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21.Apr.2021 Vanhishikha Bhargava - Abandoned Cart
Do you know that the average rate of cart abandonment across various eCommerce stores ranges somewhere between 69 to 90%?
That’s losing more than half your potential sales that you spent hundreds or maybe even thousands of dollars trying to acquire.
Customers may like a product, add it to their cart and even start to check out. But most of them tend not to complete the purchase.
The reasons are many reasons for cart abandonment.
With more and more eCommerce platforms out there, customers have a lot of options to take their pick from. Other than that, reasons such as your shipping costs, delivery time, cart total, the extensiveness of your checkout process, and other things might factor in.
There is a way to bring these shoppers back and convert their cart into a purchase – abandoned cart recovery emails.
But first, let’s understand what cart abandonment is and why does it happen briefly.
Shopping cart abandonment refers to an act wherein, during the process of placing an online order, a potential customer adds a product to the cart and starts to check out, but does not complete the purchase. Simply put, they do not complete a transaction on your store.
The ‘abandoned’ product refers to the product added to the cart but does not get purchased.
But why does cart abandonment happen? There are multiple reasons for that. Let’s list down a few for your reference in a little detail here:
Think of ways to make completing a purchase on mobile easy, taking into account the smallest things like where you place the ‘checkout now’ button.
Remember that the customers have many options, which is the main reason for cart abandonment in today’s date.
Whether in terms of better user experience, better pricing, or other reasons, they can always hop off your store site and explore the other options available to them.
But the good thing is that once a shopper starts the checkout process, they have shared their email address with you. And that’s where cart recovery emails come in to rescue your sales!
Cart recovery emails are follow-up emails sent to the shoppers who have started the checkout process but did not complete it. To put it in simple terms, it is an email directed towards those who added the product to the cart but did not make a purchase. The emails are created to entice such potential customers to come back and purchase what they were so close to buying before abandoning their carts.
These emails work like a nudge. It can be either one email or can be a series spread over 24-48 hours after the shopper has abandoned the cart. These emails comprise various customer persuasion techniques, from offering them discounts to convincing them why they need the product.
Let’s give you a few examples of what a good cart recovery email looks like.
Abandoned cart emails have an open rate of 45%, as compared to an average email open rate of 15%.
This means that even if your customer does leave the cart abandoned despite you tackling all the aforementioned problems, there are chances you can bring them back. But it all depends on how innovative you can get with your cart recovery email.
ThinkGeek knows its audience well. It caters to the quintessential ‘geeks’ and ‘nerds,’ interested in comics, video games, fantasy, and the literature therein. They use the same while drafting and designing their emails. Their emails totally sell their brand personality.
Fashion-forward consumers take a look at gazillions of products before making a purchase. They tend to ‘forget’ a few items that they add to the cart when browsing through stores to see what’s trending. The best way to remind them of what they’ve left behind? Show it to them again, and ThredUp does exactly that!
They keep the email copy minimum, fun, and actionable.
What makes a person act swiftly? The sense of urgency. The same principle applies to the customers as well. This email by Google Store uses the same technique to tap into the customer’s ‘fear of missing out.’ The best way to do it is by creating a lockdown deal or communicating that the product is going out of stock and won’t be restocked any time soon.
Sometimes, the mere product does not do the trick. Maybe, the customer lost interest in the product and that’s why abandoned the cart. Too many options may have that effect as well.
In that case, an email can be sent out not just with the main product in the abandoned cart, but also with a couple of other alternatives, just like this Vans’ emailer. However, make sure to not overwhelm the customer with too many options too!
Another way to bring the customer back to the abandoned cart is by helping them realize why they added the product in the first place. This can be done by reminding them of all the product features and utilities, quite like what is done in this Whiskey Loot emailer.
Of course, you can make the email even better by adding a product shot and a call to action, just after the utilities.
Here’s a fact: 91% of people read online reviews to help them decide whether or not they want to make a purchase.
Your customer abandoned their cart? Use the trick that Brooklinen has used here in this email – customer reviews on the product left behind. Nothing convinces people to buy more than the reviews and experiences of other real people. Let your present customers convert your eCommerce carts for you!
Simplicity and consistency are the two features that Casper uses to tap into the customers who abandoned their carts. But they use a series of emails to recover their lost shoppers.
As you can see, the first email is all about accolades, a simple way of conveying the fact that their product is worth every dime.
But 24-hours later, the emailer changes. This time, there is a discount offered, an incentive to motivate the shopper to make the purchase.
Media and content play a huge part in converting an abandoned cart into a purchase. Take a look at this email by SugarBearHair. They have placed the product at the center and managed to use quirky, creative, and catchy content to create an overall pleasing effect.
They also give two call-to-actions, one of returning to the cart and the other of completing the checkout process – although they lead the shopper to the same action, they have a different play on consumer psychology.
It’s also good to note the contrasting hues that they use. It makes the product and the call-to-action stand out, separate from each other yet in sync with the brand colors.
Do you know that Americans check their mobiles at least 50 times a day? That’s a huge number. It is important to create emails that work smoothly on mobiles because that’s where your potential customer is. Take a look at this LUSH emailer. It’s easy to navigate with the bare minimum graphics and content as they go for wordplay. The email should not be heavy and should load quickly. The LUSH email ticks all the boxes, at the same time, also includes product suggestions. There are higher chances of the reader clicking on the call-to-action and completing the purchase.
The first step to creating a good abandoned cart email is knowing your audience and using the lingo that they associate with the most.
Barkbox targets pet parents by talking about their little loved ones the way they would at home. They use a GIF of a dog chasing a package, reminding the consumer of the ‘pup’s order’ they have left behind. Cheeky, right?
With a minimal copy and a clear call to action, Barkbox ensures they jog the consumer’s memory of what they were about to purchase as well.
So what did these brands get right in their abandoned cart recovery emails? Each one followed a different path, a different design, and a different tactic.
But there are a few things that every good email needs to check off. Now let’s look into what makes for a good cart recovery email.
Our inboxes are choked with messages from work and other brands that we subscribed to or bought from. What’s it that can actually get your abandoned cart email noticed, read, and acted on?
Well, here are a few things that you need to pay close attention to:
It is important to time your cart recovery emails right. Now there’s no one size fits all approach here.
There are stores that send one email within a few hours of cart abandonment.
But then some send out a series of emails over a few days from the day the shopper abandons the cart..
According to SaleCycle research, the sweet spot of sending cart abandonment emails is an hour after a shopper abandons the cart. It is said to drive a conversion rate of 6.5%.
While creating a series of cart abandonment emails, make sure that your brand is consistent throughout the communication. At the same time, make sure that each email has something unique to offer.
The best example would be the Casper email we mentioned earlier. If you have a discount to offer, make sure it is a part of the last email you send out. The first two should focus on simply either reminding the shopper of what they’ve left behind, gathering feedback on the experience, or trying to create FOMO.
What if you could recover the cart at its full value?
But to be able to do this efficiently, we recommend automating your cart recovery emails. This way, you don’t miss a beat on any consumer communication.
Yes, with so many options and offers at their disposal, customers are highly prone to abandoning their carts. Ensuring all the best practices are complied with, along with cleverly designed abandoned cart emails is a good way of converting those abandoned carts (lost sales) into an ultimate purchase (revenue).
And we want to make it easier for you to design high-converting cart recovery emails. BayEngage offers multiple ready-to-use templates with attractive designs that can make your cart reminders more enticing!
Create a free account with us now. Our user interface is as easy as Shopify, making it easy for you to get started with email marketing. PS. 2500 emails to 250 customers are on us!
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