Aastha Sirohi — August 28, 2018 — August 28, 2018
Abandoned shopping carts are like stood up date nights.
The first impression was great, interest was initiated but then the final action – shopping/meeting – was abandoned at the last minute. That’s disappointing right?
Well, I can’t really help you here with making your dates work, but what I can help you with is using email marketing to transform abandoned carts into successful purchases.
A study by the Baymard Institute revealed some interesting but highly shocking facts. It showed that around 69% of shoppers abandon their cart, but the shocking part is that this amounts to approximately $ 260 billion in revenue loss for online retailers.
Now that’s a lot of potential customers that you are losing out on. But hey, remember I said I got this? I wasn’t kidding!
Once a potential customer abandons their shopping cart, it’s what you do next that makes the difference. As the owner of an online retail store you need to make sure you are doing everything at your end to pull these shoppers right back to your store and complete that order. And that brings us to using email marketing campaigns to send out great abandoned cart reminder emails.
Abandoned cart emails DO work
Salesforce data established that a whopping 60% of shoppers have returned to complete orders after receiving an abandoned cart email.
Email marketing allows you to meet your customers where they go every day- their inbox. So, let’s look at this way: people browsed through your products, liked them, added them to their cart and then got distracted, forgot about it or drifted away for some reason. Now, what do you do? Just be disappointed or make a move?
This is your chance to send them an Abandoned Cart Email. This is an email that will serve as a gentle reminder about the things your potential customers showed interest in and almost bought. Even something as simple as, ‘You have some products added to your cart. Complete your order now’ may be enough to bring attention to the products that your customers had considered buying and finally make the purchase.
In fact, some of the best abandoned-cart emails are just that- simple, to the point, and enticing.
How to write the best abandoned-cart emails
When it comes to writing great abandoned cart emails, don’t ignore the need for an equally great design. Design your email template in a way that it resonates with your brand, catches the attention of the reader and enhances the written part, rather than takes away the attention from it.
Not every brand has the same voice, so your abandoned cart email campaign can’t be the same either. There are no fixed formulas here!
Consider how you usually approach your customers. Do you have a professional and formal approach or is it more conversational and friendly? It’s important that your customers recognize your brand as a familiar face in their inbox.
For example, if your weekly newsletter starts with a formal ‘Good Evening Sir’ but your abandoned shopping cart email starts with something like ‘Hey, Crazy Shopoholic!’ it might take your customers by surprise. Now this may work with some, but your loyal customers might feel a little disconnected.
Another important thing to consider when writing the best abandoned cart follow-up emails is the nature of the products and services you sell. For example, if you are an online store that sells pharmaceutical products you might want to be subtle with how your emails read.
That said, it’s your business and no one knows your customers better than you do. Sprinkle some fun, add a dash of cheekiness and don’t shy away from telling your customers how much you miss them. Yes, go all out!
Top 10 best abandoned-cart email examples
Alrigh,t let’s jump into some abandoned cart email examples. What to say, how to say it and how it looks are all very important here.
1. Add value to your email
Sometimes, the only reason the cart gets abandoned is that the customer may look for a better offer. You know how sometimes you really like something but that tiny voice inside your head tells you ‘Am I spending too much?’. You could add a discount or unique coupon code for the customer on completing the order, within a set time, to not just add value but also create a sense of urgency.
2. Use trending memes and GIFs
Memes and GIFs are a rage, especially among millennials who turn to the internet for everything. Look for trending memes and GIFs, a picture or even something funny to get the reader’s attention. You could use phrases like ‘Where did you go?’ or ‘Why did you leave me?’ to highlight the sense of being abandoned. If you have the creative abilities, you could even create your own memes or GIFs.
This could be followed by the abandoned items, an added discount code or even other similar product options.
3. Ask a question
Asking a question is the start to a solution, and in our case, to make a purchase. Send a triggered email that directly asks customers if they have forgotten about the cart, are still deciding or are looking for something else. For example, you could ask the question: ‘Still thinking it over?’
4. Say it like you mean it!
You are sad your customers walked away without completing the order – so tell them. You want them to come back – so tell them. You miss them – so tell them. You get the idea. Be direct and they will be encouraged to take an action.
5. Create a sense of urgency
Most online shoppers take immediate action when they feel a sense of urgency. Be it something as basic as ‘Hurry! Sale ending today’ or being more specific by telling them that the products in their abandoned cart are selling fast and may run out of stock soon.
6. Make them visualize
Imagine this, your customer has abandoned a lot of travel related stuff in the cart. Make them visualize how going ahead and buying these abandoned items will make for a great vacation. Allow your customers a visual peak into how the products will add to their experience using imagery.
7. Ask – don’t push
Customers appreciate being asked and gently reminded but no one likes aggressive and hard pushing. Don’t demand an action in your cart recovery emails, rather be polite and ask if they would like to go ahead and complete the purchase order.
8. Extend an invite
You could look at an abandoned cart email as an invitation. Invite your customers to trace their way back to your shop, specifically the abandoned cart. Asking them to come back also reminds them as to why they were there in the first place.
9. A gentle reminder email
Your abandoned cart email doesn’t always have to be super funny, dramatic or creative. Even a simple and gentle reminder email can do the trick and get your customers back to shopping and take the action of completing their orders. The design element of your email templates plays a vital role here. Use big and clear fonts, light tones and not more than 2-3 colors to give it a gentle appeal.
10. Show how much you care
Why did the customer abandon the products in the cart? Most likely they just got distracted or forgot about it, but what if there was a bigger issue? What if they got confused about a product or did not really understand its value completely? Ask your customers why they left products in the cart to not just remind them but also show them that you care. ‘Can we help you pick?’, ‘Would you like some assistance?’, ‘Is there something we can do?’; using these terms shows that you are available in case required.
These are my top 10 ideas for abandoned cart emails. Each of these focuses on a different aspect or solution for the customers. Some of the best abandoned cart emails are all about the simplest of words that act as powerful reminders.
Key elements of great abandoned cart emails
The best abandoned cart emails are creatively unique but similar when it comes to the key elements that make them so successful. What are these key elements?
Copy
What you write in your abandoned cart email is what makes the most impact. Keep it crisp but catchy.
Design
No matter how impressive your offer is, if the first look- the design- is not appealing, chances are customers will walk away almost immediately. Use pleasant and relevant images, easy-to-read fonts, dark text over light background and no extra fuss.
Call-to-Action
You need to have a clear call-to-action button to tell your customers where to go and what you want them to do next. Link the call-to-action button to the right page and make it stand out. This is a surefire way to not only increase click-through rate, but also overall conversion rate.
Second chances do exist
It’s all about the effort and it’s all about making sure that the effort does not go unnoticed. Start making the effort and reach out to customers who have ‘abandoned’ you. Show them that you are willing to do all it takes to bring them back and delight them.
Remember I said abandoned carts are like stood up dates? Well, the good news is you can always make another move and woo them right back using a well-thought out shopping cart abandonment strategy. Just make sure they are glad they did.
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