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 recoveryA reminder should stop once the customer buys.
Ready for a relevant message
The message can continue when the customer meets the filters and may be contacted.
01The customer starts checkout. The flow records the items in the basket.
The 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.
Customer behaviour determines the next message.
Ready for a relevant message
The message can continue when the customer meets the filters and may be contacted.
01An event or subscription starts the relevant flow.
Further documentation
Klaviyo — Flow triggers and filtersFrequently 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.
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About the author
Nicklas Segatz Mortensen
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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