- Klaviyo's browse abandonment flow is triggered by the Viewed Product metric, and the shopper doesn't need to add anything to cart.
- Klaviyo only tracks people it can identify, so this flow mostly reaches subscribers and past customers, not anonymous first-time visitors.
- The browse flow I install is 3 emails per path: about 1 hour, Day 2 and Day 4. Anyone who orders or moves to a higher-intent flow exits.
- Customers who ordered in the last 30 days are routed out, and nobody re-enters within 35 days.
- Keep it lighter than cart. They showed interest, not intent.
What is a browse abandonment email?
Someone clicked into a product page, looked around, and left. They didn't add it to cart. They didn't start checkout.
Klaviyo's help center puts it plainly: browse abandonment flows are triggered by the Viewed Product metric, and "a visitor doesn't have to add an item to their cart to trigger this flow." On Shopify, Viewed Product tracking runs through the Klaviyo app embed.
Browse Abandonment is one of the 8 core flows I install for every brand. It sits between cart (warmer) and collection and site abandonment (cooler), and it's the tightest-intent of those three.
Who does a browse abandonment flow actually reach?
This is the part most founders don't know. Klaviyo can't email someone it doesn't know.
Klaviyo's onsite tracking guide says it only tracks "known browsers." People get identified by clicking a Klaviyo email or SMS, submitting a Klaviyo form, or being cookied some other way. On Shopify, entering info at checkout or logging in counts too.
So in practice, your browse flow mostly hits:
- Subscribers who haven't bought yet, often coming back from a campaign
- Past customers looking at something new, or checking on their usual
A brand-new visitor from an ad who's never given you an email won't enter. That's why list growth and browse abandonment go together.
One more limit. Klaviyo notes that for Shopify stores, depending on your Shopify Customer Privacy settings, it may not track visitors in the EU, EEA, UK or Switzerland without consent.
Why browse should be lighter than cart
Klaviyo calls browse messages a "lighter touchpoint" than abandoned cart, and I agree.
Someone who added to cart was deciding. Someone who looked at a product page might've been comparing flavors, reading ingredients, or killing time. If you hit them with "you forgot something!" it feels off, because they didn't forget anything.
So the tone is more "thought you might want another look" than "complete your order." No countdown timers. Just the product, a reason to trust it, the offer, and one button.
What to put in browse abandonment emails for a consumable brand
Here's the browse flow I install. Three emails per path over 4 days.
Non-customer path:
- About 1 hour: back to the product they viewed. Its name, price and a button back to it. One line of why people love it. Keep it short.
- Day 2: the value proposition. Why this product is worth it. Reviews from people who sound like them. For food and drinks, what it tastes like. For supplements and skincare, what's in it and what to expect.
- Day 4: final nudge. One more look, made easy. If they viewed a single, this is a good place to show the variety pack or bundle.
Customer path:
- About 1 hour: back to the product they viewed.
- Day 2: restock or cross-sell. If it's something they've bought before, they might be running low. If it's new, show how it fits with what they already buy.
- Day 4: final reminder, with a repeat option. A simple way to reorder their usual alongside it.
For consumables, the big question in someone's head usually isn't "is this good?" It's "will I actually like it?" or "is it right for me?" Answer that and you've done the job.
How should customer and non-customer paths differ?
Every flow in my system starts with a routing check: "Placed order ever?" No goes to the non-customer path. Yes goes to the customer path. Browse adds one more: "Ordered in the last 30 days?" Recent buyers are routed out, so they only get the most relevant sequence instead of a browse email on top of their post-purchase emails.
In browse, the two groups are looking for different things.
Non-customers are checking you out. They need:
- Reviews and social proof
- What's in it and what it does, in plain words
- Shipping and return basics
Customers already trust you. If they're looking at a product they've bought before, they might be about to reorder. If it's something new, they're curious. They need:
- For a repeat product: a simple "running low?" with a link straight to it
- For a new product: how it compares to what they already buy
- No hard sell. Their offer is an upgrade, a bigger-order deal or a subscription
Klaviyo lists splits like purchasers vs non-purchasers as an option in its browse guide. I treat it as required.
The offer. Every flow in my system carries one, browse included. Non-customers get the same offer your welcome series gives at signup, never a bigger one, so nobody learns that leaving pays better than signing up. Customers get a slightly upgraded offer, an offer built around a bigger order like a bundle, or a monthly subscription offer that saves them money and gives you predictable revenue. Customers who order in large quantities are usually left out of these automations.
Klaviyo setup: trigger, filters and timing
Here's what Klaviyo's browse abandonment guide recommends.
Trigger: Viewed Product.
Flow filters:
- Placed Order zero times since starting this flow
- Started Checkout zero times since starting this flow
- Has not been in this flow in the last 30 days (I use 35, the re-entry window all five of my abandonment flows share)
- Added to Cart zero times since starting this flow, if you run a separate Added to Cart flow
That last one matters. If you run separate cart and checkout flows (I do, and I explain why in abandoned cart vs abandoned checkout), anyone who adds to cart should leave browse and move to cart.
Timing: Klaviyo recommends a delay of at least one hour before the first message. Mine goes at about an hour.
Smart Sending: Klaviyo suggests leaving it on for all browse abandonment emails. Browse fires a lot, and you don't want it piling on top of your campaigns.
The product block: Klaviyo warns not to copy your abandoned cart email here. The cart block is dynamic, but the browse block should be static, with an image set to the event's image URL and text tags for the product name, price and link. If you can, start from Klaviyo's pre-built browse flow so those variables work. Then send yourself a test and click every link. Clicks with no sales means something broke.
Common browse abandonment mistakes
- Copying the cart email. Wrong tone, and the dynamic block can pull the wrong data.
- A bigger offer than your welcome offer. Then signing up is the worst deal on your site. Keep it consistent.
- No Added to Cart exit. People get browse and cart emails for the same visit.
- No re-entry limit. Without a re-entry window (I use 35 days), a regular customer who browses weekly gets this flow every week.
- No recent-buyer exit. Someone who ordered last week gets a browse email on top of their post-purchase flow.
- Same email for everyone. A loyal customer and a first-time visitor get the same pitch.
Browse sits in the middle of a chain. Further in, you've got abandoned cart vs abandoned checkout and the abandoned checkout email. Further out, collection abandonment and site abandonment. The full build order is in the essential Klaviyo flows for CPG brands.
FAQ
What triggers a browse abandonment email in Klaviyo?
The Viewed Product metric. It fires when an identifiable visitor views a product page. On Shopify, it's tracked through the Klaviyo app embed.
Why isn't my browse abandonment flow sending to many people?
Usually because Klaviyo can only track people it can identify, like subscribers who clicked an email or customers who've checked out. Anonymous visitors don't enter. Check that the app embed is on, too.
How many browse abandonment emails should I send?
In the Flow System I install, three per path over 4 days: about 1 hour, Day 2 and Day 4. It's a lighter flow than cart, which gets five. Watch revenue per person on each email and cut the ones that stop earning.
Should browse abandonment emails include an offer?
Yes. Every core flow in my system carries one. Non-customers get the same offer as your welcome series, never a bigger one. Customers get a slightly upgraded offer, an offer built around a bigger order, or a monthly subscription offer.
What's the difference between browse abandonment and abandoned cart?
Browse is someone who viewed a product. Cart is someone who added it. Cart is warmer, so it gets more emails (five per path in my system) and a more direct ask.
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.