Abandoned checkout vs abandoned cart in Shopify

Shopify's definition, from its help center

• An abandoned checkout is a checkout that remains incomplete even though the customer provided contact information.
• It qualifies as abandoned after more than ten minutes of inactivity following that step.
• Abandoned checkouts older than three months are deleted from the admin automatically.
• Recovery applies to the Online Store and Buy Button channels, not POS or third-party channels.

What Shopify's own recovery email does, and when it does not send

Shopify can send an automatic reminder email with a link back to the checkout, after a delay you choose. Shopify documents cases where that email is not sent, including when the customer provided a phone number only, when a payment was blocked as high risk, when shipping was unavailable, or when inventory ran out. The recovery link itself keeps working and cannot be expired after it is sent.

Where WhatsApp fits

Stores in markets where checkouts are completed with a phone number rather than an email, common across Jordan and the Gulf, are exactly the case where Shopify's email reminder does not fire. A WhatsApp reminder reaches that customer, provided they used the same phone number and had already opted in to WhatsApp marketing from your store. WhatsApp Pilot enforces both conditions and cancels the remaining reminders when the order is completed.

What is not recoverable

• Carts without a checkout: no contact details, no message.
• Checkouts from customers who never opted in to marketing: skipped, with the reason logged.
• Checkouts older than three months: already deleted by Shopify.