In the world of eCommerce, a cart abandonment occurs when a customer picks out a few items but never completes the checkout process. If this happens in a brick-and-mortar store, it usually signifies that the sale is lost. But in the digital world, cart abandonment might not actually be the end of the customer journey.
To recapture buyer interest, many online retailers send a cart abandonment email straight to the customer’s inbox. Ranging from friendly reminders to enticing coupons, these offers encourage customers to complete the purchase that they so casually left behind.
Would You Abandon a Cart?
Cart abandonment emails are surprisingly successful. 41% of people open them, and another 9% of those customers click through to your site. These numbers explain why more than 60% of sampled online retailers send an email whenever a customer leaves a cart behind.
Customers abandon online carts for a variety of reasons. Some people are window shopping, and others get interrupted in the middle of a purchase. These audience members have already established interest in your product, and they might even be actively planning to complete their purchase at a later date. A quick email reminder is often enough to bring those already-converted customers back to your store.
The cart abandonment offer is also popular among marketers because it offers straightforward and reliable A/B testing data. It’s a simple matter to randomly segment mailing lists, make changes to newsletter formats, and even audition different coupons to see what works.
Cart abandonment emails are easy to implement, and they can bring back a massive ROI. If your store struggles from half-finished purchases, a cart abandonment strategy might be exactly what you need to regain customer interest.
Making Your Offer
No matter how much data you collect, it’s clear that marketing is more of an art than a science. Reaching out to a customer who’s already left your store is a big step, so make sure your offer accurately represents your brand.
- Refresh your value proposition: You already have the customer’s interest; now, you need to close the deal. Look for creative ways to make another bid for the customer’s purchase.
- Include a discount: Coupons are common and effective with cart abandonment emails, although they’re not always necessary. Find a discount that you’re comfortable offering and which makes the customer feel rewarded for returning to your site.
- Provide a great customer experience: From saving their cart to keeping holiday shopping a secret, the cart abandonment email offers many opportunities for great customer service. Stay considerate and engaging, and your customers will respond.
- Stay in touch: Most cart abandonment conversions actually occur on the second or third email. Don’t be pushy, but go ahead and remind customers about that soon-to-be-expired coupon.
Keeping It Compliant
Email marketing has the potential to be intrusive, so it’s no surprise that this strategy is regulated around the world. Cart abandonment offers are legal, but they also need to follow the standard guidelines for email advertising.
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation act requires explicit permission from the customer before you can send marketing emails. You can get this permission with a checkbox, a pop-up, or any opt-in that subscribes the customer to your mailing list.
The GDPR applies to any company that offers goods and services to European residents; in the digital age, that probably includes you. American companies also need to follow the CAN-SPAM act of 2003, which is responsible for the omnipresence of the “unsubscribe” button and a few other email marketing standards.
Recollect Your Customers
Cart abandonment offers only work if they’re designed with your customers in mind. From planning the offer to implementing email subscriptions in your eCommerce checkout, the team at Precision Creative can help you craft the perfect cart abandonment strategy. Reach out to get started.