How to Structure Multi-Email Abandonment Campaigns

You’re sending 3 emails like: • “Hey, you left something behind…” • “It’s still here 👀” • “10% off if you come back!” But what if they were never planning to buy in the first place? What if they were just browsing on their lunch break? Instead of assuming they wanted to buy, try thinking about why they didn’t. Here’s a better way to handle abandoned carts by looking at what people actually did: Segment 1: Viewed cart AND spent >60 sec on PDP → Send: “You seemed serious. Want help picking the right option?” Segment 2: Viewed cart for <20 sec, bounced → Send: “No worries. Just wondering — was something missing?” Segment 3: Repeat cart abandoner → Send: “Want us to save your favorites for later? Tap here” Abandoned cart emails shouldn’t feel like a guilt trip. They should feel like a concierge.

“Oh no, not another post about abandoned cart flows…” Hear me out We changed the way we structure the flow for our 7 and 8-figure DTC clients, And let me just say, the numbers are looking incredible Let me break it down for you all Email#1: Cart Reminder So your customer went through all the trouble of browsing through your products, selecting one for their cart, and then poof! They’re gone…… Don’t just assume they didn’t want the product. Life gets busy, maybe they got a phone call at that exact moment or their laptop died. Regardless, make sure you’re sending them a reminder that they have something in their cart and that your product is worth buying. You’ll be surprised at how many people may have forgotten. Email#2: Social Proof + Reviews 89% of consumers say that they thoroughly look through reviews before buying something. And 49% of consumers consider positive reviews one of their top three influences for purchasing a product. Add reviews, and showcase influencers vouching for your product. Your customers are much more likely to purchase after they've seen someone they trust recommending and raving about it. Email#3: Can we help you out or have any questions?: Discount + Cart Reminder Sometimes, customers abandon carts because they’re straight up confused. This email is your chance to fix it. Reach out and ask if there’s anything you can help with – maybe they’re unsure about a product feature or have a question about shipping. Offer reassurance and even a discount to showcase how important of a customer they are to you. Email#4: Plain Text Reminder + Discount Reminder (48 Hours left) “Hey there, just a quick reminder – your discount is still waiting for you, but only for the next 48 hours!” No fancy graphics, just a heads-up. Simple and direct is key to creating a sense of urgency with a plain text format. The 48-hour countdown instills a bit of FOMO which everyone responds quickly to. Email#5: Final Day to utilize your discount + cart reminder (Reviews, FAQs etc... on bottom) This final email should pull out all the stops. Emphasize the urgency of the last day to use the discount and include additional reviews and FAQs to clear any remaining doubts. It’s the last push to reel your customer back in for that purchase. We live in a very attention-stealing, over-stimulating world. A lot of the time, a customer is browsing your shop while handling five different things at once. An abandoned cart isn’t the end all be all. Just use this email sequence and watch your customers run back to their cart for your products.

Every abandoned cart has a story: 🚫 Shipping costs were too high. 🚫 The item they wanted was out of stock. 🚫 Their discount code didn’t work. 🚫 The checkout process is too complicated. 🚫 They weren’t ready to buy (yet). I’ve seen these same objections across KNO’s 5,000+ brands. And the best way to overcome them? Ask. Here’s what the brands that are successfully converting abandoned carts are doing: 1. Add a survey to your cart abandonment flow. The goal is still to convert shoppers back to their cart—but if they’re not biting, add the survey as a secondary CTA. By the third email, chances are they aren’t ready to buy, so lead with something like: "We’d love your thoughts! Take this short survey, and we’ll treat you to a little thank-you.” 2. Use insights to personalize your follow-ups. Thanks to integrations with tools like Klaviyo, survey responses automatically feed into segmented campaigns. - Shipping too high? Offer free or reduced shipping in your next email. - Item out of stock? Send a notification when it’s back, paired with a discount for waiting. - Just browsing? Add them to a longer-term nurture flow to re-engage later. 3. Don’t give up too soon. Not every cart is lost forever. Extend your timeline with future touchpoints—like a friendly monthly email reminding them their original concern is no longer a blocker. Cart abandonment rates range from 70-80%, depending on your vertical. That’s much untapped potential to learn from and act on. I included a few examples below of emails that effectively incorporate abandoned cart surveys to help you get started. We also created an abandoned cart survey template in KNO to guide you through these three steps seamlessly. If you have any questions, reach out and we can help you set it up!

"My abandoned cart flow isn't converting." I hear this every week during account audits. Here's how to fix it: Most brands make the same structural mistakes: → Same email sent to first-time visitors and loyal customers → No consideration for cart value → Missing the abandoned checkout flow entirely → Using outdated Klaviyo metrics that don't fire properly The abandoned cart vs abandoned checkout distinction matters more than most realize. Abandoned cart = added items, never started checkout Abandoned checkout = started checkout process, didn't complete These people are at completely different stages. They need different messaging. Here's the structure that actually works: First split: Have they purchased before? ↳ New customers: "Try this" language + incentives ↳ Returning customers: "Come back" language, fewer incentives Second split: Cart value above/below free shipping threshold ↳ Above: Highlight their free shipping ↳ Below: Different approach entirely Timing: First email within 1 hour, then 24 hours, then 72 hours Most brands treat abandonment as a single flow with generic messaging. But structure beats copy every time. When you get the technical setup right, even basic emails will outperform beautifully designed ones with poor segmentation. What's your current abandoned cart flow structure looking like? #emailmarketing #klaviyo #ecommerce #conversionrate