Summary
Wati supports two types of abandonment recovery for Shopify: Add to Cart Recovery and checkout abandonment recovery. Although both help recover lost sales, they target different stages of the customer's purchase journey and have different eligibility requirements.
Add to Cart Recovery helps you capture customer intent earlier in the purchase journey by sending WhatsApp reminders to customers who add items to their cart but don't complete checkout. Checkout abandonment recovery targets customers who start the checkout process but don't complete their purchase.
This article explains how each recovery flow works, which shoppers can receive recovery messages, and why merchants should enable both flows to maximize recovery opportunities.
Instructions
Add to Cart Recovery
Add to Cart Recovery targets shoppers who add products to their cart but do not complete checkout. Because it targets shoppers earlier in the purchase journey, it can help you capture purchase intent before they reach the checkout stage.
How it works
Add to Cart Recovery is tracked only when Wati can identify the shopper. A shopper is considered identifiable if they:
Are logged in to their Shopify account.
Have already opted in during the current browsing session.
Are a returning visitor recognized through a persistent browser cookie.
Wati groups all cart activity within a 30-minute window into a single cart. If the shopper does not initiate checkout during that period, the cart is marked as abandoned and the Add to Cart Recovery flow is triggered.
Message templates
Automated WhatsApp message templates used for Add to Cart Recovery cannot be modified or edited. All WhatsApp templates must be pre-approved by WhatsApp before they can be sent through the API.
Abandoned Checkout Recovery
Abandoned Checkout Recovery targets shoppers who begin the Shopify checkout process but don't complete their purchase. You can send WhatsApp reminders after a configured time delay, helping you recover potential sales from customers who drop off during checkout.
How it works
A shopper is eligible for Abandoned Checkout Recovery when they:
Proceed to the Shopify checkout page with products in their cart.
Enter their email address.
Provide marketing consent for their email.
Enter their phone number during checkout.
Do not complete the payment.
Unlike Add to Cart Recovery, shoppers do not need to be logged in to qualify for Abandoned Checkout Recovery.
Messages can be sent after the configured time delay. For example, you can configure a message to be sent 5 minutes after a customer abandons their checkout.
Message templates
Automated WhatsApp message templates cannot be modified or edited. Message templates must be pre-approved by WhatsApp before they can be sent through the API.
Important information about customer consent
Whether a shopper receives an Add to Cart Recovery or Abandoned Checkout Recovery message depends on the shopper's eligibility and consent.
A shopper must satisfy the requirements of the applicable recovery flow and have provided the required marketing consent. Because consent is determined by the shopper, merchants cannot guarantee that every abandoned cart or checkout will trigger an automated recovery message.
To protect customer privacy, merchants should not manually modify or enable marketing consent for shoppers from the Shopify admin.
Best practice
Enable both Add to Cart Recovery and Abandoned Checkout Recovery.
Each flow targets a different stage of the customer journey and has different eligibility criteria.
Add to Cart Recovery helps you reach customers earlier in their purchase journey, giving you an opportunity to recover potential sales before they drop off at checkout.
Abandoned Checkout Recovery helps you re-engage customers who have already started checkout but haven't completed their purchase.
Enabling both increases the likelihood that eligible shoppers receive recovery messages at different stages of the purchase journey.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Add to Cart Recovery
1. What is Add to Cart Recovery?
Add to Cart Recovery sends WhatsApp reminders to shoppers who add products to their cart but do not complete checkout. It helps businesses capture purchase intent earlier in the customer journey.
2. When is a shopper eligible for Add to Cart Recovery?
A shopper is eligible for Add to Cart Recovery when Wati can identify them. A shopper is considered identifiable if they are logged in to their Shopify account, have already opted in during the current browsing session, or are a returning visitor recognized through a persistent browser cookie.
3. How does Wati determine when a cart is abandoned for Add to Cart Recovery?
Wati groups all cart activity within a 30-minute window into a single cart. If the shopper does not initiate checkout during that period, the cart is marked as abandoned and the Add to Cart Recovery flow is triggered.
Abandoned Checkout Recovery
4. What is Abandoned Checkout Recovery?
Abandoned Checkout Recovery targets shoppers who start the Shopify checkout process but do not complete their purchase. WhatsApp reminders can be sent after a configured time delay to help recover potential sales.
5. What are the eligibility requirements for Abandoned Checkout Recovery?
A shopper must proceed to the Shopify checkout page with products in their cart, enter their email address, provide marketing consent for their email, enter their phone number during checkout, and not complete the payment. The shopper does not need to be logged in to Shopify.
6. When can an Abandoned Checkout Recovery message be sent?
An Abandoned Checkout Recovery message can be sent after the configured time delay. For example, a message can be configured to be sent 5 minutes after a customer abandons their checkout.
Consent and Messages
7. Does customer consent affect whether an abandonment recovery message is sent?
Yes. A shopper must meet the eligibility requirements for the applicable recovery flow and provide the required marketing consent. Because eligibility and consent depend on the shopper, merchants cannot guarantee that every abandoned cart or checkout will trigger an automated recovery message. Merchants should not manually modify or enable marketing consent for shoppers from the Shopify admin.
8. Can automated WhatsApp recovery message templates be modified or edited?
No. Automated WhatsApp message templates used for Add to Cart Recovery and Abandoned Checkout Recovery cannot be modified or edited. WhatsApp templates must be pre-approved before they can be sent through the API.