Abandoned cart SMS: when to text and what to say

This is for Shopify founders on Klaviyo who already have an abandoned cart or checkout email flow and want to add a text without breaking the rules or annoying people.

Should you text people who abandon a cart?

Yes, if they've given you SMS marketing consent and you keep it to one well-timed reminder.

SMS is a more acute form of marketing than email: timely, urgent, very little room for brand building. That's exactly what an abandoned cart needs. The person was close to buying. They don't need a story, they need a nudge.

Klaviyo's own best practices page says SMS "is immediate, direct, and almost always has a higher click and conversion rate than email." And its email-and-SMS guide says texts are "seen by almost all recipients." A cart reminder is the right job for a channel like that.

What it isn't: a replacement for your email flow. Texts are reminders. Emails do the branding and awareness. The text reminds people to come back. The emails are still doing the work for everyone else.

If you haven't added SMS at all yet, read should I add SMS marketing first.

What are the rules for abandoned cart texts in the US?

This is general information, not legal advice.

Klaviyo lists three US requirements for SMS in abandoned cart flows, on both its abandoned cart SMS page and its SMS compliance page:

1. Use double opt-in when collecting SMS consent.
2. Only send 1 SMS per recipient in the flow. Klaviyo says you can have more than one text in the flow if you have splits, but each subscriber can only receive one.
3. Send within 48 hours of someone abandoning a cart.

Klaviyo's compliance page also says applying the same rules to other abandonment flows, like browse abandonment, is a best practice even though carriers don't require it.

And the basics that apply to every marketing text, from Klaviyo's compliance page:

• Marketing consent. Consent for transactional texts, like order updates, doesn't subscribe someone to marketing. A cart reminder is marketing.
• Brand identification. Klaviyo says to indicate your company or brand in every SMS, for example with a prefix like "[Brand]:".
• A way to opt out. A keyword like STOP if your number can receive replies.

More on collecting consent the right way is in my SMS marketing consent for Shopify post.

When should the abandoned cart text go out?

After the first delay, and inside the 48-hour window.

Klaviyo's setup guide for adding SMS to an abandoned cart flow puts the split "after the first time delay." For the email side, Klaviyo's abandoned cart guide recommends the first message 2 to 4 hours after someone starts a checkout, and a second email 20 to 48 hours later. Its pre-built flows use a 4-hour first delay.

So the clean version looks like this:

1. Trigger: Started Checkout or Added to Cart.
2. Delay: your first delay, for example 4 hours.
3. Split: "If someone can or cannot receive marketing" set to text message marketing.
4. SMS path: one text.
5. Email path: your existing first email.
6. Both paths rejoin for the rest of the email flow.

Klaviyo's guide has the SMS path rejoin after the first email, which means SMS recipients skip that first email. That's the point. They got the reminder by text, so they don't also get the same reminder by email minutes later. Time it properly and the two channels don't step on each other.

One more timing detail. Klaviyo says quiet hours are on by default for SMS and it doesn't recommend turning them off. A text that would land at night waits until a permitted time. If your delay is long, quiet hours can push it later, so leave room inside the 48 hours.

If you're not sure which trigger to use, Klaviyo recommends setting up both a cart and a checkout flow. I explain the difference in abandoned cart vs abandoned checkout.

How many texts should be in a cart flow?

One per person, in the US.

That's Klaviyo's stated requirement, and it matches how I build anyway. I only use one-step flows for SMS. In email, I keep cart flows long: across 4 brands, cart abandon email #5 still earned $0.25 per person, the same as #3. That's email data, not SMS. The text doesn't need to carry that length. The emails do.

Klaviyo's best practices page also suggests sending SMS 1 to 2 times a week overall, with flow messages counted in the monthly mix. A cart text counts toward that.

What should an abandoned cart text say?

As little as it takes. One text, so make it count.

From Klaviyo's SMS best practices:

• Keep it short. Messages under 160 characters tend to perform better. Klaviyo suggests aiming under 155 to leave room for dynamic content like a first name.
• One link, as the call to action. Not at the start of the message. Use Klaviyo's link shortener, not a third-party one, which Klaviyo says will likely break the link.
• Say who it's from. Brand name up front.
• Include an opt-out. STOP, if your number takes replies.

Klaviyo's setup guide shows the checkout link variable for Shopify Started Checkout flows, so the link drops people straight back into their checkout.

A template written for this post, not a real send:

[Brand]: You left something in your cart. It's saved here: [LINK] Reply STOP to opt out

That's well under 160 characters. If you add an emoji, Klaviyo says the single-segment limit drops to 70, which would push this into two segments.

Should the cart text include a discount?

Klaviyo's two pages point different ways here, so I'll give you both.

• Klaviyo's guide to adding SMS to an abandoned cart flow says: "Recommended: Include a discount to encourage people to buy."
• Klaviyo's abandoned cart email guide says it doesn't encourage a coupon in the first email.

My view on SMS automations: I think a discount belongs in them. That's my preference, not a rule. Nothing in Klaviyo's compliance guidance requires one.

So if you text, the text is where I'd put the offer, and I'd keep the first email clean for everyone who doesn't get the text. Then test it. Abandonment is where I'd test early, because that's where you learn what gets people across the finish line when they're close to buying. How I think about offers across channels is in my email discount strategy.

Should Smart Sending be on for cart texts?

No. I keep Smart Sending off on automations so people don't miss critical reminders. A cart reminder is about as critical as a reminder gets.

Klaviyo's quiet hours page explains the order: quiet hours are checked first, then Smart Sending. If not enough time has passed since the last message, Klaviyo skips it. With Smart Sending on, a recent campaign text can wipe out your one cart text. More in my Klaviyo Smart Sending post.

What about quiet hours?

Klaviyo's pages give different windows, so take the conservative one.

• Klaviyo's quiet hours page says, in general, avoid sending before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. in the recipient's local time.
• Klaviyo's compliance page notes the US TCPA allows 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., but some states, like Florida, limit sending to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. It also lists Texas and Pennsylvania with narrower hours and Sunday limits.
• Klaviyo's best practices page says to avoid sending before 9 a.m. or after 8 p.m.

Leave quiet hours on, use the profile's location, and don't build a cart text that only works if it lands at 10 p.m.

FAQ

WRITTEN BY Jack White

Founder of Bardown Digital, a Chicago-based Klaviyo email and retention agency for Shopify brands. He's worked with brands doing $500K to $100M a year, with $100M+ in email-attributed revenue across them.

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