How to set up abandoned cart emails in Klaviyo

How to Set Up Abandoned Cart Emails in Klaviyo

Abandoned cart emails are the highest-revenue automated flow for ecommerce businesses, recovering 5-15% of abandoned carts according to industry benchmarks as of April 2026. Klaviyo provides a pre-built abandoned cart flow template that can be customized and activated in under an hour.

Prerequisites

• An active Klaviyo account (free tier supports up to 500 contacts)
• An integrated ecommerce platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, or Magento)
• The ecommerce integration must be syncing "Started Checkout" events

Step 1: Create the Flow

Navigate to Flows in the left sidebar and click "Create Flow." Select "Abandoned Cart" from the pre-built flow library. Klaviyo provides a template with 2-3 emails pre-configured. Alternatively, click "Build from Scratch" and select "Checkout Started" as the trigger metric.

Step 2: Configure Timing

The default template sends the first email 4 hours after cart abandonment. Recommended timing for a 3-email sequence:

• Email 1: 4 hours after abandonment (reminder with cart contents)
• Email 2: 24 hours after abandonment (urgency messaging)
• Email 3: 48 hours after abandonment (discount offer, if applicable)

Add time delays between emails by clicking the "+" icon and selecting "Time Delay."

Step 3: Build the Email Content

Click on each email step to open the email editor. Key elements to include:

• Cart contents block — Klaviyo provides a dynamic block that displays the abandoned products with images, names, and prices
• Clear call-to-action — A button linking back to the checkout page
• Subject line — Test subject lines referencing the product or using urgency ("Still thinking about it?" performs 12% better than generic subjects, based on Klaviyo benchmark data)

Step 4: Add Conditional Splits (Optional)

Insert a conditional split to vary messaging:

• Cart value split — High-value carts ($100+) receive personalized service offers; lower-value carts receive discount codes
• Customer type split — First-time visitors receive a first-purchase discount; returning customers receive loyalty messaging
• Product category split — Route to different email templates based on the product type

Step 5: Set Flow Filters

Add a flow filter to exit customers who complete their purchase. Under "Flow Filters," add: "Placed Order is at least 1 time since starting this flow." This prevents customers who already purchased from receiving additional abandoned cart emails.

Step 6: Activate

Set each email's status from "Draft" to "Live" individually, then toggle the flow status to "Live" in the top-right corner. Monitor performance in the Flow Analytics tab.

Performance Benchmarks (April 2026)

• Average open rate for abandoned cart emails: 40-45%
• Average click rate: 8-12%
• Average cart recovery rate: 5-15% of abandoned carts
• Revenue per recipient for abandoned cart flows: typically 3-5x higher than standard campaign emails