How to test Shopify abandoned checkout emails (and why yours isn't sending)
You set up abandoned checkout emails, abandon a checkout yourself to test it, and nothing arrives. Usually nothing is broken. The test just didn't meet the conditions Shopify needs.
Where the setting lives now
In newer stores, abandoned checkout emails are run as an automation in Shopify Messaging: Apps › Messaging › Automations › Abandoned checkout. Open it and click Edit (or Edit settings) to see two key fields:
- To: who gets the email
- Send after: how long Shopify waits before sending
The catch that breaks most tests: by default, the automation only emails customers who are subscribed to email marketing. If you didn't tick the marketing box when you tested, Shopify correctly sent nothing. Either tick it during your test, or change To: to All customers.
How to run a real test
- Open your store in a private (incognito) browser window.
- Add a product to the cart and go to checkout.
- Enter an email address you can check, and tick the email-marketing box if your checkout shows one.
- Close the tab without paying.
- Wait for the Send after delay you set, then check your inbox (and spam).
Abandoning the cart isn't enough: it only counts once an email has been entered at checkout.
Other reasons it won't send
- The checkout came from a channel that doesn't support it. It works for the Online Store and Buy Button, not POS, the Shop app or most third-party channels.
- The customer entered a phone number instead of an email.
- The customer finished buying before the email was due.
- The products are no longer available.
- The checkout was blocked as high risk, or there was a payment error.
Still not sending? Tell me what you've tried and I'll find the problem. Fixed price, all by email.
Email The Store Mechanic