In today’s eCommerce landscape, shoppers can add items and checkout with a few taps on a screen or clicks. But as the customer prepares to check out, a distraction steals their attention, causing them to abandon digital shopping carts.
Do not let these shoppers escape your grasp! Items left in carts are revenue left unearned. If shoppers like what you sell, it’s your turn to convince them to make the move to purchase. The ball is now in your cart! Use an abandoned cart email strategy to make these sales that almost escaped you. With some help from abandoned cart emails in your outreach strategy, you can recapture a buyer’s attention.
What is an Abandoned Cart Email?
Abandoned cart emails refer to automated messages sent to users after they add items to their cart on an online store, but never finalize a purchase. These emails serve as a reminder to shoppers that they have something in their cart, that they once wanted, that they never made a move to buy. It’s a way of saying: these products are still here, just waiting for you!
Consumers abandon carts for several reasons: they encountered unexpected costs at checkout, they cannot use a preferred payment method, they changed their minds, or they just got distracted.
Abandoned carts pose a widespread problem for online retailers since they represent lost profits and a lost segment of new buyers. Framed more positively, these users provide a colossal conversion opportunity. So, it’s essential to have a strategy to harness when implementing this tactic to cash in on these lost sales.
Most abandoned cart email strategies involve a series of four emails. Let’s explore each email in greater detail.
Abandoned Cart Email #1
This email should be sent four hours after cart abandonment, and reminds consumers of what they left behind: the product(s) they are interested in.
Abandoned Cart Email #2
Sending a second email tells the user why they should buy from your brand, and why your product outshines your competitors’ offerings. This email could provide information about brand values, company mission, and past campaigns. Why should this customer follow through on buying the items in their cart? Why should they choose you? What sets you apart?
Abandoned Cart Email #3
Sending a third email provides the incentive. Here, you should give the user a bit of a push to purchase. This push typically looks like a discount with a 48-hour deadline. Providing an incentive in this email is key because if they have not bought the items in their cart yet, after two emails, they may have completely lost the motivation to do so. With the help of the third email is your way of providing that, limited time, motivation! It underlines to the customer that the time to buy is now.
Abandoned Cart Email #4
Sent out the day the discount you offered in the third email expires; this final email notifies the consumer that it is the last day for them to cash in on the discount.
How to Optimize Abandoned Cart Emails
The outline above might make it seem like this strategy has been brought down to a science. However, abandoned cart emails are also a fantastic way to get creative with your copy and email design. See below some ways to get crafty with your brand’s emails:
1) Personalize the Email Copy
One way to make these messages unique to your brand, and to the target consumer is with the copy. In the initial email, you should use this space to thank them for checking out your site and products. For returning customers, you can customize this message by adding that you value their loyalty and the continued relationship that you built. You might even consider adding an exclusive discount for this sub-set of returning consumers. These users should feel especially special.
Here, it might also be clever to mention additional product recommendations. The customer might not have been completely sure about buying that one product, but there might be other comparable items that can pique their interest. You can use the data of what the user already added to their cart to generate this unique list of products.
2) Include Relevant Images
Another way to entice users is by including digital media. By incorporating pictures, you remind users of what they almost bought, and what initially caught their eye on your site. Also, it’s an innovative idea to provide information like a description of the product, the price, and potentially, a free shipping offer. There’s a chance that they will not remember what they left, so here is your chance of refreshing their memory with enticing imagery of what could have been.
3) Use Alluring Subject Lines
As users scrolled through their packed email inboxes, your message should stand out among the crowd. Make this happen with a stand-out subject line by keeping it short, concise, and impactful, like: you left these items in your cart, are you done shopping, buy now to get 25% off. Consumers should know exactly why you are reaching out and feel the urge to open your email and respond with a purchase.
4) Offer Customer Support
In many cases, customers fail to complete a transaction because they need some extra customer support. Therefore, you should add customer service offers in your emails. Did they have a problem with your site? Did they get a site error at checkout? These technical issues should not get in the way of you converting on a sale. Opening a line of customer support also shows these customers they can trust you and your brand. It opens a line of communication between you and the customer and clearly shows that support is there if they need it.
Fine-tune Abandoned Cart Emails with Premiere Creative
A successful abandoned cart strategy relies on adequate communication of what your brand offers, its values, and specific reasons why users should come back. The best abandoned cart email strategy is an individualized one. For more advice, reach out to Premiere Creative’s experts who are here to help your brand implement this marketing technique, and to help you not miss this potential pot of gold for consumers. Dial (973) 346-8100 to speak with one of our email marketing specialists today!