At a glance
How it works
This diagram shows the help-first sequence. The workflow goal removes the shopper at any point once they buy.Before you start
- Connect Flowella to HubSpot and store WhatsApp numbers in international format, such as
+447700900123. See Phone number format. - Use a contact-based workflow. Flowella’s actions only run on contacts, so if your shop records carts on deals, copy the values to contact properties.
- Your shop or payment provider must write the cart details to the contact, set Cart status to Abandoned with each new abandoned cart and set it to Purchased when the order completes, through its own HubSpot integration or a webhook your developers build. A shopper whose Cart status is still Purchased from an earlier order meets the goal straight away and gets no reminder. Flowella doesn’t receive order or payment events from Stripe or your shop.
- Only enrol shoppers who agreed to receive WhatsApp messages from you, for example with a tick box at checkout. Meta requires opt-in before you message anyone.
- Sync the checkout help form to a WhatsApp Flow and create a template from it. See Send the Flow to customers.
Create the templates
All three templates are Marketing. Meta’s template categorisation guidelines list “you left items in your cart” messages as Marketing, even when the shopper asked for reminders.
In the cart reminder,
{{2}} is Cart summary and {{3}} is Cart link. In the final reminder, {{2}} is Cart link and {{3}} is Cart code.
Put each shopper’s link and code in body variables. HubSpot sends can’t give a URL or copy-code button a different value for each contact. An image header shows the template’s own image to every shopper, and the action maps up to five variables, so describe the whole basket in Cart summary.
Build the workflow
1
Set the trigger and goal
Enrol contacts when Cart abandoned at is known, and turn on re-enrolment for that property. Set the goal to Cart status is Purchased, so shoppers leave as soon as they buy.
2
Send the reminder
Add Delay for a set amount of time: 1 hour. Then add Send WhatsApp Template with the cart reminder: Template Variable 1 is first name, 2 is Cart summary and 3 is Cart link. Hold back any code at this stage.
3
Watch for replies
Add Delay until event: Text Reply, for up to 23 hours. If the shopper replies, add Create task for your sales team to answer in the inbox while the 24-hour window is open.
4
Ask what stopped them
On the no-reply path, add Send WhatsApp Template with the checkout help form. Then add Delay until event: Form Completed, filtered by Form Name equal to your help form, for up to 24 hours.
5
Answer the blocker
Form Completed fires only for WhatsApp Flow submissions and records only the form name, so add a Branch on Checkout blocker, the property the form wrote. The submission opens the 24-hour window, so Send WhatsApp Message can send plain text.
- I have a question or Payment problem: Create task with Checkout question in the notes, then Send WhatsApp Message saying someone will reply shortly.
- Delivery cost or time: Send WhatsApp Message with your delivery options and the Cart link token.
- Price: Send WhatsApp Message with the Cart code and Cart link tokens.
- Not ready to buy: no action.
6
Send the final reminder
On the timed-out path, add Send WhatsApp Template with the final reminder: Template Variable 1 is first name, 2 is Cart link and 3 is Cart code.
Test the workflow
Set Cart abandoned at on a test contact with your own number and shorten the delays. Check the enrolment history: a send step completes on the first WhatsApp status, and a failed step shows Flowella’s reason and error code. Complete the help form once for each answer, then set Cart status to Purchased on a contact part-way through and check it leaves the workflow.Troubleshooting
Related
- HubSpot workflow actions: every Flowella trigger and action used here.
- Template variables: fallback values and mapping from HubSpot.
- Order and shipping updates: keep buyers informed after they order.
- Opt-outs: what happens when a shopper asks you to stop.