Klaviyo Abandoned Cart Flow: Why Most Ecom Brands Set It Up Wrong (2026)

0:00Your abandoned card flow is either printing money or quietly losing you sales every single day. Most ecom brands that just copy a three email template and call it a day. And that's why it underperforms. So, I'm going to build a high converting card flow in Clifio with the exact timing, splits, copy angles, and offers. And I've scaled my own strategies to manage millions in revenue

0:24for major Dutch retailers and agencies. And now my team and I help seven to nine figure e-commerce brands implement these exact systems to fix their attention and profit margins. Let's jump into it. All right, let's break this down properly. First of all, the cart abandonment flow is not a nice to have. It's not some basic automation you set up once and forget. It's one of the highest ROI

0:49flows inside your entire Claio account. Over 70% of the shoppers abandon their cart. And that's not just a traffic problem. That's hesitation, distraction, friction. And your job is to remove that friction. And when structured correctly, a card abandonment flow converts anywhere between the 10 to 25% of the abandoned cards. So if you're doing real volume, this is serious money that you're leaving on the table. Now, before we get into structure, let's clear something up. Most brands think they have a card abandonment flow, but they don't. They have a checkout abandonment

1:23flow and those are not the same thing. Really important to keep in mind. The card abandonment is triggered when someone adds a product to their cart. The checkout abandonment flow is triggered when someone starts the checkout. So check out is a higher intent. Card is earlier hesitation. And you need both. And you can use the same exact flow for both of the events. But you do need to set them up twice because if you only have one flow triggered by started checkout, you're leaving serious revenue on the table. And for the rest of the video, when I say card abimement flow, I mean both flows. So card

1:56abimement and checkout development. So just understand that the trigger is slightly different. So before we go on to the next point, I just wanted to mention I have a free course on my website that breaks down all the exact email and SMS systems in more detail. It's completely free and it cuts out all of the fluff. So if you want to access it, check out the link in the description below. So how to structure your cart impediment flow. Let's dive into my computer. So this is the structure that in general I recommend for e-commerce brands. So the flow trigger first of all is of course added

2:32to cart or check out started as I explained. Uh there are some flow filters that you should uh set up. So place order zero times in starting this flow. Checkout started zero times since starting this flow uh which is only for the cart abandonment flow by the way and has not been in the flow in the last 30 days. So the general flow that I recommend email one is just going to be a simple reminder. So did you forgot something? We show uh the product that they added to the cart and we show them some risk reversals. Uh one day later we sent email too. So a personal check-in

3:07which is just a simple plain text email from the founder. This works super super well and it just needs to be like a casual reminder like should feel like a onetoone email from the actual founder. So not salesy in any kind of way. Email three is going to be more of objection handling. So highlight the benefits of your brand and the product. Show the name of product blocking again and give people a reason why they should buy from you and not from one of your

3:34competitors. After that, we want to make a split between non- buyers and returning customers. Uh because what I see go wrong all the time is that ecom brands are giving the same discount to returning customers as that they were giving to non- buyers. While returning customers, they already know and trust your brand. They already bought from you. So, they don't need a discount um to convince them to buy from you. Often times, they're just distracted. Um, so I'm always a big fan of making a split between non- buyers and returning customers where to non- buyers since they don't know you that well a yeah financial notch can definitely help

4:11them. So give them a discount. Um, so we sent two emails to them. First the opener discount opener with a 48 hour deadline and then one day later the final discount reminder uh with a deadline of 24 hours. And this can be a plain text email from the founder. Again, for returning customers, I just want to have one email, a plain text check-in from the founder where you just offer support. Again, those are like returning customers, so they don't need a discount. But if you're like, okay, my ecom brand has like solid margins. I'm okay with giving away a discount to returning customers as well. Optionally,

4:49you can still offer them discount, but I would always recommend to at least give them like a smaller discount. So, let's say you give 50% off to your non- buyers. For returning customers, you can give five or 10%. And if you do give a discount, of course, one day later, I would follow up with them with like a final discount reminder. So, this is like the general structure that I recommend. Now, let's dive into a demo account, Claio account, and show you how to set it up yourself. So, we're in one of our demo accounts. So what you're going to do in your Clave account in the

5:20left menu you're going to flows and then in the top right corner we're going to hit create flow and over here you can see the essentials but unfortunately cartment flow is not over here but if we search for cart you already can see the right flow. So um so if you have a Shopify store, I would always recommend to use the Shopify add to car trigger. For this demo purposes, I don't have this account linked to a Shopify store. So I will use the basic addit to car trigger. But keep in mind if you're using a Shopify store,

5:54use the Shopify add to car trigger. I'm going to click on this one. This one has uh the manual icon. So this is not the one that you should be using where this is just purely for demo purposes. So we're going to call this abandoned card demo flow use template. And then first of all I like to set up all the flow filters. So first all you see check out started zero times installing this flow and place order zero times installing this flow. So those are already like two of the triggers that are recommended. And lastly what I like to do is uh has not been in the flow in

6:29the last 30 days. So um that's what you can set up in here. So, 30 days and then we hit save and then we have all the right filters in place and then we're going to build the actual flow. So, um by default, Claio is recommending to wait 4 hours. I think that's way way too long. Uh I always recommend testing something between 15 minutes up to 1 hour. Uh so,

6:55for this example, let's use 30 minutes. Basically, the closer you're getting to uh someone to purchase, the sooner you want to send them an email. So, for example, with a side debatement flow, we want to wait a couple of hours, but with a cart and abandoned checkout flow, um yeah, we want to only wait like 15, 30 minutes or max up to an hour. That's of course something that you should AB test along the way. Uh we're going to skip out on the SMS for now. So, I'm just

7:24going to move email one over here. And let's remove the conditional split. There we go. So, after 30 minutes, we're going to send email one. Then one day later, we're going to send email two. Then one day later again we're going to send email three.

8:00Let's call this three. Then we're going to add another time delay. And then we're going to make a split. So what we're going to say what someone has done has placed order at least once over all time. So if yes, it means they are a returning customer.

8:42So this is email for returning customer. So again I would recommend to not use a discount over here or if you give a discount use a lower discount. And then on the right side this is going to be for non buyers or first time buyers. But at this point they are a non- buyer. And then for them we want to have two

9:11emails with a discount in it. So going to add the time delay. And then we're going to add email five.

9:32There we go. So this is the structure that I would recommend for the abandoned card flow. And now we're simply going to duplicate this and make the abandoned checkout version as I explained before. So we're going back to the cart flow the demo flow. We're going to hit clone over here. We're going to call this abandoned checkout demo flow. Continue. And now we have to change the trigger. So instead of addit to cart, this is going to be checkout

10:05started. Super important. There we have it. So the only thing that we need to change over here because the structure is going to remain the same. We just want to remove one filter. Check out started zero times in starting slow. We don't want to have this over here because this is checkout started. So it is important to remove this one. Hit save. And there we go. Other than that, it's completely the same. And this is how you set up the abandoned card and check out flow inside Claio. Now, let's walk through what needs to be inside every single email. So, email one just has to be a simple reminder. So, this

10:45one goes out fast, like 30 to 1 hour after bamment or sometimes even 50 minutes. With the benefit checkout, I think 50 minutes can also be good. Um, basically, no drama, so no discounts, no overselling. It's just a simple reminder because keep in mind most people when they added a product to the cart and they don't finish the uh um the checkout

11:07or they don't buy from you immediately. It's not because they say no to you, they just simply got distracted. People are on the phones, got a thousand things going on in the lives, so they just got distracted. So this email is extremely extremely simple. Just a simple reminder, show a dynamic product block and show the risk reversal. So any guarantees, trials, free shipping, free returns, anything that you have within your store that can convince people to buy now, you should have it inside this email. So an example over here. So for getting something that looks like he left something tasty behind uh the name

11:45product over here, complete my order. Why spy spots with three reasons complete my order and that's it. So super simple reminder but this will convert like the majority of the people who just got distracted. So at least you got those covered already and they will buy immediately. Email two. This will be a plain text checkin. So um here's something that most ecom brands completely ignore. Like not everyone needs persuation. So, not everyone needs social proof and not everyone needs a discount. So, I'm not the biggest fan of giving away discount code as soon as possible. So, that's why the first three emails are not giving away discounts. We want to protect your

12:26margins. Um, so sometimes people just need another reminder because they opened the first email and then they thought, "Yeah, I'll come back later." And then just life happened. So, email 2 is not a heavyded email. It's just a plain text founder message. Uh the tone is simple. So yeah, hey, you left something behind. Everything good? That's it. So again, no real pressure,

12:50no flashing banners, no discounts yet. Just a short human check-in, basically. So the angle that we like to use is something like, "Hey, noticed you were checking out this product. Just wanted to make sure you didn't run into any issues. Uh by the way, here's why people love us." So then you briefly reinforce what makes your brand uh strong, your your core differentiator, your guarantee, your speed, your quality, your your customer experience and yeah, basically whatever what makes you generally stand out from your competitors. So keep it short, don't use too long of emails. So two to three short paragraphs max and end with a simple call to action. So here's your

13:30card if you still want it. And um yeah, this email just works really really well because it feels human. It's not overly salesy and it doesn't feel like an automation. And especially in 2026 now with Gmail's AI inbox prioritizing conversational emails. Yeah, this style of emails perform incredibly well. So what needs to be inside? So just your risk reversals. So highlight those and if not, show some social proof if you have like strong um authority or social proof. And again, it's just a plain text checkin from the founder. So, super casual and that just performs really well. Then, email three. Now, we're going to hit them with a different

14:11angle. We're going to do a bit more objection handling. Um, because by the time we get to email three, we're 3 days later, we need to be honest. If they didn't buy after the reminder and after the phone check-in, uh, there probably is some friction and friction kills conversions. So this email is not just about our brand is awesome. It's about addressing the real objections that are

14:34stopping someone from buying from you. And every brand has them of course. So it can be something like is it worth the price? How long will shipping take? Uh what if it doesn't fit? Uh what if it doesn't work? What if it's not as good as on the photos? Those are all concerns that people might have when they want to buy from you. So this is the stage where you attack those objections head on. Um, so emotry should highlight your strongest USBs, but frame them as answers to objections. So, for example, if price is a concern, explain the durability, the warranties, long-term value. If trust is a concern, show your

15:12guarantees, the certifications you might have, press mentions. If comparison shopping is happening, explain clearly how you are different from your competitors. So, if you handle your objections properly here, you'll recover a surprising number of cards without ever having to offer a discount to them. And again, that protects your margins, and that's the whole point. I mean, it's super easy to make an abandoned card flow where you just slap on a 20% discount in email one. Yes, it will generate revenue, but it will also destroy your margins, and that's just not what we want. So, again, what needs to be inside? So brand USBs or specific benefits of the product that they added

15:51to the card. Uh objection handling and a dynamic product block. So an example over here from Smokco. So here's why customers choose Smokco. Return to my card. Your safe card with the dynamic prob. It looks like your card is still waiting. And then we show like a couple of um risk reversals/ USPS. So pretty quality because that's a huge concern

16:14for people when they buy uh such things. uh they're scared that it's like Chinese-made. So that's why British made quality, 8% cheaper than cigarettes, so like the price concern, 100% BPA free because that's often a concern and highly rated service. So a bit of social proof over here and then a call to action once again. So super simple, super easy, but it does convert without

16:38giving away a discount. Then we get into email four. Uh first the non-bio version. So for people who never bought from your store before. So we do want to give them a discount uh because yeah we're at the escalation stage. So now let's get into email four. So first of all the non-bio version where we're going to give a discount to people who've never bought from you before because yeah we're now at the escalation stage. This important email four should only go to people who have never purchased before. So in Clayfield you add a conditional split as I just showed you. Uh and for non-b buyers,

17:13yeah, this is where we introduce the incentive to them. Uh up until now, of course, we've handled basic reminders, we've handled their objections, we done some trust building, and yeah, if they still haven't converted, they probably need a financial notch. So, if they still haven't converted, they probably need like a financial notch. So, Emoore is just a clean, time-sensitive discount. Keep it simple. That's what it is. People just want a discount. That's it. So what needs to be inside discount code with a 48 hour deadline we do want to use some urgency. Um so product block and optionally you can also show some product recommendations with the Clavio

17:52product feed. So an example of here for silly uh take 10% your off your card. Yes, please use code sh 10% off. Complete your order before it's lost with a dynamic product. Another CTA and that's it. Super easy. uh we don't want to over complicate these type of emails. Then email five. So this is for non- buyers. So the discount will be ending after this email. This the last push and it should be a plain text email because we sent a couple of designed emails again. So now we just want to have like a plain text super short direct email, plain text email from the founder. And

18:28again this email just works because it feels human, doesn't feel like automation. And uh it closes a surprising amount of revenue especially for first-time buyers uh who are 90% convinced. But yeah, they just needed a deadline. Again, this part is only for the non buyers. So what needs to be inside? Yeah, a reminder of the discount. So give them the discount code urgency. So there's only 24 hours left now after this email and it should be a plain text email. Here's a super short uh example. So, hey Name, it's Melanie here, founder of Spice Bots. Uh, just a personal check-in. Good news, you can still claim your offer with 10% off. Use

19:07code blah blah blah. A CTA finish my order. And that's it. Super short, but it works. Then finally, we have email four for returning customers. Uh, so again, if someone has already bought from your store, we don't want to give them a discount. We just want to offer support. Um, yeah, the strategy just changes because if they already bought from you, they already trust you, already know the product quality, and they don't need aggressive persuasion. So, instead of jumping straight to a discount, I prefer

19:38a plain text founder email here as well. So, very simple, very human. Uh, so just an email like, "Hey, saw you were about to grab this. Just wanted to check in everything good. Let me know if if you have questions about sizing, specs, delivery, whatever." So yeah, it should really feel like a concierge level service and especially for like higher AOV brands, uh this performs extremely well because then they really want to have that service that they would normally get in like a physical store. And uh yeah, at this stage friction is usually about details and not necessarily about trust. And optionally again you can include a small incentive over here if

20:20your margins allow for it. Uh but if you do, it should always be a smaller discount than what you offer to the non- buyers. So if non- buyers get 10%, maybe your returning customers get 5%. Uh because again, they already know the brand. And you don't need to train your loyal customers to expect full discounts every single time. We don't want discount seekers. We just want loyal customers that like your brand because of the quality and just the overall

20:46experience. So what needs to be inside a plain text email from the founder where we offer support and optionally if your margins allow for it you can give a small discount and if you do give a discount then of course you also need an email five for returning customers where uh yeah we're saying that the discount is ending. So you can use like the similar structure as email five for non buyers and that's the structure that we recommend for an abandoned card and abandoned checkout flow. Now, this card flow will recover sales that you're currently losing. But if your browse abandonment, welcome flow, and post purchase flow are still weak. You're

21:25still leaving money in three other places, and you'll end up discounting more than you actually need. So, if you want us to build this for you properly, copy, logic, splits, design, QA, we do want them flow builds or full retention retainers. So, book a free strategy call via the link in the description below. And before you do anything else, watch this video about how to segment your email list. It's the quickest way to stop blasting everyone and start making more money from the same email list. And this is exactly how we set up for our own clients to recover revenue without training customers to wait for

22:02discounts. See over there.