error status per run
* Execution history per customer

= Why CartCue instead of a marketing SaaS? =

Most abandoned cart recovery and WooCommerce email tools are monthly subscriptions that send your customer data to an external server. CartCue stores everything in your WordPress database. Your customer emails, order data, and cart contents never leave your site.

**CartCue is a one-time purchase per site** (Pro version), not a monthly fee that scales with your store's revenue.

= WooCommerce compatibility =

* WooCommerce High-Performance Order Storage (HPOS) compatible
* Works with WooCommerce Blocks checkout (for consent)
* Compatible with any SMTP, transactional email, or deliverability plugin
* Supports WooCommerce multi-currency

= Free plan limits =

* Up to 5 active automation plays at a time
* 2 timed follow-up steps per play
* All free triggers and actions listed above
* Reports, email tracking, and recipe templates included

= CartCue Pro =

[CartCue Pro](https://www.userelements.com/cartcue-woocommerce-automation/?utm_source=plugin&utm_medium=readme&utm_campaign=upgrade) adds advanced automations for growing WooCommerce stores:

**Additional Pro triggers:**
* New Product Review
* Low Stock Alert
* Customer Birthday
* WooCommerce Subscriptions (renewal, cancellation, pause, reactivation)
* Manual Campaigns (send to a custom segment on demand)

**Additional Pro actions:**
* SMS notifications via Twilio or Vonage
* CRM sync — FluentCRM, Mailchimp, MailPoet, ActiveCampaign, Klaviyo
* Outgoing webhooks (Zapier, n8n, Make)
* Slack notification
* Trigger another play
* Change customer role
* Add / remove loyalty points

**Pro also includes:**
* Unlimited follow-up sequence steps
* A/B subject line testing
* Revenue attribution per play
* CSV export of logs and customer data
* Play import / export (JSON)
* Campaign mode for bulk one-time sends

== Installation ==

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to **Plugins → Add New** and search for "CartCue".
2. Click **Install Now**, then **Activate**.
3. Go to **CartCue** in the admin sidebar.
4. Click **Browse Recipes** to pick a ready-made automation — or **Build from Scratch** to start fresh.
5. Activate your play.

**Recommended first automation:** The Abandoned Cart Recovery recipe. It runs hands-free once activated and is the fastest path to recovered revenue for most WooCommerce stores.

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= What is CartCue? =

CartCue is a WooCommerce abandoned cart recovery and sales automation plugin. It lets you create automated plays triggered by WooCommerce events — abandoned carts, paid orders, failed payments, new customers, inactive customers, and more — and takes actions like sending a personalized email, generating a coupon, or changing an order status.

= How does WooCommerce abandoned cart recovery work? =

When a shopper enters their email address at checkout and leaves before completing the order, CartCue captures the cart and schedules a recovery email. You can send the email immediately or after a delay (e.g., 1 hour, 24 hours). The email includes the cart contents, total, and a one-click recovery link that restores their cart automatically.

= Does abandoned cart recovery work for guests? =

Yes. CartCue recovers guest carts as long as the shopper has entered their email address at checkout. You can also configure plays to send only to registered customers if you prefer.

= Does CartCue require a monthly subscription? =

No. The free version is fully functional with no subscription or credit card required. CartCue Pro is a per-site purchase, not a monthly recurring fee that scales with your revenue or contact count.

= Will CartCue work with my SMTP or transactional email plugin? =

Yes. CartCue sends email through `wp_mail()`, the standard WordPress email function. It is compatible with WP Mail SMTP, Postmark, Mailgun, SendGrid, FluentSMTP, and any other SMTP or transactional email plugin.

= Is CartCue compatible with WooCommerce HPOS? =

Yes. CartCue is fully compatible with WooCommerce High-Performance Order Storage (HPOS / custom order tables).

= Can I send personalized WooCommerce emails with customer and order data? =

Yes. CartCue emails support variables for customer first name, last name, email, order number, order total, order items, cart total, cart recovery link, coupon code, store name, and store URL. You can use fallback values for missing data — for example `{{customer.first_name|there}}` outputs "there" for guests with no stored name.

= Can I create and send coupon codes automatically? =

Yes. The free version includes a Create Coupon action. CartCue generates a unique coupon per customer and inserts it into the email automatically.

= How is CartCue different from FunnelKit Automations or AutomateWoo? =

CartCue is lighter, faster to set up, and does not require an external CRM account or a monthly subscription. It is focused on WooCommerce-native automations that store owners need most: abandoned cart recovery, win-back, post-purchase follow-ups, and payment recovery. Advanced marketing CRM features are not included by design.

= Can I build a follow-up sequence — multiple emails over several days? =

Yes. Each CartCue play supports follow-up steps with individual time delays. The free version includes up to 2 follow-up steps per play. CartCue Pro supports unlimited steps.

= Does CartCue track email opens and clicks? =

Yes. CartCue embeds a tracking pixel for opens and wraps links for click tracking. Open rate, click rate, and per-play performance are visible in the Reports dashboard.

= Can I use CartCue to send win-back emails to inactive customers? =

Yes. The Customer Win-Back trigger fires daily for registered customers who have not placed an order in a set number of days (configurable). You can target customers inactive for 30, 60, 90 days or any value you choose.

= Does CartCue store customer data on my server? =

Yes. All automation logs, cart data, email tracking, and customer consent records are stored in your WordPress database. No customer data is sent to CartCue or any external server.

= Is CartCue compatible with WooCommerce Subscriptions? =

The free version works with standard WooCommerce orders. CartCue Pro adds dedicated triggers for WooCommerce Subscriptions renewal, cancellation, pause, and reactivation events.

= Can I export activity logs or customer data? =

Log export (CSV) is available in CartCue Pro. The free version provides in-dashboard reporting with the activity log view.

= What WooCommerce version does CartCue require? =

CartCue requires WooCommerce 7.0 or higher. It has been tested up to WooCommerce 9.9.

== Screenshots ==

1. **Active plays dashboard** — see all live automations with status, run count, and last activity at a glance.
2. **Abandoned cart recovery play** — the abandoned cart recipe pre-configured and ready to activate.
3. **Play builder (wizard)** — build automations in a guided 4-step flow: trigger → timing → email → review.
4. **Trigger selection** — choose from 10 free WooCommerce triggers including cart abandoned, order paid, win-back, and more.
5. **Email builder** — write personalized emails using a visual block editor with variable chips and live preview.
6. **Recipe library** — start from ready-made automation templates for the most common WooCommerce scenarios.
7. **Reports overview** — revenue attributed, emails sent, open rate, click rate, and play-level performance.
8. **Activity log** — view every play execution with status, customer email, and error details.

== Changelog ==

= 1.0.3 =
* Release

= 1.0.2 =
* Free plan: up to 5 active plays at a time (unlimited paused plays); Pro has unlimited active plays.
* Merged execution logs into Reports (Overview and Logs tabs); the legacy Logs menu URL now redirects automatically.
* Added guided 4-step wizard for new plays: Trigger → Timing → Message → Review.
* Added variable fallback syntax: `{{customer.first_name|there}}` outputs fallback when variable is empty.
* Added frequency limit pill controls (every time / once per customer / cooldown period).
* Improved story bar: clicking any colored step jumps directly to that section.

= 1.0.1 =
* Fixed plugin name collision on activation.

= 1.0.0 =
* Initial release — WooCommerce abandoned cart recovery, win-back emails, post-purchase automations, coupon generation, email tracking, and reports.