The Difference Between Abandoned Cart and Abandoned Checkout
The abandoned cart and abandoned checkout flows are universally celebrated for a reason. They consistently generate a massive portion of automated email revenue for ecommerce stores. Yet, a surprising number of store owners still treat them as the exact same thing.
They are not the same. The abandoned cart sequence triggers much earlier in the customer journey when someone adds an item to their cart and continues browsing. The abandoned checkout flow occurs later, once a shopper actually initiates the checkout process and enters contact details.
An abandoned cart demonstrates lower buying intent than an abandoned checkout. Because of this distinction, you need both automations live in Klaviyo, built side by side with identical structural discipline but tailored messaging.
Flow Triggers and the Filters You Cannot Skip
To set up an abandoned cart flow, your trigger must be the Added to Cart metric. One frustrating limitation in Klaviyo is that this metric is not tracked out of the box when you connect Shopify. You need to add a small snippet of code to your theme files before you can even build this automation.
Once the trigger is active, your flow filters make or break the sequence. You must add two critical filters immediately:
- Started Checkout zero times since starting this flow
- Placed Order zero times since starting this flow
That first filter is non-negotiable. Without it, someone who adds an item to their cart, proceeds to checkout, and then drops off will receive emails from both your abandoned cart and abandoned checkout flows simultaneously. Inundating your subscribers with conflicting messages is a quick way to spike unsubscribes.
Splitting Non-Buyers from Existing Customers
One of the cardinal sins I see in Klaviyo accounts is sending the exact same abandonment emails to every single person. Someone who has never bought from you requires a completely different angle than a loyal customer who has placed five orders.
The very first step after the trigger should be a conditional split based on overall order history: Placed Order zero times over all time. Those who have never bought go down the yes path, while previous buyers go down the no path.
If someone has already purchased from your brand, they already trust your product quality and shipping times. They simply need a straightforward reminder that their cart is waiting. Giving returning customers an unprompted discount code trains them to abandon every single purchase. That is a mistake.
Testing Time Delays and Offering the Immediate Discount
Because Klaviyo does not allow native A/B testing of time delays inside flow branches, I split non-buyers with a 50/50 conditional split right at the start. One branch gets a 15-minute time delay, while the other gets a 30-minute delay. This allows you to test which window drives the higher conversion rate.
My general rule of thumb is that higher-ticket items between $400 and $1,000 perform better with longer delays of 2 to 4 hours. Lower-priced, impulse-driven products convert best between 15 and 45 minutes.
In Email 1A for non-buyers, I recommend offering a discount immediately. Some email marketers argue that you should send a plain reminder first and save the discount for later emails. In my books, that logic falls flat. You already offered them a 10% discount to join your newsletter via your sign-up form, so why withhold it when they are showing active buying intent? Priority number one is getting your product into their hands.
Using Trigger Splits for Specific Product Messaging
After a one-day delay, non-buyers who still have not purchased should move into trigger splits based on the specific collection or category of the item left behind. This is where true personalisation happens (not just inserting a first-name tag into the subject line).
By splitting subscribers based on the product collection, Email 2 can speak directly to the specific benefits, materials, or use cases of that exact category. Remind them of the item they left behind, reiterate the introductory discount code, and back it up with collection-specific social proof.
If a subscriber does not match any of your specific collection splits, they simply filter down the default path into a broader brand-focused email that highlights your core USPs and customer reviews.
Closing the Sale with an Escalated Offer
If a subscriber reaches Email 3 after another 24-hour delay, the likelihood of them purchasing has dropped significantly. At this stage, they have resisted two previous reminders. The issue almost always boils down to a value imbalance.
The shopper does not currently perceive enough value in the product to justify the full retail price. To tilt the value equation in your favour, you can bump up the discount incentive for this final email. Even if you only break even on this initial order, an effective post-purchase strategy will make up the margin on repeat purchases over time.
For the abandoned checkout flow, you mirror this exact three-part architecture. The triggers, splits, and filters follow the same logic, but the copy should reflect the higher intent of someone who stepped into the checkout queue.
Final Thoughts
Abandoned cart and abandoned checkout flows are the financial backbone of your email marketing programme. By separating non-buyers from repeat customers, testing your time delays, and using collection-level trigger splits, you move away from generic batch reminders and create high-converting automations that reliably recover lost sales.
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If you want our team to audit, build, and optimise high-performing automated flows directly inside your Klaviyo account, explore our Email Automations service.
