Guide: Abandoned subscription recovery flows

Abandoned subscriptions represent a significant opportunity to recover potential customers who showed interest but didn’t complete their purchase. With Mantle Flows, you can create automated recovery workflows that trigger emails and actions to re-engage these customers at the perfect moment.

This guide covers two approaches to creating abandoned subscription recovery flows:

1. Shopify Abandoned Charge Event - Fires within 48 hours, minimal setup required
2. Custom Usage Event Triggers - Faster response times, more control over timing

Overview

When customers visit your subscription page but don’t complete the purchase, you have a critical window to re-engage them. The right recovery flow can:

• Remind customers of the value they were considering
• Address potential concerns or objections
• Offer incentives to complete their subscription
• Provide additional support or information
• Track recovery success rates

Both methods below will help you capture these opportunities automatically, but they differ in timing and setup complexity.

Method 1: Shopify Abandoned Charge Event (Quick Setup)

This method uses Shopify’s built-in abandoned charge detection and requires minimal configuration. It’s perfect if you want to get started quickly with recovery flows.

What it does

The Shopify abandoned charge event trigger fires within 48 hours of when a customer:

• Visits your subscription/charge authorization page in their Shopify admin
• Leaves without completing the subscription
• Has an abandoned charge authorization

When to use this method

• You want minimal setup and configuration
• 48-hour response time is acceptable for your use case

Setting up the flow

Step 1: Create your flow

Navigate to Flows in the left sidebar and click Add flow.

Step 2: Create and configure the first and only trigger

Set your first trigger to Shopify abandoned charge event:

This trigger will automatically detect when customers abandon their subscription process.

Step 3: Add recovery actions

Now add actions to re-engage abandoned customers. Common recovery actions include:

• Send recovery email - Remind customers of what they were considering
• Apply discount code - Offer an incentive to complete their subscription
• Update custom fields - Track recovery attempts and customer status
• Send Slack notification - Alert your team to follow up manually if needed

Complete flow example

Here’s what a complete Shopify abandoned charge recovery flow looks like:

Method 2: Custom Usage Event Triggers (Faster Response)

For faster response times and more control over when recovery actions trigger, you can use custom usage events or existing page view tracking.

What it does

This method triggers recovery actions based on any of the following:

• Custom usage events you define
• Page view events on your plans/subscription page
• Specific user actions or behaviors

When to use this method

• You need faster response times than 48 hours
• You want more granular control over trigger conditions
• You’re using Mantle Hosted Billing with page view tracking, or custom usage event when customers visit your plans page
• You have specific usage patterns you want to monitor

Setting up the flow

Step 1: Create your flow

Start by creating a new flow, head to Flows and hit the Add Flow button.

Step 2: Configure custom triggers

Set up triggers based on your specific needs:

Option A: Page view usage events If using Mantle Hosted Billing, you can trigger on page views to your plans/subscription page:

• Set trigger to Usage event occurs
• Select Page view as the event type
• Specify your plans page URL
• Add conditions for time spent on page or specific actions

Option B: Custom usage events Create custom events that fire when customers show interest but don’t subscribe:

• Add to cart events without purchase
• Form starts without completion
• Plan selection without subscription
• Trial signup without activation

Step 3: Add recovery actions

Similar to Method 1, add recovery actions after some time has passed:

Complete flow example

Here’s a complete custom usage event recovery flow:

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Wrapping it up

Choose the method that best fits your needs:

• Quick setup: Use Shopify abandoned charge events
• Fast response: Implement custom usage event triggers
• Maximum control: Combine both approaches for comprehensive coverage

Remember, the goal is to help customers who genuinely want your service but encountered an obstacle. Focus on providing value, addressing concerns, and making it easy for them to complete their intended purchase.

Start with one method and expand as you see results. Your recovery flows can become one of your most powerful tools for increasing subscription conversions and customer retention.