Abandoned cart recovery is typically the highest-ROI automated email sequence for any ecommerce store. WooCommerce and Shopify both support it, but the implementation differs significantly. After migration, you need to set this up from scratch — your WooCommerce Mailchimp flows or WooCommerce-specific Klaviyo triggers won't carry over automatically.

WooCommerce vs Shopify abandoned cart: key differences

Feature	WooCommerce	Shopify
Native abandoned cart	Plugin required (Klaviyo, Mailchimp, CartFlows)	Built-in (1 email, sent after 1h or 10h)
Cart capture (who abandoned)	At checkout page entry or email input	At checkout step (when email entered)
Multi-email sequences	Via Klaviyo, Mailchimp, or WooCommerce-specific plugins	Via Klaviyo, Shopify Email, or Omnisend
SMS abandonment	Via SMS plugin	Via Klaviyo, Postscript, or Attentive
Cart discount in recovery	Dynamic coupon generation via plugin	Klaviyo: dynamic discount codes; Shopify native: no discount
Customer behavior segmentation	Via Klaviyo flows with WC integration	Via Klaviyo flows with Shopify integration

Shopify's native abandoned checkout emails

Shopify includes a built-in abandoned checkout email at no extra cost. To configure it:

Shopify Admin → Settings → Checkout
Under "Abandoned checkouts," enable "Automatically send abandoned checkout emails"
Choose timing: after 1 hour or after 10 hours

The native email uses your default Shopify notification email template. You can customize the HTML in Settings → Notifications → Abandoned checkout.

Limitations of native Shopify abandoned cart:

Only 1 email (no multi-step sequence)
No discount code insertion
Basic segmentation only (all customers)
No A/B testing
No SMS option

The native email is a good starting point but won't match the performance of a proper 3-email abandoned cart sequence with segmentation and dynamic discounts.

Setting up Klaviyo for Shopify abandoned cart

If you used Klaviyo with WooCommerce, you need to reconnect Klaviyo to Shopify. The WooCommerce and Shopify integrations are separate in Klaviyo — your account persists, but the data source changes.

Steps to migrate Klaviyo to Shopify

In Klaviyo → Integrations, add the Shopify integration (separate from WooCommerce)
Select your Shopify store — Klaviyo will sync products, customers, and orders
Go to Flows and review your existing WooCommerce abandoned cart flow
The trigger "WooCommerce Checkout Started" will stop receiving events after migration
Create a new flow with trigger: "Shopify Checkout Started" (or "Started Checkout" in Klaviyo's Shopify integration)

Recommended 3-email abandoned cart flow in Klaviyo

Email 1 (1 hour): "Did you forget something?" — show cart contents, simple CTA to return to checkout
Email 2 (24 hours): "Your cart is still waiting" — add social proof (product reviews), urgency if stock is low
Email 3 (72 hours): "Last chance — here's 10% off" — dynamic discount code, explicit time limit

Dynamic discount codes in Klaviyo + Shopify

Klaviyo can generate unique discount codes for each abandoned cart email recipient using Shopify's Discounts API. To set this up:

In your Klaviyo flow email, add a "Coupon code" block
Connect it to a Shopify discount — Klaviyo will generate a unique code per recipient
Set the discount parameters: 10% off, one-use, 48-hour expiry

This requires Klaviyo's paid plan (dynamic coupons are not available on the free tier).

Shopify Email (native email marketing)

Shopify launched Shopify Email as a native email marketing tool included in all Shopify plans. As of 2026, it supports:

Abandoned checkout automation (built-in template)
Browse abandonment (when a customer views a product but doesn't add to cart)
Win-back sequences
Welcome series

Shopify Email's abandoned cart automation is more capable than the native checkout email but less powerful than Klaviyo. It's a good option for stores spending <$30/month on email that want a simpler setup.

Setting up Shopify Email abandoned cart

Install Shopify Email from the App Store (free with all plans)
Go to Marketing → Automations → Create automation
Select "Abandoned checkout" template
Customize email content and timing
You can add a second email in the sequence (browse abandonment + checkout abandonment)

SMS abandoned cart recovery

SMS has significantly higher open and click rates than email for abandoned cart recovery (open rates 98% vs ~45% for email). If you had SMS recovery on WooCommerce, you'll need to reconfigure this on Shopify.

Recommended SMS apps for Shopify:

Postscript: Shopify-native, best for abandoned cart SMS flows. Free plan available, then 1¢/SMS.
Attentive: Enterprise SMS with strong personalization. Minimum commitment $500/month.
Klaviyo SMS: If already using Klaviyo, adding SMS through the same platform simplifies coordination between email and SMS flows.
SMSBump (by Yotpo): Popular alternative, strong Shopify integration.

Important: SMS requires explicit opt-in. If customers opted in to SMS on WooCommerce, you cannot automatically transfer that consent to a new platform — you need to re-collect consent under the new platform's subscriber list.

Browser push notification abandonment

Push notifications (via OneSignal or PushOwl) can recover abandoners who haven't given email or SMS consent. These require a new opt-in on Shopify — WooCommerce push subscribers don't transfer.

PushOwl is the most popular push notification app for Shopify with a dedicated abandoned cart push sequence.

Browse abandonment (product viewed, not added to cart)

Browse abandonment emails target customers who view product pages but don't add to cart. Shopify supports this via:

Klaviyo: "Viewed Product" event trigger + "Has not started checkout" filter
Shopify Email automation: built-in browse abandonment template
Omnisend: browse abandonment automation included in all plans

Browse abandonment typically converts at lower rates than checkout abandonment but captures a larger audience segment.

Comparing abandoned cart email performance: WooCommerce vs Shopify

The platform change itself doesn't affect abandoned cart email performance — what matters is the email tool and flow configuration. If you had a well-performing Klaviyo setup on WooCommerce, you can replicate the same performance on Shopify by:

Reconnecting Klaviyo to Shopify
Replicating your best-performing email flows with Shopify-specific triggers
Verifying the first abandoned cart is firing correctly (test by adding to cart and abandoning on Shopify)

Day-1 checklist for abandoned cart on Shopify

Disable or pause WooCommerce abandoned cart sequences before migration to avoid duplicate emails
Enable Shopify's native abandoned checkout email (1-hour delay) as a safety net
Reconnect Klaviyo to Shopify integration (if using Klaviyo)
Duplicate and adapt your best-performing abandoned cart flow with Shopify event triggers
Test by going through checkout on Shopify and abandoning (use a real email to verify)
Verify the email renders correctly and all product images load
Set up Browse Abandonment if it was part of your WooCommerce marketing
Reconnect SMS provider if applicable (Postscript/Klaviyo SMS)

Get abandoned cart running within the first 48 hours of going live on Shopify — every hour without recovery emails is lost revenue.

Setting up abandoned cart recovery on Shopify after WooCommerce (2026)