What is an abandoned checkout flow?
Nicklas Segatz Mortensen · Growth Hacker · Fractional CMO · Meta Ads Nerd · 8 July 2026 · 4 min.
Definition
An abandoned checkout flow is triggered when a customer starts the purchase but doesn't complete it, reminding them to finish the order via email or SMS.
Also called: Abandoned checkout, Abandoned cart, Cart recovery
Sådan virker det
Et flow er ikke bare en mail — det er en beslutningslogik. Trigger, betinget forgrening (har kunden købt?), tidsforsinkelser og smart sending afgør, hvem der får hvad hvornår. Det er dét, der gør automatiseringen præcis i stedet for spam.
01The warmest customers you have
A customer who reached checkout without completing has shown the strongest purchase intent there is. They were a few clicks from buying. Abandoned checkout catches exactly that: a timely reminder removes the small friction (a distraction, a doubt, an unexpected shipping cost) that stopped them. That's why it's consistently one of the most profitable flows in the account.
The logic matters more than the email: a conditional branch checks whether the customer bought anyway (so the reminder isn't sent), time delays control the pacing, and only in the final steps should any incentive appear. Otherwise you teach customers to abandon their cart to earn a discount.
Sådan virker det
Et flow er ikke bare en mail — det er en beslutningslogik. Trigger, betinget forgrening (har kunden købt?), tidsforsinkelser og smart sending afgør, hvem der får hvad hvornår. Det er dét, der gør automatiseringen præcis i stedet for spam.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between abandoned cart and abandoned checkout?+
Abandoned cart triggers when someone adds to cart without moving on. Abandoned checkout triggers further down, when the customer has started checkout itself. The latter typically carries higher intent and converts best.
Should abandoned checkout include a discount?+
Not from the start. Build the first steps without a discount, and let any incentive surface only at the end. Otherwise you teach customers to abandon their cart deliberately to trigger a code, and erode your margin.
Related terms
Glossary
What is browse abandonment?
A browse abandonment flow triggers when a customer views a product or category without adding anything to the cart, and follows up with a relevant reminder.
Read the entry →Glossary
What is a welcome flow?
A welcome flow is an automated email/SMS sequence triggered when someone joins your list: typically a welcome, brand story and a nudge toward the first purchase.
Read the entry →Glossary
What's the difference between flows and campaigns?
A campaign is a single email or SMS sent to a segment at a set time. A flow is an automated sequence triggered by a customer's behavior (like a sign-up or a purchase) that runs on its own.
Read the entry →Abandoned checkout and the rest of the flow engine — we build them in Klaviyo.
See Klaviyo & Email →
Nicklas Segatz Mortensen
Growth Hacker · Fractional CMO · Meta Ads Nerd at Oaksmond
Growth hacker and fractional CMO with 10+ years' experience and hundreds of millions in managed ad spend behind him. Background from larger Danish and international scale-ups, and from the agency world.
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