Getting your customers to return to their cart is one of the biggest challenges for many Shopify merchants. It sometimes feels like the only way to get a customer to return to their cart is to offer them a discount, but this can cause problems for Shopify merchants with low margins. Here at Stack Outlet, we’ve seen how abandoned carts are still one of the most important Klaviyo flows for Shopify merchants. In this article, we’ll explain why abandoned cart flows need to be looked at again, and how brands are generating big conversion through these flows.

What is an abandoned cart email flow?

An abandoned cart email flow is simple - it’s a message sent to subscribers of an email list that adds a product to the cart and fills in some of their contact information. The purpose of the message is to persuade the customer to complete their purchase. This can be a single email or several emails as part of a Klaviyo email flow.

Why do people think that abandoned carts don’t work?

Over the past few years, abandoned carts have been used in one main way. Discounts! Shopify merchants tend to set up a simple abandoned cart email flow that sends a discount to customers after 2 to 24 hours. The issue with this strategy tends to be that: 

• Potential customers can find the discount elsewhere through a simple Google search.
• The discount is not high enough to persuade customers. Typically, Shopify merchants offer 10-15% off.

While we believe that discounting can be helpful for some Shopify brands using Klaviyo, the timing and value of the discount need to be used more creatively. We’ll look at this later in the article.

How to create an abandoned cart flow in Klaviyo

Before creating an abandoned cart flow, it’s a good idea to start by asking the following questions:

• Do we have any data on customers that we could use to make the abandoned cart message more personal? Name, age, product interest?
• Do all of our products deliver the same benefits to customers? So for example, if you're selling t-shirts and jogging pants on Shopify, the benefits are likely to be different.
• When (time and day) do customers like to shop with you? You’ll likely have some key days or times of the week when customers are most active.

By using all of this information, it’s then worth thinking about how this could be used to structure your abandoned cart email flow. So, for example: 

• You can see the last product that certain customers purchased - This can be used in a personalised email to explain how the product they abandoned is a great fit with the one they have purchased previously.
• You’re selling dog treats and dog harnesses - As these two products are different in the benefits they provide, why not call these out in your Klaviyo flow? Having ‘look what you left behind’ and the link to the cart just won’t cut it.
• 80% of your sales happen between 7pm and 10pm -Seems simple, but why not only have the abandoned cart email flow running between these times?

While this data is important, it’s also crucial to get the right amount of email and timing correct. As Stack Outlet is powered by Blend Commerce, we’ve been able to create an abandoned cart email flow that works well for a whole range of Shopify brands. As with all Stack Outlet email flows, you’ll get a tried and tested Klaviyo email flow, along with a full PDF guide that includes videos on how to get set up.

Should discounts be used in Klaviyo abandoned cart email flows?

Our advice at Stack Outlet is to use discounts as a last resort for abandoned cart flows, especially with customers who haven’t purchased. Using a discount too soon can be bad for a brand, as customers will expect a discount when shopping. Initially, we recommend using copy in abandoned cart emails that:

• Focuses on the pain points of the customer - For example, if you’re selling skincare products, ‘Is your skin still feeling dry?’
• Focuses on the brand story -For example, if you’re a family business, why not use an initial abandoned cart email to share a picture of you and your family with a personalised note?

If these initial tactics don’t convert to a sale, using data to select who receives a discount is the next step. For example, do you have a Klaviyo segment of one-hit wonders? If so, sending a 20% discount is one strategy that we’ve seen working very well for abandoned cart email flows.

What results should you expect from abandoned cart flows?

While all brands will vary, stats from Klaviyo show that on average for an abandoned cart flow look like this:

• Open Rate - 39.17%
• Click-Through Rate - 7.74%
• Conversion Rate - 2.89% 

To find out more about these stats, check out our blog on Klaviyo benchmarks here.

Next steps with your abandoned cart flow

If you’re ready to get your abandoned cart flow working better for you, now is the time to start evaluating the data. Follow the steps in this blog to take a look at what you know already about your customers and use this in your abandoned cart email flow to get better results. 

Want to get started now? Buy the Stack Outlet Abandoned Cart flow here for just $149.