How to Configure Proactive Email Collection in the Storefront Checkout
Introduction
Proactive email collection captures the customer’s email address as soon as it is entered into the checkout email field and the customer exits that field. This allows UltraCart to use the email address earlier in the session for features such as abandonment recovery flows, even if the customer does not complete checkout.
The checkout email element now also includes additional settings for Kickbox Validation and Suppress PayPal Fastlane, which can help improve email quality and control checkout behavior based on your storefront needs.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have:
An active UltraCart account with StoreFronts enabled
Access to the Storefront Visual Builder
A checkout layout that includes the email input element
Appropriate permissions to edit the storefront theme and checkout elements
Tip: Abandonment email flows depend on collecting the customer’s email address during the shopping session. If no email address is entered before the shopper leaves, no email-based abandonment follow-up can be sent.
Steps to Enable Proactive Email Collection
Log in to UltraCart
Sign in to your UltraCart account.Open your storefront in the Visual Builder
Navigate to StoreFronts, select the storefront you want to update, and click Edit to open the Storefront Visual Builder.Locate the ‘CHECKOUTEMAIL’ email element
Open your checkout page or checkout layout and select the email input element in the storefront Visual Builder.Configure the checkout email settings
In the ‘checkoutemail’ element settings, review and configure the following options:
Setting | Description |
|---|---|
Input Placeholder | Controls the placeholder text shown inside the email field before the customer types a value. |
Validation Error Message | Lets you define the message shown when the entered email address does not pass validation. |
Input Required | Determines whether the email field must be completed before the customer can continue checkout. |
Input Auto Focus | Automatically places the cursor in the email field when the checkout loads. On some single-page checkout layouts, this can scroll the page directly to the email field. |
Input Proactive Collection | When set to Yes, UltraCart captures the email address as soon as the customer exits the field, rather than waiting until the order is submitted. This is the key setting for abandonment-related communication flows. |
Kickbox Validation ($0.0033/validation) | When enabled, validates the email address through Kickbox to help identify invalid or low-quality email entries during checkout. |
Suppress PayPal Fastlane | When set to Yes, suppresses the PayPal Fastlane behavior for this email field. |
Save your changes
Click Save in the Visual Builder to apply the updated checkout email configuration.Test the checkout experience
Run a few checkout tests to confirm:The email field behaves as expected
Proactive collection occurs after the field loses focus
Auto focus does not create an unwanted scroll position
Kickbox validation behaves as intended
PayPal Fastlane behavior matches your desired checkout experience
Checkout Email Element Example
Additional Considerations
Abandonment flow behavior
For email-based abandonment flows to work, the shopper must enter an email address during the shopping session before abandoning checkout. The email field does not have to be configured as required for this to happen, but no abandonment email can be sent if the customer never enters an email address.
Kickbox validation
Kickbox (Recommended) validation helps improve the quality of collected email addresses by checking them at the point of entry during checkout. This helps identify typos, invalid domains, and other questionable or risky addresses before they are saved to your database. By filtering out poor-quality email data early, you can reduce hard bounces, improve the reliability of your communication flows, and better protect your sender reputation.
PayPal Fastlane suppression
If your checkout experience includes PayPal Fastlane behavior that you do not want to display or trigger from the email field, use the Suppress PayPal Fastlane setting to control that behavior at the element level.
FAQ
Can I use Auto Focus on the checkout email field?
Yes, but use it carefully. On some single-page checkout layouts, enabling Input Auto Focus on the email field can automatically scroll the page down to that field when the page loads. Depending on your layout, this may temporarily obscure the shopping cart or other important checkout content from the customer. Test the setting in your live checkout layout and only enable it if the resulting page position supports a good customer experience.
Does the email field have to be required for abandonment flows to work?
No. The email field does not have to be marked as required for abandonment flows to work. However, the customer must still enter an email address before leaving checkout. If no email address is collected during the shopping session, UltraCart has no address to use for email follow-up, so no abandonment email flow can occur.
What does Kickbox validation do in checkout?
Kickbox Validation checks the email address entered in the checkout field to help identify invalid or low-quality email addresses. This can improve the quality of your collected leads and help ensure that follow-up communications are sent to more reliable addresses.
Conclusion
Proactive email collection helps UltraCart capture shopper email addresses earlier in the checkout process, improving the effectiveness of abandonment and follow-up communications. With the addition of Kickbox Validation and Suppress PayPal Fastlane, you now have more control over email quality and checkout behavior directly from the checkout email element settings.
Next Steps
Review your storefront’s abandonment flows and test your checkout layout after updating the email element settings to make sure the overall customer experience behaves as expected.