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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