One shopper adds a candle to her cart and wanders off. Another gets all the way to the shipping step, sees the delivery cost, and closes the tab. Both left without buying, but they left at different moments, and you know very different things about each of them.
That difference decides who you can email, what you should say, and when your follow-up should stop. Here are message examples first, then the definitions and rules behind them.
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Let the Buzz BeginQuick answer: abandoned cart vs. abandoned checkout. Cart abandonment is when a shopper adds items and leaves without starting checkout. Checkout abandonment is when they start checkout and leave before paying. The difference that matters for email is identity: on Shopify, a checkout counts as abandoned only after the shopper has entered an email and left it unfinished for more than ten minutes, so you know who to remind. A good abandoned checkout email shows the items, links straight back to checkout, answers the likely hesitation, and stops as soon as the order is placed.
What should an abandoned checkout email say?
A short sequence of two or three messages is a common starting point. Each one has a different job.
Message 1: the reminder (a few hours after abandonment) Subject: Your order is waiting “You left a few things at checkout: [items with images]. Your cart is saved. [Button: Return to checkout]. Questions about sizing or shipping? Reply to this email and a real person will answer.”
Why: some shoppers were simply interrupted. A plain reminder with one button works for them without pushing anyone else.
Message 2: the hesitation answer (about a day later) Subject: Questions before you order? “Here’s what people usually ask before ordering [product]: shipping cost and timing, returns, and [product-specific question]. [Short answers.] [Button: Finish your order]”
Why: if the first email didn’t bring them back, there may be an open question. Answer the ones your customers actually ask, which your inbox and returns data can show you.
Message 3: optional, and only for selected shoppers Subject: Still thinking it over? “Your items are still saved. [If you choose an incentive for this segment: offer and expiry.] [Button: Complete your order]”
Why: Klaviyo’s benchmark report notes that discounts can train shoppers to wait for a discount before buying. Save any incentive for a group you choose on purpose, and test whether it earns more than it costs.
What is the difference between cart and checkout abandonment?
Side-by-side event map
| Cart abandonment | Checkout abandonment | |
|---|---|---|
| What happened | Items added to cart; checkout never started | Checkout started; payment not completed |
| Do you know who it is? | Only if they are logged in or already identified, for example a subscriber who clicked an email | Usually yes, because they typed an email or phone number at checkout |
| Possible reasons (check your own data) | Browsing, comparing, interrupted | Shipping cost, payment trouble, open questions, interrupted |
| Typical first message | Gentle product reminder | Return-to-checkout reminder |
| Who can receive email | Identified shoppers who have agreed to marketing email | Depends on your platform settings and consent (see next section) |
Platforms define these events differently, so check yours before building a flow. On Shopify, according to its abandoned checkout help page, a checkout counts as abandoned when it stays incomplete for more than ten minutes after the customer provides an email. Shopify also notes that a customer who entered only a phone number cannot get the email, and that no recovery email goes out if the customer completes the purchase first or nothing in the checkout is still available.
One security detail: Shopify warns that anyone who opens an abandoned checkout link can continue that checkout, and the link cannot be expired after it is sent. Send it only to the customer who abandoned it.
Who can receive an abandoned checkout email?
Two questions decide eligibility: do you have an address, and do you have permission?
On Shopify’s newer automation, run through its Messaging app, the abandoned checkout email goes only to customers subscribed to email marketing by default. Store owners can change the recipients to all customers. Before you widen it, look at what the email actually contains.
In the United States, the FTC’s CAN-SPAM guide explains that a message’s primary purpose decides whether it is a commercial email. An email built to get someone to buy is likely commercial, which brings requirements such as including your valid physical postal address and a clear way to opt out, honored within 10 business days. Rules differ in other countries, and if you sell outside the U.S., have your consent setup reviewed for those markets.
Texts follow separate consent rules. Only add a text step for shoppers who agreed to receive marketing texts.
When should recovery messages send, and when should they stop?
Timing is a starting point to test, not a law. A common pattern is three messages, beginning a few hours after abandonment, but the right number depends on your products, your customers, and how long they usually take to decide, so test it against your own results.
Stopping matters as much as sending. Build these exits into the flow:
- Order placed: stop immediately, including orders placed without clicking your email.
- Unsubscribed or opted out: stop everything.
- Items no longer available: stop or swap in alternatives. Shopify’s own email skips checkouts where nothing is still for sale.
- Re-entry limit: cap how often one person can enter the flow, so a shopper who browses every week does not get the series every week.
- Collisions: decide which flow wins when someone qualifies for welcome, browse, cart, and checkout messages at the same time, so they don’t get four emails in a day.
High-intent shoppers deserve different messages than your general list; our four-segment email rotation shows how to keep each group’s emails separate.
How do you test without damaging your margin?
- Test content and timing before discounts. A clearer shipping answer may recover the same orders with no margin cost.
- If you test an incentive, limit who sees it, such as first-time buyers or higher-value checkouts, and keep a holdout group that gets no incentive so you can see whether it changed anything.
- Measure recovered orders, net of discounts, not opens or clicks.
- Check how recovery discounts interact with other codes before turning them on. Run them through the same coupon and promotion audit you use for any offer.
Related guides cover the ecommerce welcome series and win-back emails.
If you want this built and maintained for you, our Email Programs service writes and manages sequences like these alongside segmentation and list health.
Frequently asked questions about abandoned checkout emails
Can I send abandoned checkout texts too?
Only to shoppers who agreed to receive marketing texts. Email permission and text permission are separate, so collect text consent on its own.
Who receives Shopify’s abandoned checkout email?
On the newer automation, the email goes only to customers subscribed to email marketing by default. You can change that setting, so review what your email contains and your consent obligations first.
How many abandoned checkout emails should I send?
It depends on your products and customers. Three messages is a common starting point; test from there and stop the moment the order is placed.
Final thoughts on abandoned checkout emails
Know which event you are responding to, who you are allowed to email, and when to stop. A plain reminder, an honest answer to the likely question, and a carefully limited offer will do more for you than a stack of discounts. If you want a second look at your cart and checkout follow-up, book a call with one of our hive specialists today.