From my experience as a store owner, automated email flows have been the most effective for me, especially when properly set up with Klaviyo.
I don’t rely on just one tactic though. I use email to recover customers who abandon their carts, while retargeting ads help bring back visitors who didn’t complete a purchase.
The key for me has been timing and personalization. A simple “you left something in your cart” email isn’t enough anymore. Offering a small incentive, addressing the customer’s hesitation, and following up at the right time can make a big difference.
I’ve found that a well-optimized abandoned-cart flow can recover sales that would otherwise be completely lost.
For those of you who have tested multiple strategies, which one has actually produced the highest recovery rate for your store and roughly what percentage of abandoned carts are you recovering?
Emma has correctly pointed out that a well-constructed Klaviyo abandoned-cart flow usually brings the highest return on investments (ROI) once someone has left an email.
The division that is more important than “email vs SMS vs ads” is whether or not you have contact info:
They completed checkout and supplied their email/phone number → Shopify + Klaviyo (or Omnisend) abandoned flows. A timely and helpful first email perform better than a generic “you left something” message. If you want to use a discount later, keep it for that step.
They simply left the cart without giving their email → no email could get them back. That’s the case where exit-intent / first-visit capture could still make contributions, and where the second path on the storefront in a quieter way helps for the people who already closed the overlay.
Retargeting is helpful for both sides. SMS, in this case, best serve as a follow-up to those who already accepted, rather than as the first recovery attempt on cold carts.
I would not substitute a functioning popup with something different this week. First, improve the list of recoverables (flow quality), then broaden capture for the unidentified carts.
Disclosure: I developed Atomato (Atomato Email, SMS & Upsell - Grow email and SMS lists and upsell from a feed... | Shopify App Store) — it is a shopper-opened notification bell/feed for offers and restocks, with email/SMS as one card in the feed that syncs into the ESP you already use. Rather than being a substitute, it fits right next to your popup and Klaviyo. Only if you want an additional storefront path, it’s relevant.
For me, automated email is usually the first thing I’d focus on, especially if you already have enough traffic and customer data to make the flow worthwhile. A simple abandoned cart sequence with the right timing tends to be more consistent than relying entirely on retargeting ads.
I’d probably use the channels together rather than choosing just one. Email can recover the people you already know, SMS can work well for higher intent customers, and retargeting helps bring back people who never completed the purchase. Exit intent is useful too, but I see it more as a way to prevent abandonment rather than recover it afterward.
I also think it’s worth figuring out why people are abandoning in the first place. Unexpected shipping costs, slow delivery, complicated checkout, lack of trust, or just comparison shopping can all require different solutions. I use SiteGuru for the broader store checks, and I’d apply the same mindset here: fix the underlying friction first, then optimize the recovery campaigns around it.
Would be interesting to see actual numbers from people using Klaviyo versus SMS or retargeting, because I suspect the best channel varies quite a bit depending on the product and average order value.
Exit-Intent Popups and Automated Email Flows (Klaviyo) produce the highest ROI and conversion rate. The brief breakdown is as follows:
Klaviyo Email Sequence (Winner): Because it directly reaches warm leads without requiring further ad spend, this three-step automated flow (1 hour, 24 hours, and 48 hours) converts the most.
Exit-Intent Popups: These are the best for quick recovery because they can record their email or give them a little discount before they depart.
SMS marketing: Excellent when combined with email as a booster (e.g., sending a text if the email isn’t opened).
Retargeting ads are effective, however they are far less profitable than email due to growing ad costs (CAC).
The best strategy is to capture the lead with an Exit-Intent Popup and then use a three-step Klaviyo flow to seal the deal!
If I had to rank them for actual recovery, I’d go: email first, SMS second, retargeting last (because it usually catches people who were never that close to buying in the first place).
The biggest lift usually comes from the first email, sent fast, with the exact cart items, shipping cost, and a simple reminder of what they left behind.
If the cart has a high price point or a lot of hesitation around fit, shipping, or returns, a second email 1-day later that answers the most common objections will likely outperform a templated “come back” message.
SMS can convert well too, but it’s much more costly. So only do it if the list is clean and the message feels like a nudge, not a blast.
Retargeting is useful for staying in front of people, though I’d treat it as support for the email flow, not the main recovery channel.
Hello @angelina-new-user, Binaery’s split above is the right way to think about it, flow quality for people who gave contact info, capture for the ones who didn’t. One thing worth adding before spending on Klaviyo/Omnisend: Shopify’s own free abandoned checkout emails (Settings > Checkout) are worth turning on first as a baseline, they’re not as flexible but they fire automatically with zero setup, so you’re not leaving money on the table while you build out a proper flow. Thanks
Before choosing a channel, define the recoverable cart and test incrementality. Separate identified checkouts (email or phone provided) from anonymous carts, then compare eligible shoppers who receive a flow with a small holdout. I’d also segment the last meaningful state: return to product/cart, exit when shipping appears, payment attempt/error, or no meaningful checkout interaction. Measure recovered contribution margin after discounts, messaging cost, cancellations and unsubscribes—not recovered order count or opens. Email is a sensible baseline for known shoppers; SMS or retargeting should earn their place with incremental profit, not a higher click rate.
Hello @angelina-new-user, @Icey.Lane’s framework above for segmenting recoverable carts and measuring incremental profit is the right way to think about this. One thing worth adding: Shopify’s own Analytics > Reports > “Abandoned checkouts” report already splits checkouts into recovered vs not and shows the recovered order value, so you can sanity-check your email/SMS flow’s actual lift against that native number before layering on a paid tool’s attribution.
Good breakdown above on flow quality vs. capture. One thing that hasn’t come up: wishlist reminders work well alongside cart recovery too, since a shopper who saved something but didn’t buy is often just as recoverable, and it’s a softer nudge than another discount. Pairing the recovery email with reviews for the exact items left in cart also helps close the trust gap @Icey.Lane mentioned, we’ve had good results piping review content into Klaviyo through Growave’s feed rather than writing static copy. Worth testing that against a discount-only version to see which actually protects margin better.
Hi there @Icey.Lane
Email flows are the most reliable first step, particularly if the email is sent fairly soon after abandonment. A basic series of emails can remind customers about the items, can combat common objections, and can offer a soft incentve in the last email. Shopify’s built in abandoned checkout automation does the bare minimum, and retargeting is a great secondary channel. I would measure the success of your emails by the amount of recovered checkout revenue they generate, not just the sends vs open or click rates, because this is the only way to know what is truly performing best for your store.