Abandoned Cart vs Abandoned Checkout

Triggers when a shopper starts checkout, enters their email, and then leaves before completing the purchase.

This flow captures 100% of these cases because the shopper has identified themselves at checkout. It matches what Shopify itself shows as Abandoned Cart in the admin.

Triggers when a known shopper adds something to cart and leaves before starting checkout.

This flow is pixel based. It can only fire when your site already knows the shopper's identity, for example because they recently clicked an inbound link from one of your emails or filled out a form. Modern browsers and tracking limitations mean only a small share of visitors are identified at any given time, so this flow naturally catches fewer shoppers than Abandoned Checkout.

If you test the flow by adding products to your cart and leaving, you usually will not be enrolled. The pixel needs to recognise you first, and in a fresh test session it does not.

The match rate improves the more you publish. Every post you send drives inbound traffic from identified shoppers, which expands the pool of visitors your site can recognise on future visits.

The more you publish, the better Abandoned Cart performs. Every post you send drives inbound traffic from identified shoppers, which expands the pool of visitors your site can recognise on future visits. Stores that publish consistently see meaningfully higher match rates over time.

If you are getting started or unsure, enable Abandoned Checkout only. It is the most reliable single flow and captures the majority of recoverable revenue.

If you want fuller coverage, run both. Abandoned Checkout catches every shopper who reaches checkout, and Abandoned Cart supplements it by catching identified shoppers who leave earlier in the funnel.