how to set up abandoned cart recovery in Shopify with AI.
heysteff is an AI platform for customer support and sales across WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Gmail and Shopify; Steff is the AI agent that runs it. This guide is for anyone running a Shopify store who wants the AI agent to follow up automatically on carts that never got checked out — without building the logic by hand.
◆ prerequisites
A heysteff account on the Pro plan or higher (Shopify cart recovery is included from Pro), an active Shopify store with admin access to authorize OAuth, and at least one messaging channel (WhatsApp, Instagram or Messenger) connected so the reminder can actually be sent.
Step 1: Connect your store via OAuth
From the channel section of your workspace, add Shopify as a connection and follow the OAuth flow: it redirects you to your store admin, you approve the permissions, and you land back in heysteff with the store already connected. You don't generate or paste any tokens by hand — it's direct authorization between your store and your workspace. Once the connection is live, the agent can read catalog, prices and checkout status in real time.
Step 2: Turn on the abandoned cart recovery flow
With the store connected, turn on the abandoned cart recovery flow. This feature is available from the Pro plan, which includes one Shopify store with cart recovery (Max adds up to three stores). If you're on Free or Starter, you'll need to upgrade before this step — the rest of the guide assumes the flow is already enabled.
Step 3: Choose the channel and tone of the reminder
Pick which of your connected channels the follow-up goes out on — usually WhatsApp, because that's where open rates tend to be highest, though you can also use Instagram, Messenger or email. Then set the tone of the message inside the agent configuration: how direct the reminder is, whether it offers a hand (say, answering a sizing or shipping question), and how it's framed so it doesn't read as spam. The message goes out in the same brand voice you trained for the rest of the agent's conversations.
Step 4: Set frequency limits and opt-out
Configure how many reminders go out per cart and how far apart, so you don't overwhelm the customer. It's just as important to leave a clean exit: the customer must be able to say they don't want more follow-up on that cart (or channel) and have heysteff respect it. These limits live alongside the agent's general pause rules — if the customer replies and the conversation becomes something other than "still interested or not," the agent carries the conversation normally instead of pushing the cart.
Step 5: Measure results in the dashboard
Once the flow has been running, check the dashboard for how many carts entered follow-up, how many were recovered, and the revenue attached. That's the signal you need to adjust tone, channel or frequency if the recovery rate isn't where you want it. Cart recovery with AI is one of the features where you notice fastest whether the message is calibrated — an overly pushy tone usually lowers the rate instead of raising it. heysteff publishes an average 4.2x lift in cart recovery when the agent reaches out through the channel the customer already used.
FAQ
Is cart recovery available on every plan?
No. It is included from the Pro plan (299 USD/month), which comes with one Shopify store and cart recovery. Free and Starter do not include a Shopify store connected to this flow.
Can the reminder go out by email instead of WhatsApp?
Yes. The preferred channel for the cart flow is chosen among the channels you have connected in your workspace, including email/Gmail.
What if the customer replies about something unrelated to the cart?
The agent carries the conversation normally, with the same context and escalation rules as any other chat. The cart follow-up does not lock the real conversation.
◆ next step
Connect your Shopify store and turn on cart recovery with Steff.