Surveys show that nearly 70% of your website visitors are abandoning their cart at checkout.
With all of these customers playing with your heart harder than a doe-eyed Ryan Gosling, consider enticing them back with a stand-out abandoned cart email marketing strategy.
Although abandoned cart percentages are staggering, the good news is that nearly 50% of abandoned cart email messages are opened, giving you a super high chance of winning this biz back and healing yourself from rejection after all.
What would your business do with 50% more sales opportunities?
Since nobody appreciates a boring email, we’re here to help you whip up a batch of playful ideas for your abandoned cart messaging.
Before we can save the carts left adrift in the world wide web, let’s chat about why they are abandoned in the first place.
According to the Baymard Institute:
Extra costs, complicated check out processes, and untrustworthy looking sites. These are just a few of the top reasons why customers leave your site mid-checkout.
Then, there are customers with severe cases of online distraction syndrome who simply abandon ship because they saw a video of a fainting goat on Instagram and fell into a viral black hole. We’ve all been there.
Now that we understand a bit about abandoned cart struggles let’s unpack the ways that some companies are overcoming their abandonment issues; no therapy required!
Offering customization options is a proven strategy to get your website visitors coming back, and most importantly… spending.
Marketplace websites such as Etsy are built on the idea that consumers are looking for an experience that feels tailored just for them. Customers who can express their personality with your product may feel more driven to purchase.
What They Did Right:
- Provided a pic of the abandoned cart item front and center
- Presented social proof, using snaps and reviews from past customers
- Delivered cheeky messaging vs. stating the obvious, ‘Hey, you abandoned your cart!’
- Added a ‘Customized’ CTA that builds curiosity
Where Opportunity Was Missed:
The copy reads: ‘You don’t want to miss out on this staple item in your collection.’ Yet, there isn’t any real urgency created as far as what the customer will miss out on if they don’t buy now.
Specific numbers would work really well here such as :
- Only 15 left in stock!
- Customization options are limited – create yours today!
- Choose from this season’s exclusive colors.
How to Make This Work for You:
Try highlighting any customization options that you have, that the customer may have missed the first time around your store:
- Offering a variety of colors: Available in blue & gold!
- Providing a range of sizes: Try our travel size before committing.
- Highlighting a variety of shapes: Now available in 8X10.
You may think that customization options are limited in your specific situation; however, customizing doesn’t have to be left to the product itself.
Segmentation also helps you to deliver targeted customer experiences that feel oh-so-customized. Access powerful segmentation capabilities with Sendlane’s Shopify integration. With our Sendlane for Shopify feature, you can gain data insights on your customer’s behavior, allowing you to respond to their needs; thus, delivering a custom experience every time.
Whisky Loot knows that nobody needs 3 new bottles of whisky delivered to their door every month. So, they have compiled an entertaining list of ways that their monthly subscription will benefit your everyday life.
In this abandoned cart message, Whisky Loot is overcoming their most common buyer objections in a way that makes us chuckle. By making their (almost) customer laugh, they are creating a bond and connection.
What They Did Right:
- Used emoji’s to draw attention to the more playful aspects of their email copy
- Showed off their great packaging, making the product even more tempting (Also showcases the fact that their packages are gift-worthy!)
- Added in FAQ’s as another way to overcome common customer objections
- Crafted a CTA (Treat Yourself) that is right-on with the messaging in the email
Where Opportunity Was Missed:
Whisky Loot could have added in another call to action button closer to the top of the email and front and center.
An alternative would be to make some of the options on their list of reasons linked to take the customer back to the website.
How to Make This Work for You:
Step 1: List 10 for-real reasons your customer will miss out if they abandon their cart
Step 2: List 5-10 lighthearted reasons why they need your product
Step 3: Compile the lists, add some emojis and VOILA! You have a compelling (and entertaining) list of why the customer should go back and commit to the checkout.
When creating your lists, think about the most common customer objections you face, the FAQ’s you receive most often, or the reason you get product returns. Address these concerns head-on in your abandoned cart email copy.
By using this approach, you have successfully answered your potential customers’ internal ‘what if’s,’ making it much easier for them to make a buying decision.
Errrybody likes a discount. Sales Psych 101. Discount codes are a simple and effective way to boost sales and bring customers back.
What They Did Right:
- Supported the fact that their wine is amazing
- Offered up a super generous discount of $20
- Added an additional ‘Invite Friends’ incentive
Where Opportunity Was Missed:
The CTA is okay but not the most fitting with the rest of the copy. Let’s Do This would be better suited to a CTA that calls for a physical commitment like registering for an online course.
A call to action like Wine Not or Make Pour Decisions would be a much better fit.
When it comes to email marketing, it’s important that your message remains consistent and on-brand for every single component of your email; from design to call to actions, to the photos and colors used.
Also, if these wines are offered elsewhere online, Wine.com would be smart to provide an Our Price vs. Their Price component to their abandoned cart emails. The perceived value, along with the generous $20 discount code would be more than enough to seal the deal.
How to Make This Work for You:
There are numerous ways to offer tantalizing discounts in your abandoned cart emails.
You can create custom discount codes, or if you’re feeling like adding a bit of spice to your life, you could make these discounts interactive by utilizing scratch cards.
Minimalism works very well in email marketing for a variety of reasons. In a world of emoji’s, gifs and vids, sometimes getting a squeaky clean email is the inbox equivalent of smelling clean laundry.
The minimalist look is great if you aren’t an uber-confident designer, or if you are one and understand how to utilize the space that you have correctly.
What They Did Right:
- Crafted a solid headline. Casper drove the point home with as few words as possible
- Unapologetically used puns and euphemisms that fit their brand seamlessly
- Delivered a minimalist email design; clean, and again…to the point
- Provided a customer testimonial on the lighter side, that anyone can relate to
Where Opportunity Was Missed:
Casper isn’t known for steep discounts so to keep integrity in their pricing, they could offer an incentive such as free shipping.
The CTA could be more compelling. Perhaps a missed opportunity for a clever sleep pun.
How to Make This Work for You:
Creating a clean abandoned cart email template allows your customer to focus in on the product that they left behind. This look works exceptionally well for retailers who want to shine the spotlight on the quality of their physical products, without a busy background or a lot of copy.
Email recipients appreciate a simple and easy to navigate interaction. To create a minimalist style email, most designers follow a few simple rules:
- Use crisp and clear typography
- Stick with a simple color scheme
- Use icons rather than text
- Make use of negative space
To make email design easy, Sendlane offers access to dozens of pre-designed email marketing templates so you can ensure that your design is simple, while still packing a punch.
The limited-time-anything approach is a surefire way to weed out the window shoppers from your ideal target customer. Free shipping compels the customer to convert. When paired with a limited time offer, it’s often the proverbial fire in the pants that a customer needs.
What They Did Right:
- Created FOMO in the consumer by suggesting that items may sell out
- Adding in a ‘Top Products’ selection to further entice buyers
- Provided social proof with their ‘As Featured In’ logo carousel
- Made a ‘Check Availability’ button. Now, it isn’t a matter of whether or not to buy, it’s a matter of beating other shoppers to it
Where Opportunity Was Missed:
The free shipping offer was positioned in a way that it would last until items were sold out. However, Brooklinen could have added in a specific time frame if they wanted to create urgency versus a scarcity mindset in the customer.
Would they run out of product? Maybe, maybe not. BUT would they end the free shipping deal? For sure they would. With a limited time free shipping approach, they could have added in a countdown timer to increase feelings of urgency.
How to Make This Work for You:
Free shipping is everywhere these days so, just like Brooklinen, it’s a good idea to add a little twist. Some ways that you can offer free shipping include:
- Free shipping, no limitation or minimums. It’s a free shipping extravaganza
- Free shipping, at a certain $ threshold. Spend $50 or more, for instance
- Free shipping for members only. Gather their email address and build your list
- Free shipping on select items. Create more interest in slower parts of your website
- Free shipping for a limited time. Bring on the countdown timer
Choose which free shipping combo makes the most for your business and swiftly remind the customer of this headache-free offering. With so many ways to entice your customers, Sendlane is the perfect solution to turn website visitors into buyers.
It’s easy to craft an abandoned cart template to automatically send your customer within hours of clicking away from your website. It’s essential to A/B test some of these approaches so that you can find what works best for your business. Maybe your customers really appreciate free shipping where others are seeking out a discount code.
Once the sales start rolling in, Sendlane can support you with our integrations that help with abandoned cart recovery. We offer powerful site-to-site tracking capabilities that make it effortless for you to follow your customers’ journey throughout your store. Plus, we will help you to automate your abandoned cart messages to capture more sales and recover lost revenue!
If being off-the-wall, cheeky, funny, or just plain silly works with your brand, we encourage you to have some fun with your abandoned cart messages. Whichever approach you choose, be sure to include great imagery, clear call to actions, and headlines that catch the eye.
Aren’t sure how to add an abandoned cart email into your funnel? Sendlane makes it easy with our marketing automation tools. Give us a try for FREE, today!