What the site abandon flow is (and when to run it)
The site abandon flow is the one abandonment automation almost nobody uses. When brands do set it up, they often run it incorrectly and end up frustrating their database.
Here is how it works. A subscriber lands on your website, clicks around a bit, and leaves without viewing a specific product, adding anything to their cart, or initiating checkout. That visit triggers an email.
Because the entry threshold is so low, this automation requires very little user intent to fire. If you leave this flow turned on 365 days a year, you will see your unsubscribe rates climb. That is a mistake.
In my books, you should only activate a site abandon flow during major promotions and sitewide sales. When you have an active offer and want to squeeze every bit of qualified traffic back to the store, this flow can generate serious numbers.
Setting up the trigger and core audience filters
The flow trigger is simple: Active on Site. That metric fires when a cookied visitor who is already identified in Klaviyo lands on your store.
Because the trigger is broad, strict flow filters are mandatory. First, you must filter for people who are subscribed to email marketing. If someone is cookied in Klaviyo but has unsubscribed or never consented to marketing, you cannot send them this message.
Next, you need a frequency limit. Add a filter stating the person has not been in this flow in the last 30 days. If someone visits your store four times in one week, they should never receive four separate site abandon emails. Once a month is more than enough.
Preventing overlap with other abandonment flows
Your store should already have a browse abandonment flow, an abandoned cart flow, and an abandoned checkout flow running. The site abandon flow sits right at the very top of that funnel, which means you must prevent it from clashing with higher-intent automations.
To stop flow cannibalisation, apply these specific flow filters together:
- Placed Order zero times since starting this flow
- Viewed Product zero times since starting this flow
- Added to Cart zero times since starting this flow
- Started Checkout zero times since starting this flow
If a subscriber visits your site and clicks into a specific product page, the Viewed Product filter immediately knocks them out of this flow so your browse abandonment flow can take over. Every abandonment trigger should have its own lane.
Testing time delays with a conditional split
Once someone qualifies for the flow, you need to decide how long to wait before sending the email. Klaviyo does not currently offer native A/B testing on time delay components, so we build a work-around using a conditional split.
Drop a conditional split directly beneath the trigger set to a random 50/50 split. On the left path, set a time delay for 15 minutes. On the right path, set a time delay for 30 minutes. This allows you to test which delay captures more lost shoppers without creating attribution noise.
In my experience, 30 minutes is usually the sweet spot. A 15-minute delay can feel slightly too aggressive because plenty of people spend 10 or 15 minutes browsing before deciding to step away. If your store has a higher average order value, you might even test 30 minutes against 45 minutes to give prospective buyers more breathing room.
What to put inside the site abandon email
You cannot personalise this email around a specific product because the recipient never viewed one. If they had, your browse abandonment automation would have caught them instead.
Keep the email layout clean and short. Focus on direct messaging and broad appeal:
- A clear headline reminding them that your sale or collection is live
- A primary call to action directing them to your homepage, bestsellers collection, or sale landing page
- Core brand value propositions, like fast shipping, guarantees, or materials
- Storewide social proof and general brand reviews rather than item-specific testimonials
- Top-level category blocks so they can quickly jump into the section of the store they care about
Keep the design focused on getting them back onto the site. One focused email is all this flow needs.
Final Thoughts
The site abandon flow is a high-yield tool when you treat it with respect. Use tight exclusions, cap the frequency at once every 30 days, and only switch it live during peak promotional periods. It is simple to build, but disciplined execution is what keeps your deliverability intact.
Audit your flow strategy
If you want to review your full retention setup or build higher-converting automations for your store, explore our email automations service.
