Abandoned Checkout vs Abandoned Cart on Shopify

Most Shopify merchants use "abandoned cart" as a catch-all term. "We need to set up our abandoned cart emails." But on Shopify, there are actually two distinct events, and they happen at different stages of the buying process. Confusing them means you're probably only recovering one type of lost sale and missing the other entirely.

Let me clarify the difference, because it's worth real money.

The Definitions

Abandoned Checkout

An abandoned checkout happens when a customer reaches the Shopify checkout page (enters their email address, starts filling in shipping information, maybe even reaches the payment step) and then leaves without completing the purchase.

Shopify tracks this natively. When someone enters their email on the checkout page and doesn't complete the order, Shopify creates an "Abandoned checkout" record. You can see these in Orders, then Abandoned checkouts in your Shopify admin.

The key requirement: the customer must reach the checkout page AND provide an email address. Without an email, Shopify can't record the abandoned checkout (because there's no way to identify or contact the person).

Abandoned Cart

An abandoned cart happens BEFORE checkout. A customer adds products to their cart on your website and then leaves without proceeding to checkout. They never entered their email. They never reached the checkout page.

Shopify's native analytics don't track abandoned carts in the same way they track abandoned checkouts. There's no "Abandoned carts" section in your Shopify admin. The customer was anonymous — they added to cart but never identified themselves.

This is a critical gap. Because the majority of people who abandon their shopping journey do it BEFORE checkout, not during checkout. They add items to their cart, get distracted, leave, and never come back. You don't have their email. Shopify doesn't record it. The sale just vanishes.

The Numbers

Across eCommerce, approximately 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned. But only a fraction of those abandon AT checkout. The breakdown typically looks like this:

• 45-55% of abandonment happens at the cart stage (before checkout)
• 15-25% happens during checkout
• The remainder is everything from browsing without adding to cart to various other drop-off points

If you're only recovering abandoned checkouts, you're only addressing the smaller portion of lost sales. The bigger bucket — people who added to cart but never started checkout — is being ignored.

Recovering Abandoned Checkouts

This is the easier one to set up because Shopify gives you the data.

Shopify's built-in recovery: Shopify can automatically send abandoned checkout recovery emails. Go to Settings, then Checkout, then find the "Abandoned checkout" section. You can enable automatic emails that send to customers who abandon at checkout.

However, Shopify's built-in recovery email is basic: one email, limited customization, no sequence.

Klaviyo (or your email platform): This is the better approach. Klaviyo pulls abandoned checkout data from Shopify and lets you build a proper recovery flow:

• Email 1 (1 hour after abandonment): Reminder with cart contents. No discount.
• Email 2 (24 hours): Social proof or urgency. Still no discount.
• Email 3 (48-72 hours): Introduce a small incentive (free shipping or 10% off). Use a unique coupon code.
• SMS (optional, 2-4 hours after abandonment): Quick text with a link back to checkout.

This multi-touch sequence typically recovers 8-15% of abandoned checkouts, compared to 3-5% from a single email.

Important: if you use Klaviyo's abandoned checkout flow, turn OFF Shopify's built-in abandoned checkout email. Running both creates a confusing duplicate experience for the customer.

Recovering Abandoned Carts

This is harder because you don't have the customer's email. But it's not impossible.

Method 1: Klaviyo's Active on Site Tracking

If a customer is identified in Klaviyo (they've previously clicked an email link, submitted a form, or placed an order), Klaviyo can track their on-site behavior through its JavaScript tracking pixel. This includes adding items to cart.

When an identified customer adds to cart and leaves without checking out, Klaviyo can trigger an "Added to Cart" flow — even though the customer never reached the checkout page.

This only works for known visitors (people already in your Klaviyo database). Anonymous visitors who've never interacted with your emails won't trigger this flow.

Method 2: Browse Abandonment for Non-Cart-Adders

One step further back: if someone views a product page but doesn't even add to cart, Klaviyo can trigger a browse abandonment flow. Again, only for identified visitors.

The combination of browse abandonment + added to cart + abandoned checkout gives you three layers of recovery:

• Viewed but didn't add to cart = Browse Abandonment flow
• Added to cart but didn't start checkout = Added to Cart flow
• Started checkout but didn't complete = Abandoned Checkout flow

Each flow has a different tone and urgency because the customer's intent level is different at each stage.

Method 3: On-Site Cart Recovery Tools

For anonymous visitors who aren't in your email database, you need on-site tools:

Cart abandonment popups. When a visitor with items in their cart moves their mouse toward the close button (exit intent), show a popup: "Wait! You left something in your cart. Enter your email for 10% off." If they enter their email, you can now send them an abandoned cart email. You've converted an anonymous cart abandoner into a recoverable lead.

Cart reminder notifications. Web push notifications (via PushOwl, Firepush, or similar apps) can remind visitors about their abandoned cart without needing an email address. The visitor needs to have opted into web push notifications previously, but for those who have, this is a powerful recovery channel.

Retargeting ads. Meta and Google retargeting can show ads to people who added to cart on your site. You don't need their email — the tracking pixel identifies them. Retargeting ads for cart abandoners have some of the highest ROAS of any ad type.

Method 4: Persistent Cart on Shopify

Shopify's cart is cookie-based. If a customer adds items to their cart and comes back to your site within 14 days (on the same device and browser), their cart contents are still there.

This isn't a recovery tactic per se, but it means some abandoned carts recover themselves when the customer returns. Make sure your theme displays the cart badge (number of items) prominently so returning visitors immediately see they have items waiting.

The Flow Architecture

Here's the complete recovery architecture we set up for clients:

Layer 1: Browse Abandonment (Lowest Intent)

• Trigger: Viewed product but didn't add to cart (Klaviyo: "Viewed Product" event, filter for no "Added to Cart" event within 1 hour)
• Timing: 2-4 hours after viewing
• Content: "Still thinking about [Product Name]?" with product image and link
• Emails: 1-2

Layer 2: Cart Abandonment (Medium Intent)

• Trigger: Added to cart but didn't start checkout (Klaviyo: "Added to Cart" event, filter for no "Started Checkout" event within 2 hours)
• Timing: 1-2 hours after adding to cart
• Content: Cart contents with images and "Complete your order" CTA
• Emails: 2-3

Layer 3: Checkout Abandonment (Highest Intent)

• Trigger: Started checkout but didn't complete (Klaviyo: "Started Checkout" event, filter for no "Placed Order" event within 1 hour)
• Timing: 1 hour after abandoning checkout
• Content: Cart contents, shipping/return policy reassurance, optional discount in later emails
• Emails: 3-4 + SMS

Critical: Flow exclusion logic. If someone triggers the checkout abandonment flow, they should be excluded from the cart abandonment flow (they already moved past that stage). And if they convert at any stage, all recovery flows should stop immediately.

Measuring Both Types

In your Klaviyo analytics, you should track these flows separately:

• Abandoned checkout recovery rate: Orders recovered divided by abandoned checkouts. Target: 8-15%.
• Abandoned cart recovery rate: Orders from "Added to Cart" flow divided by triggering events. Target: 3-8% (lower because intent is lower).
• Browse abandonment conversion rate: Orders from browse abandonment flow divided by triggers. Target: 1-4%.
• Revenue by flow: Which recovery layer generates the most revenue? Abandoned checkout will likely be the highest per-recipient, but cart abandonment may have higher total volume.

The Bottom Line

"Abandoned cart" and "abandoned checkout" are not the same thing on Shopify. Abandoned checkout is where most brands focus (because Shopify makes the data easy to access). But abandoned cart — people who add items and leave before checkout — represents a larger pool of lost revenue.

Build recovery flows for both. Use Klaviyo's "Added to Cart" trigger for known visitors. Use exit-intent popups and retargeting for anonymous visitors. And always, always, make sure your flows have proper exclusion logic so customers don't get hit with emails from three different recovery sequences simultaneously.

If you want help building a comprehensive cart and checkout recovery system, book a call with our team. We'll set up the flows, the popups, and the logic that recovers the maximum amount of lost revenue.