Cart Recovery
Browse Abandonment
Browse abandonment is when a known visitor views a product and leaves without adding anything to cart. A browse abandonment flow follows up with a reminder of what they looked at, using the product page as its natural link since there's no cart to bring back.
October 31, 2026
Browse abandonment is when a known visitor views a product and leaves without adding anything to cart. A browse abandonment flow follows up with a reminder of what they looked at.
How does a browse abandonment flow work?
In Klaviyo, the flow typically starts from a product view by someone the browser can tie to a profile. It usually waits a while, filters out people who have since added to cart or bought, and sends one or two messages featuring the viewed product. The link goes to that product page.
That last point is the main practical difference from a cart flow. Viewing a product leaves nothing to restore, so a product page is the right destination on any device.
How does browse compare with cart and checkout?
| Browse abandonment | Abandoned cart | Abandoned checkout | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the shopper did | Viewed a product | Added to cart | Started checkout |
| Something to restore? | No | Yes | Yes |
| Natural link | Product page | None native in Klaviyo | checkout_url |
What do the benchmarks say?
Klaviyo's 2026 Abandoned Cart Benchmark Report puts browse abandonment email at $2.08 of attributed revenue per recipient on average and $4.32 for the top 10%, with a 5.6% click rate. Abandoned cart email earns $6.77 on average, with a 6.0% click rate.
The click rates are close and the revenue isn't. The two groups click at similar rates, and people who added to cart spend far more after they do. That fits what you'd expect, since a cart shows more intent than a product view.
All of these are attributed figures, so they count some orders that would have happened without the email. Do abandoned cart emails add revenue? explains how to think about that gap.
What should a browse flow avoid?
- Sounding like surveillance. A message that opens with what someone looked at can feel odd. Write it as help with a choice.
- Stacking on other flows. Someone in a cart flow or a reorder reminder doesn't need a browse email too. Filter them out.
- Discounting by default. A product view is a weak signal to pay for. The same logic applies in cart emails.
Who can a browse flow reach?
Only visitors Klaviyo can identify, and that depends on the browser still holding an identifier. Limits such as Safari ITP reduce how long that lasts for script-set cookies. Klaviyo's Extended ID and First-Party ID are the place to start, and Extended ID is on all plans, free and paid.
Where does reOtter fit?
reOtter's cart recovery page serves Added to Cart flows, where a held cart can go back into the real Shopify cart when reOtter knows who clicked. Keep your browse flow in Klaviyo, linking to the product page.
Key takeaways
- Browse abandonment follows a product view, so there's no cart to restore and a product page is the natural destination.
- Klaviyo's benchmarks show similar click rates to cart email and about a third of the attributed revenue per recipient.
- Browse flows can only reach visitors already identified, so browser cookie limits affect who gets them.
See how reOtter restores the cart → Abandoned cart recovery
Frequently asked questions
- What's the difference between browse abandonment and cart abandonment?
- A browse abandoner looked at a product and left. A cart abandoner added something first, which is a stronger signal that they meant to buy. Klaviyo's 2026 benchmarks show that gap, with $2.08 of attributed revenue per recipient for browse emails against $6.77 for cart emails.
- Is a browse abandonment flow worth running?
- It can be, since the flow is cheap to run once built. The attributed figures are lower than cart flows, and some of those orders would have happened anyway. A holdout is the way to find out whether it adds orders for your store.
- How can you send a browse abandonment email to an anonymous visitor?
- You generally can't, unless something has identified them. The flow needs a known profile, usually from an earlier email click, signup or purchase on that browser. Browser limits on cookies can cut into how many visitors stay known.
- Does reOtter have a browse abandonment page?
- reOtter's cart recovery page is for Added to Cart flows, where there's a cart to restore. Browse abandonment flows aren't part of it. Your Klaviyo browse flow can keep linking to the product page.