Abandoned Checkout vs. Abandoned Cart: Why You Need Both Flows in Klaviyo

Most Shopify brands have one abandonment flow running in Klaviyo. They call it "abandoned cart" but it's actually triggered by an abandoned checkout event. Or they have a cart abandonment flow but no checkout recovery. Or — more commonly — they're not sure which one they have.

This confusion costs real money. Because abandoned checkout and abandoned cart are two different events, triggered at two different stages of the buying journey, requiring two different email strategies.

Running both flows together typically recovers 3-5x more revenue than either flow alone. Here's why they're different and how to build each one.

The Difference: Where the Customer Stopped

The distinction is simple but important:

Abandoned Cart = Customer added a product to their cart but never started the checkout process. They browsed, showed interest, dropped the product in the cart, and left the site. You have their email only if they're already a known subscriber or were previously cookied by Klaviyo.

Abandoned Checkout = Customer started the checkout process — entered their email address, maybe their shipping info or payment details — but didn't complete the purchase. You always have their email because they entered it at checkout.

Think of it as a funnel. Cart abandonment is higher in the funnel (interest but no commitment). Checkout abandonment is lower (commitment started but not finished). The intent level is different, which means the messaging should be different.

Why Most Brands Only Have One Flow

The confusion exists because Shopify and Klaviyo use different terminology, and the default Shopify integration emphasizes the checkout event. When brands first set up Klaviyo, they see the "Abandoned Checkout" pre-built flow, activate it, and assume they're covered.

But the Abandoned Checkout flow only fires when someone reaches the checkout page and enters their email. It completely misses the people who added to cart but never made it to checkout. Depending on your store, that could be 60-70% of all cart additions.

Meanwhile, Shopify's native abandoned checkout emails only cover the checkout stage. So if you turned those off (which you should — let Klaviyo handle it) and only built a checkout flow, you have zero recovery for the cart stage.

The Abandoned Checkout Flow (4 Emails)

This is your highest-intent recovery flow. These people were moments away from buying.

Email 1: Quick Reminder (4 Hours After Abandonment)

Keep this simple and direct. Show the product they left behind with a clear image, the price, and a prominent "Complete Your Order" button. No heavy selling. No discounts. Just a helpful nudge.

Why 4 hours? Because most checkout abandonments happen due to distraction, not decision. They got interrupted. They'll often come back if reminded quickly.

Email 2: Social Proof + Urgency (24 Hours)

Now you add reasons to act. Customer reviews for the specific product. Star ratings. A line about limited stock if applicable. The message shifts from "you forgot something" to "here's why other customers love this."

Email 3: Incentive (48 Hours)

If your margins allow, this is where you introduce an incentive. 10% off, free shipping, or a small gift with purchase. The incentive should feel like a bonus, not desperation.

Important: add a conditional split here. If the customer's cart value is above a certain threshold (say €100+), the incentive is more justified. For low-value carts, the incentive might not make economic sense.

Email 4: Final Push (72 Hours)

Last chance messaging. "Your cart is about to expire." Combine the incentive reminder with urgency. This email typically has the lowest conversion rate of the four, but it's incremental revenue from people who would otherwise be lost.

Target conversion rate: 2-4% of abandoned checkouts.

The Abandoned Cart Flow (2-3 Emails)

This catches people earlier in the process. The intent is lower, so the approach is softer.

Email 1: Product Reminder (1-2 Hours After Cart Addition)

Show the product they added. Use the same product-first design principles — large image, clear name, price. But the tone is more "still thinking about this?" than "complete your order."

Include related products or alternatives. Someone who added a product to cart but didn't go to checkout might not be sold on that specific item. Showing options can reignite interest.

Email 2: Value Reinforcement (24 Hours)

This email builds the case for the product. Reviews, benefits, what makes it worth buying. If the product has a unique selling point — handmade, limited edition, award-winning — this is where you highlight it.

Email 3: Gentle Incentive (48-72 Hours)

Optional, depending on margins and strategy. A smaller incentive than the checkout flow because the intent was lower. Free shipping often works better than a percentage discount at this stage because it removes a friction point rather than discounting the product.

Target conversion rate: 1.5-3% of abandoned carts.

The Technical Setup in Klaviyo

Both flows use different trigger events:

Abandoned Checkout Flow: Trigger = "Started Checkout" event. Add a filter: has not placed an order since starting checkout. Set a delay of 4 hours before the first email.

Abandoned Cart Flow: Trigger = "Added to Cart" event. Add filters: has not started checkout AND has not placed an order since adding to cart. Set a delay of 1-2 hours.

The critical filter on the cart flow is "has not started checkout." Without this, you'll send cart abandonment emails to people who actually did proceed to checkout — and they'll get hit with both flows simultaneously. The filters create a clean handoff: if someone adds to cart and leaves, they get the cart flow. If they add to cart, go to checkout, and leave, they skip the cart flow and enter the checkout flow instead.

Exclusion Logic That Prevents Overlap

Beyond the trigger filters, add these exclusions to both flows:

• Exclude anyone who has placed an order in the last 24 hours (they might have completed the purchase through another channel)
• Exclude anyone currently in the other abandonment flow (prevents double-messaging)
• Exclude anyone who has received an abandonment email in the last 48 hours (frequency cap)

This logic sounds complex, but it takes 10 minutes to set up in Klaviyo and prevents the number one complaint customers have about abandonment emails: getting too many of them.

The Revenue Math

Here's why running both flows matters:

A typical Shopify store might see 1,000 cart additions per week. Of those, maybe 300-400 start checkout. The rest — 600-700 — add to cart and leave without entering checkout.

If you only have an Abandoned Checkout flow, you're only recovering from the 300-400 who reached checkout. The 600-700 who abandoned at the cart stage get nothing.

With both flows running:

• Checkout flow: 400 abandoners × 3% conversion = 12 recovered orders
• Cart flow: 650 abandoners × 2% conversion = 13 recovered orders
• Total: 25 recovered orders vs. 12 with checkout flow alone

That's more than double the recovered revenue from adding one additional flow.

The Bottom Line

Abandoned checkout and abandoned cart are not the same thing. They catch different people at different stages with different intent levels. Running one without the other leaves recoverable revenue on the table.

Build both. Set up the exclusion logic so they don't overlap. Test and optimize each independently.

The revenue from these two flows combined is typically the second-highest in any Klaviyo account, right behind the Welcome Series. And unlike campaigns, they run automatically — recovering revenue 24/7 without any manual effort.