Shopify Abandoned Cart Emails With Shopify, Zapier or Make

Part of our Small Business Automation guide and our Automation for online shops hub.

The problem

Lots of shoppers add something to their cart and leave without paying. Some got distracted, some had a question. A short reminder email gives them an easy way back to their cart.

What you need

• A Shopify store
• Shopify Email (built in), or Zapier or Make if you want to send from another email tool
• Customers who ticked the marketing box at checkout

Setup in Shopify (built in)

1. In Shopify admin, open Marketing, Automations and choose the Abandoned checkout template. [Screenshot]
2. Set the first email to send about 1 hour after the checkout is abandoned.
3. Edit the subject and body (see the template below), and keep the cart link button.
4. Optionally add a second email at 24 hours and a third at 48 hours, with a small discount in the last one only.
5. Turn the automation on, then test it by abandoning a checkout yourself.

Setup with Zapier

1. Create a Zap with Shopify as the trigger and choose the abandoned cart (abandoned checkout) event.
2. Add a Filter so it only continues when the customer accepted marketing.
3. Add a Delay by Zapier step of about 1 hour.
4. Add Gmail or your email app to send the reminder with the checkout link.
5. Test it with your own abandoned checkout, then turn the Zap on.

Setup with Make

1. In Make, use Shopify, Watch Abandoned Checkouts as the trigger.
2. Filter to customers who accepted marketing (accepts_marketing = true).
3. Add Gmail or your email tool to send the reminder with the checkout URL.
4. Schedule the scenario to run hourly, test it, then turn it on.

Message template

Subject: You left something behind

Hi [First name], your cart is saved. Pick up where you left off: [Cart link]. Questions? Just reply.

For a full three-email flow, see Shopify abandoned cart email examples.

Consent and local rules

Abandoned-cart emails count as marketing in many countries. Only email customers who opted in at checkout, and include an unsubscribe link. In the EU and UK this needs GDPR and PECR consent. This isn’t legal advice.

FAQ

How many abandoned cart emails should I send?

Two or three, spaced over about 48 hours. The first is a simple reminder, and the later ones can answer common questions. Stop once they buy.

Should I offer a discount?

Only in the last email, if at all. Otherwise shoppers learn to abandon their carts and wait for a code.

Do I need Zapier or Make for abandoned cart emails?

No. Shopify’s built-in abandoned checkout automation is enough to start. Zapier or Make help when you want to send from another email tool or log carts in Google Sheets.

Are abandoned cart emails allowed without consent?

In many countries they count as marketing. Only email customers who opted in at checkout, and include an unsubscribe link. In the EU and UK this needs GDPR and PECR consent.

Skip the setup with our template pack

Our US$19 Shopify abandoned cart template pack has a ready-to-import Make blueprint, an n8n workflow, a Zapier build sheet and three emails already written. Includes a step-by-step guide.

Related

• Automation for online shops: all the easy wins
• Shopify abandoned cart email examples to copy
• Supplier reorder alerts
• Customer birthday offers (opted-in only)
• Shopify abandoned cart template pack
• Get it ready-made

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