Klaviyo Abandoned Cart Flow That Recovers 10-15% of Carts
Baymard puts the average documented cart abandonment rate at 70.22% across 50 studies (updated 22 September 2025). Most of your would-be revenue walks out at the checkout. The abandoned cart flow goes after buyers who already chose the product, and Klaviyo's 2026 data says it earns more per recipient than any other flow. This is the full playbook: what the flow is, when each email sends, what each one says, how to set it up in Klaviyo, and what good looks like. Or we build it for you. Well-built flows recover 10-15% of lost carts.
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/ What it is
What a Klaviyo abandoned cart flow is
An abandoned cart flow is an automated run of emails, plus a text if you have consent, that Klaviyo sends when a shopper adds something to their cart or starts checkout and leaves without buying. It stops the moment they order.
Klaviyo splits this into two flows. Abandoned cart triggers on Added to Cart. Abandoned checkout triggers on Started Checkout, which fires once the shopper has entered contact details. Klaviyo calls checkout the stronger intent signal, and most people searching for an abandoned cart flow mean that one. It is the one we build first.
Added to Cart fires earlier, but only for shoppers Klaviyo can already identify: logged-in customers, or people who clicked a Klaviyo email before. Run it as a lighter second flow, and filter out anyone who starts checkout so nobody gets both sequences.
- Trigger
- Started Checkout (abandoned checkout) or Added to Cart (abandoned cart).
- Exit
- Placed Order zero times since starting this flow, checked before every message.
- Emails
- Three, plus one SMS for shoppers with SMS consent.
- Timing
- Our default: 1 hour, 24 hours and 72 hours after abandonment.
/ The problem
Why most abandoned cart flows underperform
Most stores ship the default template: one or two emails, the product image, a discount in email one. The flow earns something, so nobody looks under it. The recoverable revenue lives in the logic underneath: how long you wait, what each email says, who gets a discount and when, and who should never get one. That is engineering, not decoration.
When to send abandoned cart emails
Our default is 1 hour, 24 hours, 72 hours. Klaviyo's own guide suggests the first message 2 to 4 hours after checkout starts, a second 20 to 48 hours later, and 2 to 3 messages in total. We start earlier, then test. Here is the reasoning behind each delay.
| When it sends | Why then | |
|---|---|---|
| Email 1: the reminder | 1 hour after abandonment | The shopper is often still deciding. Under 10 minutes feels like being watched, and plenty of 'abandoners' are still paying. We test 1 hour against Klaviyo's 2 to 4 hours; the winner varies by category. |
| SMS (optional) | 2.5 to 3 hours after abandonment | Only for SMS subscribers. Email 1 gets time to work first. A convenience reminder with the cart link, never a discount. |
| Email 2: the objection-handler | 24 hours after abandonment | Lands at the same point in the shopper's day as the original visit. Far enough from email 1 that two reminders don't hit the same afternoon. |
| Email 3: the final chance | 72 hours after abandonment | The incentive email, if there is one. At 48 hours it hands margin to people who would have bought at full price on email 2, and repeat shoppers learn that a two-day wait gets a coupon. |
Order value under $75
1h / 12h / 48h
Impulse purchases decide faster. Compress the sequence if your category is crowded or commoditised.
Order value $75 to $250
1h / 24h / 72h
The default above, and the right starting point for most stores.
Order value $250+
1h / 48h / 7 days
Furniture, jewellery, tech: people research and ask around. Email 3 is often "reply with your questions" rather than a discount.
Running the common 1 hour / 24 hours / 48 hours template? The first two delays are fine. If you change one thing, move the third email to 72 hours.
The abandoned cart flow emails, one by one.
Three emails over 72 hours, escalating gently. The copy changes per brand; the architecture stays. Subject lines and a template for each are below. Swap in your product and the real objection in your category.
The reminder
No discount, no urgency. A friendly 'you left this in your cart' with the exact products, one line of reassurance and one button back to a populated checkout. It recovers the shoppers who simply got distracted.
Subject lines
- You left something behind
- Your [product] is still in your cart
- Still thinking it over?
- We saved your cart
Template
- Hi [first name], you left these in your cart.
- Dynamic product block: the exact items, image and price.
- One line of reassurance: free returns, review count or guarantee.
- One button: Return to checkout, deep-linked to the saved cart.
- No discount code.
The objection-handler
Answer the reason people in your category actually hesitate. Skincare: ingredients and results timelines. Apparel: sizing and returns. Supplements: trust and dosing. Still no discount. You are removing the friction, not bribing past it.
Subject lines
- A few things people ask before ordering
- Not sure it's right for you?
- Here's what customers say about [product]
- The honest answer on sizing
Template
- Lead with the single biggest objection in your category.
- Answer it directly in two or three sentences.
- Back it with proof: two or three specific reviews of the abandoned product.
- Restate the returns or refund policy in one line.
- Same product block, same single button back to the cart.
The final chance
Now a small, time-bound incentive earns its place: free shipping or 10% off, with a real deadline. A conditional split gives repeat abandoners a smaller incentive than first-timers, or none, so nobody learns to game the flow.
Subject lines
- Your cart expires tonight
- Free shipping on your order ends at midnight
- Your 10% off expires in 48 hours, [first name]
- Last chance: [product] + something inside
Template
- Product block, kept short.
- One offer, one deadline: a unique single-use code that expires in 48 hours.
- The deadline in the subject line and in the first line.
- One button. No secondary calls to action.
- Repeat abandoners: a smaller incentive, or none.
Don't know your category's main objection yet? Start with Baymard's checkout survey (updated 22 September 2025): of shoppers who abandoned an order, 40% said extra costs were too high, 20% said delivery was too slow, 19% didn't trust the site with their card, and 13% didn't like the returns policy. Email 2 answers whichever one is yours.
/ Klaviyo setup
How to set up the abandoned cart flow in Klaviyo
The settings that separate a flow that earns from one that annoys buyers. On Shopify, WooCommerce and BigCommerce the events come from Klaviyo's integration.
- 01 Trigger: Started Checkout for the abandoned checkout flow. Build a second, lighter flow on Added to Cart only if you have the identified traffic for it.
- 02 Flow filter: Placed Order zero times since starting this flow. Klaviyo checks it before every message, so a buyer drops out wherever they are in the sequence.
- 03 Second filter: has not been in this flow in the last 7 days, so a shopper who abandons twice in a week does not get the whole sequence twice.
- 04 On the Added to Cart flow, also require Started Checkout zero times since starting this flow, so checkout abandoners only get the checkout sequence.
- 05 Conditional split before email 3 on how often the person has abandoned recently. Repeat abandoners get a smaller incentive, or none.
- 06 Email 3 coupon: a unique, single-use code with a 48-hour expiry. Shared codes end up on coupon sites.
- 07 SMS step only for profiles with SMS consent, behind the same Placed Order check.
- 08 Every button links back to a populated cart, not the homepage. On WooCommerce, add the cart rebuild key from the Started Checkout event (see our Klaviyo WooCommerce guide).
- 09 Test one thing at a time and judge it on revenue per recipient: the email 1 subject line first, then the email 1 delay, then the email 3 offer. Test delays with a Random Split straight after the trigger, one path per delay.
/ Pre-launch test
How to test the abandoned cart flow before it goes live
Run these checks in order, on real profiles, before a customer can enter the flow.
- 01 Build with every message set to Manual, not Live. Klaviyo queues people for a Manual message but sends nothing automatically, so you can see exactly who would have received each email before anyone does. Draft queues no one, so it tells you nothing.
- 02 Preview every email with a real checkout. In the template editor, open Preview & test and pick a profile with a recent Started Checkout event. The product image, name, price, quantity and the button back to the cart should all fill in. Klaviyo's preview does not render coupon codes or unsubscribe links, so check those on a real run.
- 03 Run it yourself. Start a checkout on your store with your own email and leave. Confirm you enter the flow and land on the right branch, then place the order and confirm you exit before the next email, which proves the Placed Order filter works.
- 04 Run it as a repeat abandoner too, so you see the smaller-incentive branch of the conditional split, and check the email 3 code is unique and expires when the email says it does.
- 05 Send tests to Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail on a phone. One button per email, and it must open a populated cart, not the homepage.
- 06 Turn Shopify's own abandoned checkout email off before anything goes live, so nobody gets two reminders.
- 07 Switch messages to Live one at a time, starting with email 1, and read the first day of sends and skips before you switch the next. A skip with a filter reason is the flow working; a skip you cannot explain is a bug.
/ Build it right
Klaviyo abandoned cart flow best practices
- Dynamic product blocks that pull the actual abandoned cart contents, not generic recommendations
- Conditional discount logic that varies by customer value and how often they have abandoned
- Suppression for anyone who completed the purchase, checked before every email
- Mobile-first design with one button per email
- A/B tests on subject line, send time and discount level, the three biggest levers
- An SMS step for cart abandoners with phone consent, which typically adds another 2-3 points of recovery
/ Common mistakes
Abandoned cart flow mistakes to avoid
- Sending the first email immediately. Many "abandoners" are still in the buying flow.
- Discounting in email 1. It trains buyers to abandon and wait for the code.
- Generic copy that ignores your category. Skincare, supplements and apparel abandon for different reasons.
- No conditional logic. A repeat abandoner and a first-time abandoner should not get the same email.
- Running Shopify's abandoned checkout email and Klaviyo's flow at the same time. One shopper, two reminders.
- Set-and-forget. Cart flows decay as your audience, offers and competitors change.
Abandoned cart benchmarks for 2026
From Klaviyo's 2026 Abandoned Cart Benchmarks Report, published 2 October 2026 from over 110,000 Klaviyo customers. Abandoned cart flows drive the highest average revenue per recipient of any flow, on email and on SMS.
| Metric | Benchmark | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Email revenue per recipient, average | $6.77 | Klaviyo, 2026 Abandoned Cart Benchmarks Report (2 Oct 2026) |
| Email revenue per recipient, top 10% | $13.70 | Klaviyo, 2026 Abandoned Cart Benchmarks Report (2 Oct 2026) |
| Email click rate, average | 6% | Klaviyo, 2026 Abandoned Cart Benchmarks Report (2 Oct 2026) |
| Email click rate, top 10% | 11.3% | Klaviyo, 2026 Abandoned Cart Benchmarks Report (2 Oct 2026) |
| SMS revenue per recipient, average | $4.48 | Klaviyo, 2026 Abandoned Cart Benchmarks Report (2 Oct 2026) |
| SMS click rate, average | 10.3% | Klaviyo, 2026 Abandoned Cart Benchmarks Report (2 Oct 2026) |
| Average cart abandonment rate | 70.22% (50 studies) | Baymard Institute, cart abandonment rate (updated 22 Sep 2025) |
/ Cart recovery rate
10-15%
What well-built Klaviyo abandoned cart flows recover in the accounts we work on, against the 3-5% we typically see from out-of-the-box templates.
Judge your flow on revenue per recipient, not opens. If it sits below the average, check the trigger, the filters and the email 1 delay, in that order, before you touch the copy.
Sources: Klaviyo, 2026 Abandoned Cart Benchmarks Report (2 Oct 2026), Klaviyo Help Center, abandoned cart flows, Baymard Institute, cart abandonment rate (updated 22 Sep 2025), Shopify Help Center, abandoned checkouts, FTC, CAN-SPAM compliance guide, ICO, electronic mail marketing, ACMA, avoid sending spam (Spam Act 2003), Klaviyo Help Center, managing messages within a flow (updated 7 Oct 2026), Klaviyo Help Center, preview and send test emails.
What it costs to have your abandoned cart flow built.
Everything above is the method. Building it into your account, with your data, your products and your margins, is the job. Email Optimize: founded 2017, 800+ brands, $250M+ in attributed email and SMS revenue. Official Klaviyo partner.
01 · Free
Flow audit
We check the trigger, filters, timing, copy and discount logic of your abandoned cart flow and the flows around it. Written plan within 24 hours. No obligation.
See the free audit →02 · Project
Build or rebuild
A fixed-scope project, price agreed upfront. Flow projects run $3-15K depending on how many flows you need and how much is broken. Highest-intent flows go live first.
See pricing →03 · Retainer
Test and optimise
Ongoing flow testing sits inside full management, typically $3-12K a month. Month-to-month, 30 days' notice. Reported in revenue per recipient, not opens.
All flow services →Abandoned cart flow FAQ
Q.01 What is an abandoned cart email? +
/ Answer
An automated email sent to a shopper who added products to their cart, or started checkout, and left without buying. It shows what they left behind and links straight back to the cart. In Klaviyo it is a flow triggered by Added to Cart or Started Checkout that stops as soon as the shopper orders.
Q.02 How many emails should be in an abandoned cart flow? +
/ Answer
Three over 72 hours for most ecommerce brands: a reminder, an objection-handler and a final offer, plus one SMS if you have consent. Klaviyo's own guidance is 2 to 3 messages. High-AOV categories such as jewellery and considered-purchase electronics can stretch to 5 emails over 7 to 10 days. Beyond 5 you train people to ignore you.
Q.03 When should the first abandoned cart email be sent? +
/ Answer
About an hour after abandonment. Klaviyo suggests 2 to 4 hours after checkout starts; we start at one hour and test both, because the shopper is often still deciding. Under 10 minutes feels like surveillance and catches people who are still paying.
Q.04 Should I use 1 hour, 24 hours and 48 hours timing for my Klaviyo abandoned cart flow? +
/ Answer
The 1 hour and 24 hour delays are right. The 48 hour third email is the common template's weak spot: it compresses the sequence and teaches customers that a two-day wait gets a discount. Move the discount email to 72 hours, so your highest-intent shoppers convert on the first two emails at full margin.
Q.05 Should I include a discount? +
/ Answer
Not in email 1. Sometimes in email 2, usually in email 3. A 10% discount in email 3 recovers more revenue than a 15% discount in email 1, because email 1 discounts cannibalise full-price sales from buyers who would have completed checkout anyway. Klaviyo itself suggests saving incentives for high-value carts.
Q.06 What is the difference between abandoned cart and abandoned checkout in Klaviyo? +
/ Answer
Abandoned cart triggers on Added to Cart; abandoned checkout triggers on Started Checkout, which fires once the shopper has entered contact details. Checkout is the stronger intent signal, and it reaches shoppers Klaviyo did not know before, because they type their email at checkout. Added to Cart only works for shoppers Klaviyo can already identify. Build checkout first, then a lighter cart flow that excludes anyone who started checkout.
Q.07 How does the Klaviyo abandoned cart trigger work? +
/ Answer
The flow starts when the Started Checkout or Added to Cart event arrives from your store integration. Klaviyo then checks the flow filter, Placed Order zero times since starting this flow, before every message, so anyone who buys drops out. Started Checkout is the more reliable trigger because by then you have the shopper's email.
Q.08 What is a good abandoned cart email benchmark? +
/ Answer
Klaviyo's 2026 Abandoned Cart Benchmarks Report, from over 110,000 customers, puts the average email abandoned cart flow at $6.77 revenue per recipient and a 6% click rate. The top 10% reach $13.70 and 11.3%. In the accounts we work on, a well-built flow recovers 10-15% of carts; below 8% usually means a timing, trigger or filter problem.
Q.09 What is a normal cart abandonment rate? +
/ Answer
Around 70%. Baymard Institute's average across 50 studies is 70.22% of online shopping carts abandoned (updated 22 September 2025). Its survey of shoppers who abandoned puts extra costs such as shipping, tax and fees at the top of the reasons, cited by 40%.
Q.10 Does Shopify automatically send abandoned cart emails? +
/ Answer
Shopify can. Its Messaging app has an "Abandoned checkout emails by Shopify" automation that sends once a shopper has given an email and left checkout for more than ten minutes. If you run the flow in Klaviyo, turn Shopify's automation off by deselecting "Send abandoned checkout emails automatically", so nobody gets two reminders.
Q.11 Are abandoned cart emails legal? +
/ Answer
Yes, if you follow the marketing email rules where the shopper lives. Treat cart reminders as marketing, not transactional, email. In the US, CAN-SPAM does not require prior opt-in, but every commercial email needs a clear opt-out honoured within 10 business days and your postal address. In the UK, the soft opt-in lets you market similar products to people who bought or negotiated to buy from you, if you offered an opt-out when you collected the email and in every message; otherwise you need consent. In Australia, the Spam Act 2003 needs consent (express, or inferred from an existing relationship), clear identification of who sent the email, and a working unsubscribe honoured within 5 working days. This is not legal advice; check with your own counsel.
Q.12 Can you send abandoned cart emails to non-subscribers? +
/ Answer
Klaviyo will let you: shoppers who gave an email at checkout without subscribing show as never subscribed, and they can still receive flow emails. Whether you should depends on the law where they live (see the question above) and on your own consent settings. A marketing consent checkbox at checkout settles it for everyone who ticks the box.
Q.13 How do you fix cart abandonment? +
/ Answer
Fix the checkout first, then recover the rest. Baymard's survey of shoppers who abandoned puts extra costs too high at 40%, slow delivery at 20%, not trusting the site with card details at 19% and forced account creation at 18%. Show total cost early, offer guest checkout and clear returns. Then run an abandoned checkout flow that answers the remaining objection in email 2.
Q.14 Does the Klaviyo abandoned cart flow work with WooCommerce? +
/ Answer
Yes. The Klaviyo for WooCommerce extension sends Started Checkout and Added to Cart events, and Started Checkout includes a cart rebuild key. Add that key to your email button link and the shopper's cart is rebuilt when they click through. Klaviyo can only email shoppers it can identify, so put the email field first at checkout.
Q.15 Can I run abandoned cart in Mailchimp instead? +
/ Answer
You can; Mailchimp has an abandoned cart automation. We build in Klaviyo because the store data the splits run on, cart contents, order history and predicted customer value, is native and real time there. That is what lets the flow give a repeat abandoner a different email from a first-timer.
/ Related flows
8-12%
Klaviyo Welcome Flow
New subscriber to first-time buyer
1-3%
Klaviyo Browse Abandonment
Browse-to-purchase conversion
5-10%
Klaviyo Win-Back Flow
Lapsed customer reactivation rate
/ Related guides
Guide
Klaviyo Flows Every Store Needs
The core flows, in order, with benchmarks
Guide
Abandoned Cart Subject Lines
30 examples, with why they work
Guide
Klaviyo WooCommerce
Setup, plugin and abandoned cart
Guide
Checkout Champ and Klaviyo
Partials and abandoned checkout
Guide
Abandoned Cart Revenue Calculator
Size what your flow is leaving behind
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