Use an event-triggered email flow to remind shoppers about items they left in a cart or checkout, then stop the flow as soon as they buy. Make the message useful—show the items, link straight back to checkout, and address likely concerns such as delivery, total cost, or payment options. Email may recover some missed orders, but it cannot fix a checkout that surprises or frustrates shoppers.
What cart abandonment emails can—and cannot—do
An abandoned-cart email is an automated reminder sent after a shopper adds items to a cart or begins checkout without completing the order. That is different from a product-viewing reminder, which follows browsing without a cart, and from an order confirmation, which follows a completed purchase.
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Cart recovery is worth considering, but an abandoned checkout is not always a lost sale: some shoppers are comparing options, browsing, or simply not ready to buy. Baymard Institute reports a 70.19% global average cart-abandonment rate on its current research page, which it says has tracked the measure for 14 years. Treat that as broad context, not a forecast for your store.
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Choose a trigger and make sure the data is reliable
Start with the event that best reflects the intent you want to address: a cart being created or checkout being started. Confirm that your ecommerce platform and email system pass the relevant cart contents, shopper identity, and order events correctly. If event syncing is delayed, a very short wait can send a reminder after the shopper has already completed checkout.
Before building the sequence, verify that test activity appears as expected in the email platform and that a completed order updates the profile or flow condition used to suppress messages. The goal is not merely to send quickly; it is to send based on current, trustworthy information.
Build the sequence around shopper behavior
First reminder: give checkout time to finish
Klaviyo’s flow guidance, updated March 30, 2026, suggests a first email 2–4 hours after checkout begins. It cautions that businesses differ, so use this as a starting hypothesis rather than a universal best time. Allow enough time for normal checkout completion and account for your integration’s event-sync latency.
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Make the message immediately actionable: identify the products, use a prominent link that returns to the saved cart or checkout, and provide help relevant to the purchase. If delivery timing or shipping costs are likely concerns, make that information easy to find. If a shopper may need reassurance, explain available payment methods or how to get support.
Follow-up: add a reason to return, not just another nudge
If the shopper still has not purchased, test a second message. Klaviyo suggests a follow-up 20–48 hours after the first checkout event; check exactly how your platform defines delays so the timing is intentional. Shopify describes longer multi-email possibilities, but there is no schedule that is right for every store.
Give the follow-up a distinct purpose: answer a common question, clarify delivery or returns information, or offer assistance. A discount can address genuine price hesitation, but it should not be automatic. Consider its margin impact and whether routine discounts would train customers to wait for one.
Suppress the flow after purchase
Check purchase status before every message, not only when someone first enters the flow. Klaviyo documents profile checks before each message in a multi-message sequence. This prevents a shopper who orders after the first reminder from receiving a redundant follow-up. Also test edge cases such as an order placed in a different session or a delay between checkout and order events.
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A recovery email should help the shopper decide, not just announce that something was left behind. Keep the subject line accurate and the body focused on the products and the next action. A clear structure is:
- A brief reminder that names the saved items or shows their images.
- A direct return-to-cart or checkout link, tested on mobile and desktop.
- One useful answer to a likely obstacle, such as shipping, delivery timing, payment, returns, or customer support.
- A genuine offer only if it addresses a real objection and makes business sense.
Use dynamic product content only when the cart data is dependable, and test what happens if an item is unavailable or the cart link has expired. Avoid urgency claims that are not true. A polished email cannot compensate for a broken return path or a checkout that no longer contains the shopper’s items.
Choose an implementation that fits your store
You can use a commerce platform’s native abandoned-checkout automation or connect a third-party email marketing automation platform. Shopify describes its native messaging and third-party apps; Klaviyo documents integrations, dynamic content, profile filters, and flow timing. The sources do not establish a universally superior provider or a complete current price comparison.
Compare options against the operational needs of your store:
- Reliable cart, identity, and order-event syncing.
- Purchase suppression before every send.
- Cart personalization and a working return path.
- Segmentation and timing controls for store-specific tests.
- Reporting that ties sends and clicks to completed orders under a clear attribution definition.
- Consent handling and the total effort and cost of operating the flow.
Do not switch platforms solely to send a reminder. First check whether your existing ecommerce and email tools can support the required events, conditions, and reporting.
Measure the flow without mistaking attribution for proof
Track delivery and outcomes consistently so a change in timing or content can be compared with your own baseline. At minimum, monitor:
- Messages sent and delivered.
- Clicks on the return-to-cart or checkout link.
- Completed orders after the message.
- Attributed revenue, using a consistent attribution window and definition.
Compare one meaningful change at a time—such as the delay, subject line, or help content—against a baseline. An order that follows an email is not necessarily an order caused by it, so treat attributed revenue as a measurement convention rather than proof that every credited purchase was recovered by the message.
Klaviyo’s 2026 Abandoned Cart Benchmark Report analyzes more than 110,000 Klaviyo customers and says abandoned-cart flows have the highest average revenue per recipient across email and text messaging in its dataset. That is vendor-reported benchmark context, not a promised result or a forecast for an individual merchant.
Address the reasons shoppers leave
Use checkout analytics, customer feedback, support questions, and testing to identify where buyers encounter friction. Review whether total costs and delivery estimates are visible early enough, whether shoppers can check out as guests, whether familiar payment methods are available, and whether the checkout is clear and technically reliable. Shopify’s guide to abandoned-cart emails summarizes shopper-reported reasons relayed from Baymard, but the exact percentages should not be treated as universal store-level findings.
Fixing friction benefits shoppers before they abandon. The email flow then serves as a safety net for people who still leave without ordering.
Follow the rules for the recipient’s location
Do not assume that a cart reminder is legally transactional, or that entering an email address during checkout automatically gives permission for marketing. The applicable rules depend on the recipient’s jurisdiction and the message’s primary purpose. The guidance below covers the United States and Canada; it is not a complete legal analysis for the EU, UK, or other countries.
United States
The FTC’s CAN-SPAM compliance guide says the law covers commercial messages and generally does not require prior consent. It requires accurate sender and header information, non-deceptive subject lines, identification of advertising, a valid physical postal address, a clear opt-out, and prompt honoring of opt-outs. A merchant remains responsible for compliance even when another company sends its email. Whether a mixed commercial and transactional message qualifies for narrow transactional treatment depends on its primary purpose and content; labeling a promotional cart reminder “transactional” is not a shortcut.
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Canada
The CRTC’s CASL FAQ says an abandoned cart is not a purchase that triggers the two-year implied-consent period. It notes some businesses may view checkout activity as an inquiry under a separate six-month basis, but warns about complaint and privacy risks and recommends obtaining express consent when collecting an email address or phone number for commercial messages. The sender bears the burden of proving consent.
The CRTC’s CASL guidance on implied consent also addresses sender identification, unsubscribe mechanisms, and recordkeeping. Unsubscribe requests must be honored within 10 business days. Merchants sending to other jurisdictions should check current local requirements and obtain appropriate legal advice rather than applying U.S. rules globally.
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