One of the earliest obstacles that e-commerce businesses face is working out which flows to set up.
While many great business owners eventually navigate the confusion of the templates and filters provided by the Klaviyo team, one question we are often asked is, ‘Why are there so many cart abandonment flows to choose from?’
Put simply, cart abandonment can happen at many stages of a customer journey, and is not always at the checkout. Klaviyo and Shopify have allowed for this with two specific flow triggers. But if you don’t know the difference between them when setting up, it can get confusing.
We’ve broken it down today and also explained why having both flows in your ecosystem is critical for email marketing success.
What is the abandoned added to cart flow?
The first trigger that you may stumble upon when setting up your flows is the ‘added to cart.’ This targets individuals who have added a product to their cart but have not yet reached the checkout page.
Perhaps they were browsing and adding items to their cart to save for later. Alternatively, they may have had full intentions to purchase, but may have become sidetracked.
Using this flow can gently remind customers about the products they’ve added and why they should pick up where they left off. It’s also a fantastic time to teach customers about first order discounts and your free shipping threshold.
When setting up this flow, remember to filter out anyone who has made it to the checkout. Otherwise, they will receive both the abandoned added to cart and abandoned checkout flows simultaneously!
What is the abandoned checkout flow?
The abandoned checkout flow is the other option if you have a Shopify integration with Klaviyo. This one focuses on customers who proceed to checkout but do not purchase. It is usually set up in Klaviyo with a trigger of ‘started checkout.’
The reason for a customer's incomplete order may differ from person to person. But, it is typically influenced by shipping costs, final order value, delivery timelines and loss of interest. For this reason, the flow attached to this trigger needs to focus on reselling the value to the customer, so that their hesitation points no longer deter them.
Usually, newer customers need a financial push, via a discount or savings. They need a catalyst to begin a transactional relationship with your brand. Returning customers, on the other hand, commonly require less financial incentive and can usually be persuaded with brand reinforcement or a personal message from the founder!
This flow will not target anyone who has not clicked the checkout icon. But, as a reminder, you must filter out anyone who has made a purchase! You wouldn’t want to remind them to return to their cart if they’ve already paid.
Why Should You Implement Both Flows?
There are multiple drop off points when a customer visits your website to purchase. Some may leave before they’ve ventured past your homepage. Some may look at products but don't add them to the cart. Some prefer to build a wishlist, and some hesitate just before they push ‘buy now.’
Having both of these abandonment flows set up in your Klaviyo experience means that you can target customers at two critical drop-off points.
Not sure how to set up these flows? Get in touch to book a free 15-minute consultation with our email marketing experts.
