Key Takeaway
Treez Ecommerce detects abandoned carts and pushes cart data to your Google Tag Manager container. To send abandoned cart emails or SMS, you must connect this data to a messaging platform and configure an automation flow. Refer to your messaging platform's documentation for instructions on connecting with GTM.
Pre-Requisites
You must have your Google Tag Manager ID (GTM-ID) configured on your ecommerce site. Click here for full instructions.
How Abandoned Cart Detection Works
A cart is considered abandoned when all of these conditions are met:
Shopper adds items to their cart
Shopper is identified (via email entry or sign-in)
Checkout is not completed
10 minutes of inactivity passes
What counts as activity:
Navigating between pages
Adding/removing cart items
Continuing checkout
Returning to the site in the same session
Note: The delay is intentional—it prevents false abandonment signals while shoppers are still browsing.
Data Included in the Event
Cart-Level
Cart value (total)
Currency
Store/location context
Event timestamp
Item-Level (per item)
Product name
Product ID / SKU
Price
Image URL
Quantity
Brand
Category
Variant info (if applicable)
Google Tag Manager Setup
Important: GTM only forwards the signal—it doesn't enable messaging by itself
Step 1: Create Data Layer Variables
Before creating triggers or tags, you must set up variables to capture data from the abandon_cart event.
In GTM, go to Variables → User-Defined Variables
Click New to create each variable below
Variable Name | Variable Type | Data Layer Variable Name | Required |
DLV - store_id | Data Layer Variable | store_id | For MSO Only |
DLV - ecommerce.value | Data Layer Variable | ecommerce.value | Yes |
DLV - ecommerce.items | Data Layer Variable | ecommerce.items | Yes |
DLV - user_email | Data Layer Variable | user_email | Yes |
dlv - cart_value | Data Layer Variable | cart_value | Yes |
To create each variable:
Click New
Name the variable (e.g., DLV - store_id)
Click Variable Configuration → select Data Layer Variable
Enter the Data Layer Variable Name (e.g., store_id)
Click Save
Repeat for all five variables:
Step 2: Create Trigger (Custom Event)
Setting | Value |
Trigger Name | [Store Name] | abandon_cart |
Trigger Type | Custom Event |
Event Name | abandon_cart |
Trigger Condition for MSOs:
DLV - store_id equals <store_id>
This ensures the event only fires for the correct store in a shared GTM container.
Example Trigger Configuration:
Step 3: Create GA4 Event Tag
Setting | Value |
Tag Name | [Store Name] | GA4 Event | abandon_cart |
Tag Type | Google Analytics: GA4 Event |
Event Name | abandon_cart |
Measurement ID | Use the same Measurement ID already used for that store's ecommerce tracking |
Triggering | Select the trigger created in Step 2 |
Step 4: Add Event Parameters
In the GA4 Event Tag, add the following parameters:
Parameter | Value (GTM Variable) |
store_id | {{DLV - store_id}} |
value | {{DLV - ecommerce.value}} |
currency | USD |
user_email | {{DLV - user_email}} |
Notes:
value must be numeric—this represents the cart dollar amount
Currency is strongly recommended so GA4 treats the value correctly
Example Tag Configuration:
GA4 Configuration
Event Visibility
Once live, abandon_cart will appear in:
Reports → View User Engagement & Retention → Events
Realtime
Explorations
Mark as Key Event (Recommended)
To make abandoned carts easier to find in reporting:
Go to GA4 → Admin → Events
Find abandon_cart under Recent events
Mark it as a Key Event
This does not change data collection—it only improves reporting visibility.
Testing & Troubleshooting
What You See | What It Means |
"Nothing happened" | Expected—wait ~10 minutes for the inactivity window |
No email received | A messaging flow must be active in your platform |
"Treez doesn't support abandoned cart" | Treez provides the signal; you provide the messaging |
Checklist: Sending Abandoned Cart Messages
GTM Data Layer Variables created (store_id, ecommerce.value, ecommerce.items, user_email, cart_value)
GTM trigger configured for abandon_cart event
GA4 event tag created with event parameters
Messaging/loyalty platform connected
abandon_cart marked as Key Event in GA4 (optional but recommended)
Abandoned cart automation/flow configured and active in messaging platform