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GlossaryUpdated

What is an abandoned checkout?

An abandoned checkout is a checkout that a customer started but did not complete. Shopify records it as an abandoned checkout that the store can review. Recovery email should use that event, respect consent and stop when the customer orders. The checkout signal is stronger than a product view but weaker than a completed order.

Key facts

  • Shopify records a checkout that was started but not completed as an abandoned checkout, which the store can review. Source
  • Shopify documents automated abandoned checkout email as a store feature with its own settings. Source
  • A checkout event is a behavioural signal, not a marketing consent record. Source

What an abandoned checkout means

This definition is part of the Mailprompt glossary. An abandoned checkout is a checkout that a customer started but did not finish. It is a later and stronger signal than an abandoned cart, because the customer moved from browsing to the payment flow.

Shopify uses exactly this label. Its help center describes an abandoned checkout as a checkout that was started but not completed, and the store can review the list and follow up. Other platforms may use abandoned cart for the same state or split the two events differently.

Why the event matters

The event determines the audience, the copy and the exit rules. A flow triggered by a product view will contact people who were still comparing. A flow triggered by a checkout will contact people who reached the payment step and stopped.

The checkout event also carries more context. The store may know the cart contents, the contact details and the shipping choice. That context makes a specific recovery message possible: the product, the total and a link back to the same cart.

A checkout without an email address is still an abandoned checkout, but there is no one to email. A store should not treat every abandoned checkout as a recoverable one.

What the customer experienced

A customer who abandons a checkout may have been interrupted, surprised by shipping cost, blocked by a payment problem or simply changed their mind. The store cannot see which. The recovery message should not pretend to know.

A useful first email acknowledges the cart without accusing the customer. It shows the items and offers a way back. A message that says the customer forgot something can feel presumptuous when the customer deliberately left.

If the store can answer a common objection, such as a shipping threshold or a return policy, that is worth including. A generic discount is not an answer; it is a guess with a margin cost.

A checkout is not a marketing opt-in. Consent rules vary by jurisdiction and by the relationship the store has with the customer. The flow has to use the consent state the store records, the unsubscribe list and the account's suppression rules.

A tool that starts from the checkout event and ignores consent can send marketing to people who declined it. The send gate exists to catch that, but the flow design should not depend on a last-minute block. Name the audience in the draft so the approver can see the assumption.

Recovery and measurement

The flow should stop when the customer orders, unsubscribes or enters a segment that should be excluded. The measures that matter are sends, clicks, recovered orders and attributed revenue. Opens are noisy because privacy features and scanners can load the tracking image.

Compare the flow with a control period or a holdout when possible. A seasonal change in store traffic can look like a flow improvement if you only look at the weeks after launch.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as an abandoned checkout?

A checkout that was started but not completed within the platform window. The customer reached the checkout flow, may have entered contact or payment details, and then left without an order. The exact window is platform-specific. A product view or a cart add is not the same event, even though some tools use the terms loosely.

When should the recovery email send?

Start with a short delay that gives the customer time to finish without making the message feel late. The right delay depends on the store and the sales cycle. Treat the first value as a hypothesis and change one variable at a time. A second message should have a reason to exist beyond repeating the first.

What should the email contain?

The product or products left behind, the cart total and a link that returns the customer to the saved cart. The subject line should name the thing the customer was considering. Add a reason the customer paused only if the store can address it honestly, such as a shipping threshold or a size question.

Sources