Skip to content An abandoned cart email is one of the simplest ways to recover lost revenue. Around 70% of online carts never make it through checkout. A strong recovery flow doesn’t just bring people back—it strengthens your brand’s consistency and builds trust over time.
There’s a difference between someone who adds an item to their cart and someone who starts checkout but doesn’t finish. Both require a different kind of message, tone, and timing.
In Klaviyo, these are tracked separately, though the naming can be confusing.
Use “Added to Cart” as the trigger for cart recovery and “Checkout Started” for checkout abandonment.
People often leave the buying process because of friction, hesitation, or simple distraction. Your emails should lower those barriers, not push harder.
A reminder, a bit of reassurance, and a clear path back are usually all that’s needed.
Three simple emotional levers guide good recovery flows:
Urgency: Give a subtle reason to act soon—without pressure.
For Shopify stores, setup is straightforward, be sure to integrate your Klaviyo account with Shopify first.
If you’re on another platform, you’ll need a small tracking code added to your site.
Navigate to Flows → Create from Scratch → Metric Trigger: “Added to Cart.”
Keep the flow short and relevant. Here’s a clean structure to start with:
After that, you can test a “You May Also Like” email for those who still don’t convert. It’s a subtle way to re-engage without repeating the same message.
The checkout flow moves faster.
A suggested structure for the checkout abandonment flow looks like this:
SMS 1 – 15 minutes after abandonment
The first reminder should feel effortless and personal—almost like a nudge from your team, not a campaign. A simple line works best here:
“Hey [Name], you left something in your checkout. Finish your order here: [link].”
Keep it short, clear, and free of emojis or sales language. The goal is to catch them before the moment of intent fades.
Email 1 – 30 minutes later
This is where you bring them back to their cart visually. Show the product image, order summary, and a clear button to complete checkout.
You can add one or two bullet points summarizing value or convenience (“Free shipping over £50,” “Ships within 24 hours”).
At this stage, the customer doesn’t need persuasion—just a reminder that finishing is easy.
Email 2 – 12–24 hours later
Here, you can start to build reassurance. Include short testimonials, review snippets, or trust signals like secure checkout icons and return guarantees.
If possible, mention helpful details like sizing, shipping timeframes, or common FAQs.
This email should feel like a confident brand gently answering unspoken doubts.
Email 3 – another 24 hours later
By now, the customer has either decided or drifted. This message should reintroduce light urgency—without using false scarcity.
You might reference low stock, seasonal demand, or the natural expiration of their cart:
“We’ve saved your cart for now, but popular items sell fast.”
Pair this with a friendly tone and a single, visible CTA. The purpose is to move them from indecision to action, not pressure.
SMS 2 – 1 day later
Send a final reminder to close the loop. This message should sound like the last polite tap on the shoulder:
“Just a quick note — your order is still waiting. Complete it here: [link].”
It’s short, practical, and gives closure to the sequence
Keep smart sending off during testing so every message delivers in sequence.
Once you’ve gathered data on click rates, conversions, and unsubscribes, you can fine-tune frequency and re-enable smart sending if needed.
If unsubscribes climb, reduce SMS volume first—customers are more forgiving of emails than texts.
The goal isn’t constant reminders; it’s quiet efficiency: a system that catches intent at just the right time and lets go when it’s no longer needed.
If a product consistently drives high traffic or sales, build a dedicated flow around it.
For instance, if your bestseller is a blue jacket, you could build a reminder that includes styling examples, use cases, or customer photos.
These emails feel more human and relevant, helping the customer picture themselves owning the product.
An abandoned cart flow is quiet but powerful. Once set up, it runs in the background—recovering lost sales while reinforcing brand reliability with Shawfire Media’s strategic automation.
If you’d like to see how we structure these systems for long-term retention, subscribe to our mailing list for future breakdowns.
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