Shopify Abandoned Cart: How to Recover It (+ the Best Apps)

A shopper fills a cart in your Shopify store, gets as far as checkout and closes the tab. Shopify notices, but only afterwards, and only if that shopper typed in an email first.

That leaves you two chances to win the sale back: while the shopper is still on your store, and later, in their inbox. You don't need a developer for either, and part of it is already built into Shopify.

What is an abandoned cart in Shopify?

In Shopify, an abandoned cart is any visit where a shopper shows buying intent and leaves without an order. Shopify splits it into three stages, and only the last one, the abandoned checkout, shows up in your admin.

Source: Shopify Help Center.

For the wider definition, see cart vs. checkout abandonment.

How to see abandoned carts in Shopify

To see abandoned checkouts in Shopify, go to Orders → Abandoned checkouts in your admin. Each checkout has a timeline of payment attempts, and the Email status and Recovery status columns show whether a recovery email went out and whether the shopper came back. Checkouts that Shopify Payments blocked as high risk sit in a separate Blocked view.

A few limits to know:

• Only two sales channels count. Abandoned checkout recovery works for the Online Store and Buy Button channels, not for Shopify POS or third-party channels.
• Checkouts are deleted after three months. To keep one, create a draft order with the same details and leave it open. You can't delete a single abandoned checkout by hand.
• Carts without a checkout don't appear. You export abandoned checkouts together with your orders.

How to set up Shopify's abandoned cart and checkout emails

Shopify's recovery emails and SMS now live in the Shopify Messaging app. The Help Center describes these steps:

• In your Shopify admin, go to Apps → Messaging, then click Automations.
• Click Create automation and choose Recover abandoned checkout, Recover abandoned cart or Convert abandoned product browse.
• Choose the channel: Email or SMS.
• Click Edit email (or Edit SMS) to change the message. In the abandoned checkout email you can also add a discount the shopper can use when they return to checkout.
• Check who gets it and when. By default, the abandoned checkout automation goes only to customers subscribed to email marketing; you can switch the To: field to all customers. To change the wait time, edit the workflow, also in Shopify Flow.
• Click Turn on automation.

On timing: your first new abandoned checkout automation keeps your previous settings, and a second one defaults to a 10-hour wait. Track results on the Automations page and in the Abandoned checkouts emails report by Shopify.

If you still use the older "Abandoned checkout emails by Shopify" setup (with Send to and Send after settings), know that moving to the new automation is permanent. You can't switch back.

Cost: Shopify Messaging is free to install, and the first 10,000 emails each month are free; after that, pricing starts at $1 per 1,000 emails (Shopify App Store). Abandoned checkout automation emails don't count toward that allowance, but cart and browse automations do.

For what to write, see our abandoned cart subject lines, or build a Klaviyo abandoned cart flow instead.

Why do Shopify shoppers abandon carts?

Shoppers mostly leave because of cost, speed and trust. The average cart abandonment rate is 70.32%, based on OptiMonk's own data from 18,000 ecommerce websites; Baymard Institute, which averages 50 studies, puts it at a similar 70.22%. There's no separate Shopify average; for more numbers, see our cart abandonment statistics.

Baymard's top five reasons among US online shoppers (leaving out the 42% who were just browsing), and what to do about each on Shopify:

More detail in our guide on how to reduce cart abandonment.

How to reduce abandoned carts on Shopify

1. Show shipping costs early and set a free shipping threshold

Show shipping on product and cart pages. In Shopify you can create an automatic free shipping discount with a minimum purchase amount (Discounts → Create discount → Free shipping). Then tell shoppers how close they are. More in free shipping on Shopify.

2. Make checkout faster

Let shoppers buy without creating an account: in Settings → Checkout, leave "Require customers to sign in to their account before checkout" switched off. Keep accelerated checkout buttons on as well; when sign-in is required, Shopify hides buttons like Apple Pay in the cart. Customers signed in with Shop reach checkout with their details already filled in.

3. Remind shoppers before they leave

An exit-intent popup catches the shopper while they're still on your store, and it works on every visitor, not only on subscribers. The setup is in the next section.

The Editorial Authority (designed for Revox B77): a plain reminder with a Return to checkout button and an "I'll finish later" link, no discount.

See this popup

4. Match the offer to the cart value

Not every cart needs a discount. Show small carts a reminder and save the bigger offer for high-value carts, with cart value targeting.

The Turmeric Co. did this with two exit-intent popups for new visitors, each with a 15-minute countdown: 10% off for carts between £25 and £79, and 20% off above £79. The two versions converted at 21.40% and 28.76%.

5. Recommend products from the cart

Show the products in the cart, recently viewed items or your most viewed products in the exit popup, with dynamic product recommendations.

Gelpro Australia showed shoppers the products already in their cart in an exit-intent popup ("Are you sure you're leaving empty-handed?") with a Back to the Cart button. The campaign lifted their ecommerce conversion rate by 6%.

6. Send abandoned cart emails and SMS

Follow up with Shopify Messaging, Klaviyo or Omnisend once the shopper is gone. Retargeting ads on Google or Meta can bring back visitors you have no email for. Shopify Messaging also lists WhatsApp campaigns next to email and SMS.

7. Ask why they leave

A one-question exit-intent survey on the cart page tells you whether shipping, price or checkout is the problem.

These tactics apply to Shopify Plus stores too, and Plus adds one option. Only on Shopify Plus can you add eligible apps to the information, shipping and payment steps of checkout in the checkout and accounts editor, for example to show delivery dates or trust badges right where shoppers pay. On other plans, checkout apps can change only the thank you and order status pages.

For tactics that work on any platform, see our guide on how to reduce cart abandonment.

How to stop Shopify cart abandonment with an exit-intent popup

Shopify's emails arrive after the shopper has left, and only for shoppers who gave an email and agreed to marketing. An exit-intent popup works before they leave, on every visitor with a full cart. The two work best together.

What to offer in a Shopify cart abandonment popup

• A plain reminder with one button back to the cart.
• Free shipping over a threshold, for carts just under it.
• A small, unique discount code for carts above a set value.
• A countdown, only when the deadline is real.
• A free sample or small gift when the cart passes a set amount.
• A short survey for visitors who won't buy today.

How to set it up in OptiMonk

• Install OptiMonk from the Shopify App Store and turn on its app embed (Online Store → Edit theme → App embeds). No code needed: OptiMonk reads the cart value and contents on its own.
• Describe the popup in one sentence, for example: "An exit-intent popup for shoppers with a cart over $50: free shipping if they finish checkout now." The agent designs it for your brand and builds a separate mobile version.
• Set exit intent for desktop and mobile. On desktop it fires when the cursor heads for the top of the browser. On mobile it reacts to a tab switch, a quick scroll back to the top, or the Back button on the page the visitor landed on. More on exit intent.
• Choose who sees it with cart rules: cart value, number of products, or a specific product in the cart. Conditions combine with AND, one cart rule per campaign.
• Add the code. OptiMonk can create a unique, single-use code in Shopify, with an optional prefix and an expiry (none, a countdown from when the popup appears, or a fixed date). With automatic redemption, the code applies at checkout by itself.
• Publish, then test. A/B test the offer, such as 10% off against free shipping, and run a holdout test to see how many orders the popup really adds.

If the popup asks for an email, the address goes to Klaviyo or your other email tool, and the recovery emails run there. OptiMonk doesn't send emails or SMS itself. You can also build the popup from Claude or ChatGPT through the OptiMonk MCP server.

Cart abandonment popups convert well. In OptiMonk's popup statistics, they had the highest average conversion rate of any popup type, 17.12%, compared with 11.09% for all popups. The best results came from popups with an incentive, such as free shipping or 10% off, offered for a limited time.

For the full exit-intent walkthrough, see how to create an exit-intent popup.

4 Shopify cart abandonment popup ideas

These examples come from the OptiMonk Popup Library. The agent designed each one for a real store's brand.

1. The Culinary Nudge (designed for Our Place)

A pure cart reminder with no discount: "Don't let these get away.", one Return to cart button and a 100-day free returns line underneath. It suits brands that don't want to train shoppers to wait for a code.

See this popup

2. The High-Altitude Sale (designed for Halfdays)

A cart reminder tied to a real sale deadline, with a countdown and a "Complete my order" button. The free shipping threshold sits in the trust line, so shoppers near it have one more reason to finish.

See this popup

3. The Cereal Box Hero (designed for Eat Surreal)

Free shipping for an email address, if the shopper checks out in the next 15 minutes. It goes straight at the top reason people leave, and every redemption adds a subscriber your email flows can follow up.

See this popup

4. The Soft Minimalist (designed for Caraway)

"Ready to Cook?" over the cart page, with a reminder that orders over $90 ship free and a Return to checkout button. Calm copy and a clear "I'll finish later" link keep it friendly.

See this popup

For more, see our cart abandonment popup examples.

Best Shopify abandoned cart apps

Choose by channel. Most stores need one email and SMS app for after the shopper leaves, and one onsite app for before.

1. Shopify Messaging

Best for: stores that want recovery emails without another app.

It's built into Shopify and covers checkouts, carts and product browses by email or SMS. Cart and browse messages reach only marketing subscribers.

2. OptiMonk

Best for: stopping shoppers before they leave the store.

Pros

• The agent designs each popup from one sentence, with a separate mobile version
• Exit intent on desktop and mobile
• Cart rules: cart value, number of products, products in the cart
• Unique, single-use Shopify codes that apply at checkout automatically
• A/B tests and holdout tests to measure the real effect

Cons

• It doesn't send emails or SMS, so you still need an email tool for follow-ups
• Pricing is based on pageviews, so busy stores pay for traffic
• Popups only (card, fullscreen, lucky wheel and scratch card): no sticky bars, side messages or embedded content

Pricing: Free plan for one domain and 10,000 pageviews a month. Essential from $19/month billed yearly ($29 monthly). See pricing

3. Klaviyo

Best for: stores that want detailed email and SMS flows.

New stores get a guided setup with a sign-up form, a welcome email and an abandoned checkout flow inside the Shopify admin. Pricing grows with your contact list.

4. Omnisend

Best for: smaller stores that want email, SMS and web push in one place.

The free plan includes automated abandoned cart and welcome emails. On Pro, SMS can be added from $0.007 per message (Shopify App Store).

For tools beyond Shopify, see our list of cart abandonment software, and for onsite tools, the best Shopify popup apps.

Shopify abandoned cart FAQ

Does Shopify have abandoned cart emails?

Yes. The Shopify Messaging app has three recovery automations (abandoned checkout, abandoned cart and product browse), each by email or SMS, under Apps → Messaging → Automations.

What's the difference between an abandoned cart and an abandoned checkout in Shopify?

An abandoned cart has products in it, but the shopper never started checkout. An abandoned checkout means the shopper started checkout, gave an email and didn't finish for more than ten minutes. Only abandoned checkouts appear under Orders → Abandoned checkouts.

How long does Shopify keep abandoned checkouts?

Three months, then Shopify deletes them automatically. To keep one, create a draft order with the same details and leave it open.

When does Shopify send the abandoned checkout email?

When you tell it to. You set the wait time in the automation's workflow, also in Shopify Flow. Your first new automation keeps your previous settings, a second one defaults to 10 hours, and by default it goes only to customers subscribed to email marketing.

Can I add a discount to Shopify's abandoned cart email?

Yes. In the abandoned checkout automation you can add a discount the shopper can use when they return to checkout. For offer ideas, see our abandoned cart coupon code ideas.

Do exit-intent popups work on mobile in Shopify stores?

Yes. Phones have no cursor, so exit intent reads a tab switch, a quick scroll back to the top, or the Back button on the landing page. Keep the mobile popup small and easy to close.

Cover both moments

Turn on Shopify's abandoned checkout automation first: it's free and takes a few minutes. Then think about the shoppers it never reaches, the ones who leave before they give you an email.

For them, your first cart abandonment popup is one sentence away: describe it, and the OptiMonk agent designs it for your brand, with a separate mobile version.

Free to start. No credit card.