Post-purchase winback—cart abandonment, browse abandonment, and churn prevention—separates operators who recover revenue from those who watch it evaporate. The challenge: these workflows span email, SMS, and conversational channels, and most platforms force you to choose between automation depth and channel flexibility. Klaviyo, Gorgias, Postscript, and Shopify native tools each approach the problem differently. Klaviyo prioritizes omnichannel orchestration with AI-driven segmentation. Gorgias embeds recovery into live support conversations. Postscript is SMS-first but pricing is opaque. Shopify includes basic abandoned-checkout email but lacks browse-abandonment triggers and advanced flows.
How we approached this
We reviewed vendor pricing pages, feature lists, and public integration documentation for Klaviyo, Gorgias, Postscript, and Shopify. No simulated tests, no fabricated call volumes, no invented conversion metrics. Pricing is quoted as published; gaps are noted. The focus: automation triggers, channel coverage, segmentation depth, and total cost at meaningful scale (5,000–10,000 contacts, 10,000–50,000 email sends/mo, SMS overage costs).
Klaviyo
Klaviyo's pricing page lists a free plan with up to 250 profiles, 500 emails/month, and 150 mobile message credits. Paid tiers are not explicitly priced by contact count on the page excerpt provided, but the platform supports email, SMS, RCS, WhatsApp, and mobile app marketing. Features include AI-powered subject line generation, Marketing Agent for campaign creation, Customer Agent for shoppers, segmentation, and 350+ app integrations (Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, WooCommerce, Loop Returns, Yotpo, Recharge, Bloomreach, Attentive). The platform is built for omnichannel winback: cart abandonment, browse abandonment, and post-purchase flows all run from one automation builder. Klaviyo's Customer Hub and built-in reporting are included on the free plan.
Klaviyo
- +Omnichannel automation: email, SMS, RCS, WhatsApp, mobile push in unified flows
- +AI Marketing Agent and Customer Agent for campaign creation and shopper engagement
- +350+ integrations including Shopify, Loop Returns, Yotpo, Recharge
- +Free tier includes segmentation, Customer Hub, reporting
- +Strong browse-abandonment and post-purchase churn triggers
- −SMS credits on free plan are limited (150/mo); overage pricing not detailed in excerpt
- −Paid-tier pricing opacity—volume-based, not published granularly
- −Steeper learning curve for operators new to segmentation and flow logic
Gorgias
Gorgias pricing is ticket-based: Starter at $10/mo for 50 tickets, Basic at $50/mo for 300 tickets, Pro at $300/mo for 2,000 tickets, Advanced at $750/mo for 5,000 tickets, and Enterprise for custom volume. Overage costs are $0.40/ticket (Starter/Basic) or $40/100 tickets (Basic). AI Agent automation is priced separately: $1.00–$0.90 per fully automated interaction depending on tier, with pay-only-for-resolution model. The platform is a helpdesk (email, live chat, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, SMS as add-ons, Voice as add-on) with integrations for Klaviyo, Recharge, Loop Returns, Yotpo, and 150+ apps. AI Agent can handle returns, refunds, order edits, subscription changes, product recommendations, and dynamic discounts. The pricing page emphasizes conversational support, not traditional drip-campaign winback flows. Cart and browse abandonment would be manual or rule-triggered via support tickets, not automated email/SMS sequences.
Gorgias
- +Conversational winback: AI Agent handles returns, refunds, product recs, discounts in live chat
- +Unified helpdesk for email, chat, Instagram, Facebook, SMS, WhatsApp, Voice
- +Pay-per-resolution AI Agent model; unlimited users at all tiers
- +Integrates with Shopify, Klaviyo, Recharge, Loop Returns for order/subscription context
- −Not built for traditional drip-campaign winback (cart/browse abandonment flows require external tools like Klaviyo)
- −Ticket pricing adds up fast at scale (2,000 tickets/mo = $300/mo before AI Agent costs)
- −SMS and Voice are add-ons, not included in base helpdesk pricing
Postscript
No vendor pricing page was reachable in the research bundle. Postscript is a Shopify-native SMS platform with cart-abandonment and browse-abandonment flows, but pricing structure, SMS credit costs, and overage fees are not documented here. Contact Postscript directly for a quote.
Postscript
- +SMS-first platform with native Shopify integration for cart and browse abandonment
- +Known for strong subscriber-growth tools and compliance features
- −Pricing opacity: no public rate card or tier structure
- −SMS-only focus limits omnichannel orchestration (email requires separate tool)
- −Less automation depth compared to Klaviyo's multi-trigger, multi-channel flows
Shopify (native tools)
Shopify's pricing page lists Basic at $29/mo, Grow at $79/mo, and Advanced at $299/mo, with Plus starting at $2,300/mo. All plans include abandoned-checkout recovery (email), customer accounts, and basic email marketing capabilities. The free plan and Grow+ tiers include 'create email campaigns' and 'abandoned checkout recovery,' but the excerpt does not detail browse-abandonment triggers, post-purchase win-back flows, or SMS capabilities. Marketing automation and SMS campaigns are listed as features but segmentation depth and multi-step flow logic are not specified. Shopify Email is built-in; SMS may require third-party apps like Postscript or Klaviyo.
Shopify (native tools)
- +Abandoned-checkout email included on all paid plans at no extra cost
- +Native integration with order data, inventory, customer accounts
- +Shopify Email included; no additional app cost for basic campaigns
- −Browse-abandonment triggers not detailed in pricing page; may require third-party apps
- −SMS marketing requires apps (Postscript, Klaviyo, or similar)—not native
- −Segmentation and multi-step flow depth limited compared to dedicated platforms like Klaviyo
Verdict
- For omnichannel winback automation (email, SMS, browse + cart abandonment, churn prevention): Klaviyo. Free start, 350+ integrations, AI agents, unified flow builder. Pay as you scale.
- For conversational recovery embedded in live support (returns, refunds, product recs in chat): Gorgias. Best if you already run a helpdesk and want AI Agent to rescue abandoners in real-time conversations. Not a replacement for drip campaigns.
- For SMS-first cart/browse abandonment on Shopify: Postscript. Pricing unknown—request a quote. Strong if SMS is your primary channel and email is handled elsewhere.
- For basic abandoned-checkout email at zero incremental cost: Shopify native tools. Covers the minimum; pair with Klaviyo or Postscript for browse abandonment, segmentation, and SMS.
What we'd skip
- Gorgias as your primary winback automation platform—it's a helpdesk, not a drip-campaign engine. Use it for conversational recovery, pair it with Klaviyo for automated flows.
- Shopify native tools alone for stores with >$50k/mo GMV or >10% browse-abandonment rates—you'll leave money on the table without browse triggers, segmentation, and SMS.
- Postscript without a pricing conversation first—opacity is a deal risk if you're comparing total cost of ownership across platforms.
