Abandoned cart recovery is one of the highest-ROI marketing activities available to Shopify store owners. The average e-commerce cart abandonment rate is 70% — meaning 7 out of every 10 shoppers who add items to their cart leave without buying. With automated recovery flows, you can win back 10-15% of those lost sales with minimal ongoing effort.
What Is Shopify Abandoned Cart Recovery?
Abandoned cart recovery is the process of identifying customers who added items to their cart but didn’t complete checkout, then sending them targeted messages to bring them back. These messages can be sent via email, SMS, browser push notifications, or retargeting ads. Done well, abandoned cart recovery typically generates $3-5 in recovered revenue for every $1 spent on the tool.
Shopify’s Built-In Abandoned Cart Email
Shopify includes a basic abandoned cart email feature in all plans. To find it: go to Settings → Notifications → Abandoned checkout. Shopify sends this email automatically to customers who reach the checkout page, enter their email, and then leave. You can customize the subject line and message body. The default timing is 10 hours after abandonment.
The built-in email is functional but limited — you can only send one email, you can’t do A/B testing, and customization options are basic. For serious recovery performance, use a dedicated email platform alongside or instead of Shopify’s native feature.
Best Tools for Shopify Abandoned Cart Recovery
1. Klaviyo — Best for Email and SMS
Klaviyo is the industry standard for Shopify email marketing and abandoned cart recovery. It captures cart data in real time, allows multi-step flows (email at 1 hour, 24 hours, 3 days), supports dynamic product blocks showing the exact items left in cart, and enables A/B testing of subject lines and content. SMS abandoned cart is available as an add-on. Free for up to 250 contacts. Paid plans start at $20/month based on list size.
2. Omnisend — Best All-in-One
Omnisend combines email, SMS, push notifications, and Facebook retargeting in a single abandoned cart flow. You can set up a sequence that sends an email after 1 hour, an SMS after 6 hours, and a push notification the next day — all triggered by the same cart abandonment event. Free plan includes 500 emails/month. Paid plans from $16/month.
3. CartHook — Best for Multi-Step Checkout
CartHook focuses on post-purchase upsells and abandoned checkout recovery. It replaces Shopify’s standard checkout with a custom one-page checkout and adds post-purchase offers. Its cart abandonment features are strong but it’s primarily chosen for its checkout optimization capabilities. Plans from $50/month.
4. Recart — Best for Facebook Messenger
Recart focuses on Messenger and SMS abandoned cart recovery. Because Facebook Messenger has much higher open rates than email (70%+ vs 20%), Recart-powered recovery can outperform email-only approaches. Best for stores with engaged Facebook audiences. Plans from $29/month.
How to Set Up Abandoned Cart Recovery on Shopify: Step by Step
Step 1: Enable Shopify’s Built-In Recovery Email
First, enable the basic recovery. Go to Shopify admin → Settings → Notifications → Abandoned checkout. This is your fallback safety net. Customize the subject line to include personalization: “You left something behind, [First Name]” performs better than generic “Your cart is waiting.” Keep the body short — lead with the product images, add a clear “Complete Your Purchase” button, and include a brief urgency message.
Step 2: Install Klaviyo (Recommended)
Install Klaviyo from the Shopify App Store. Connect it to your Shopify store — Klaviyo automatically syncs your customer data, product catalog, and cart events. In Klaviyo, go to Flows → Create Flow → Browse Templates and find the “Abandoned Cart” template. This pre-built flow sends three emails: 1 hour, 24 hours, and 3 days after abandonment.
Step 3: Customize Your Recovery Email Sequence
Email 1 (1 hour after abandonment): Simple reminder. Subject: “Did you forget something?” Body: Show the cart items with images, prices, and a big “Complete Purchase” button. No discount — many customers just got distracted and will convert without one.
Email 2 (24 hours after abandonment): Add social proof. Subject: “Others love what you had in your cart.” Include customer reviews for the abandoned products. Optionally add a small discount (5-10%) to nudge hesitant buyers.
Email 3 (3 days after abandonment): Last chance message with stronger urgency. Subject: “Last chance — your cart expires soon.” Include your best discount offer or a free shipping incentive. After this email, stop the sequence to avoid annoying non-converters.
Step 4: Add SMS Recovery
In Klaviyo, add an SMS step to your flow — send it 6-12 hours after the first email if the customer hasn’t converted. SMS abandoned cart messages have 98% open rates. Keep it short: “Hey [First Name], you left [Product] in your cart at [Store]. Here’s your link: [Cart URL]. Reply STOP to unsubscribe.” Always include opt-out instructions.
Step 5: Set Up Dynamic Product Blocks
In your recovery emails, use dynamic product blocks that automatically pull in the exact items the customer left in their cart — product images, names, prices, and a direct link to those products. Emails showing the specific items someone was considering outperform generic “you left something” emails by 2-3x.
Step 6: A/B Test Subject Lines
Your subject line determines whether the recovery email gets opened. Test variants: curiosity-based (“Did we do something wrong?”), urgency-based (“Your cart expires in 24 hours”), direct (“Your [Product Name] is waiting”), and personalized (“[First Name], you left something behind”). Run each variant for at least 1,000 sends before declaring a winner.
Step 7: Exclude Customers Who Already Purchased
In Klaviyo’s flow settings, add a filter to exclude anyone who completed a purchase after abandoning. Without this, you’ll send recovery emails to customers who already bought — that’s annoying and damages trust. Klaviyo handles this automatically when configured correctly.
Abandoned Cart Recovery Best Practices
- Start without a discount — Email 1 should never include a discount. Many customers just got distracted
- Show product images prominently — visual reminder of what they wanted is the primary motivator
- Keep emails mobile-optimized — most abandonment happens on mobile, most opens happen on mobile
- Time your messages carefully — 1 hour captures “got distracted” abandoners; 24 hours catches “comparison shoppers”
- Track recovery rate by abandonment stage — cart page vs checkout page abandonment recover at different rates
FAQ: Shopify Abandoned Cart Recovery
Does Shopify automatically send abandoned cart emails?
Yes. Shopify sends one automated abandoned checkout email to customers who reach the checkout page and enter their email but don’t complete the purchase. To enable it, go to Settings → Notifications → Abandoned checkout. For more sophisticated multi-email flows, use Klaviyo or Omnisend.
How long after cart abandonment should I send a recovery email?
Send the first email 1 hour after abandonment — this captures customers who got distracted but are still in purchase mode. Send a second email 24 hours later for price-comparison shoppers. A third email at 3 days is your last chance. Beyond 3 days, recovery rates drop sharply and you risk annoying customers.
What discount should I offer in abandoned cart emails?
Don’t offer a discount in your first email — many customers will convert without one. If you must discount, save it for email 2 or 3 (5-10% off, or free shipping). Offering a discount in email 1 trains customers to abandon carts intentionally to get a discount code.
What is a good abandoned cart recovery rate for Shopify?
Industry benchmarks: a single email recovers 3-5% of abandoned carts. A three-email flow recovers 10-15%. With SMS added, you can reach 15-20%. Your actual rate depends on your product category, price point, and email list quality.
Can I recover abandoned carts from guest shoppers on Shopify?
Only if they entered their email at checkout. Shopify and Klaviyo capture the email as soon as it’s typed — even if the customer doesn’t complete the order. For shoppers who abandoned before entering an email, retargeting ads (Google Display, Facebook) are your only digital recovery option.
Final Thoughts
Abandoned cart recovery is not optional for serious Shopify stores — it’s one of the highest-return automations you can build. Set it up once, let it run, and it recovers sales 24/7 with no manual effort. Start with Klaviyo’s free tier, build the three-email flow, and track your recovery rate weekly. Most stores pay for their entire email marketing platform from abandoned cart recovery alone.
Looking to drive more traffic to fill that cart in the first place? Read our guide on Google Ads for Shopify to bring in high-intent shoppers ready to buy.
