The Shopify abandoned cart module combines some of the platform's most powerful features to help you convert your uncompleted orders and drive up your revenue. These features include:
Web Behavior Tracking
CartInsight
Automated programs
Before you start
Things you need to know:
Abandoned cart differs from abandoned checkout. If you are using the abandoned checkout feature for Shopify you can find more information about this in Abandoned checkout for Shopify.
Abandoned cart relies on Web behavior tracking to trigger and import cartInsight data. When adding products to a cart for testing, you must refresh the page or browse to another page for Web behavior tracking to trigger, otherwise you cart might appear empty and not sent abandoned cart emails.
Install the abandoned cart module
An abandoned cart is an event that is triggered when:
Subscribers who click through from a Dotdigital email campaign add items to their cart and then leave the store without completing an order.
Visitors submit their email addresses in the footer, add items to their cart, and then leave the store without completing the order.
Logged-in customers or new account creators add items to their cart and then leave the store without completing an order.
When an abandoned cart is triggered, the details of the cart are stored as a record in the contact's CartInsight data collection in Dotdigital. This CartInsight data includes items such as the URL of the cart, the products in the cart, and the total price of the cart. All of these items are included in the abandoned cart block, which is used to create an abandoned cart email.
Implementing the abandoned cart module to your Shopify store requires scripts to be inserted into the theme.
For newer installations of the Shopify for Dotdigital connector, the scripts which power the abandoned cart module can be automatically added to your store by the installation wizard.
Learn more in Set up Shopify with Dotdigital.
Learn how to install the scripts manually in Install abandoned cart scripts for Shopify. We suggest having your agency or development team insert these scripts.
Abandoned cart email campaign
Abandoned cart functionality uses triggered emails that are added to a program. The email should contain the latest contents of a visitor’s cart. This is done by using the abandoned cart building block.
For newer installations of the Shopify for Dotdigital connector, the design of an abandoned cart campaign can be configured through the installation wizard.
Abandoned cart program
For newer installations of the Dotdigital for Shopify connector, an Abandoned cart program (as well as a Welcome program) is created for you automatically by the installation wizard.
Learn more in Set up Shopify with Dotdigital.
Contacts are enrolled into an abandoned cart program when they abandon items in their shopping cart while browsing your site. Enrolment begins when the cartDelay parameter set in the cartInsight script is met. So, for example, a cartDelay set to 30 would enrol contacts into your program half an hour after they abandon the cart.
Learn more
Map program enrolments
Once you have created an abandoned cart program, you can map this in your store settings so that customers who start but do not complete a purchase are enrolled on to your program automatically.
In Dotdigital, go to Connect and select the Shopify tile under Installed integrations and extensions.
Under the heading Abandoned cart, expand the Enrol abandoned carts to drop-down menu and select the abandoned cart program you created.
Expand the Enrol abandoned carts after drop-down menu and set your cartDelay. This is the amount of time that we wait after a cart is abandoned to enrol the contact in the program.
Next, choose whether to Allow abandoned cart for non-subscribed contacts by selecting YES or NO.
Setting this option to YES allows contacts who have provided their email address on your site but not opted-in to your marketing communications to be enrolled into your abandoned cart program.
For this setting to work you must be syncing your customers between your store and Dotdigital account.
Learn more in Choose lists for Shopify customers and subscribers.
Signup form selector
The final option in the Abandoned cart section of your store settings is the Signup form selector field. This is the ID or class name of the HTML form element on your site, which the abandoned cart script uses to capture an email address entered by a contact.
If you are using the native Shopify signup form (as is the case in most Shopify themes) then you can leave this field blank.
If you are using a Dotdigital signup form then you should enter ‘#signup’ in this field.
Learn more in Create a signup form.
If you are using a custom signup form and are unsure how to locate the class name or ID of the HTML form element, your web developer or agency can help you.