2020 has brought a lot of changes along, and there’s no industry that wasn’t affected by what we all are undergoing. The market dynamics have shapeshifted faster than one could keep up. Brands and stakeholders are forced to reinvent their entire business models, and fortunately, many have come up with some groundbreaking strategies.
Cart abandonment has been an eyesore in the email marketing ecosystem for quite a long time now. And despite several measures, it still remains a nightmare for many e-commerce sites. As per a recent report from Sleeknote, “The Average Cart Abandonment Rate Across All Industries is 69.57 Percent. That means roughly seven out of every 10 shoppers won’t complete their transaction—a number many e-commerce store owners find troubling.”
Today, we’ll learn all that matters about cart abandonment and draw some inspiration from some brands that are nailing their cart abandonment strategies. Let’s get started.
Why does cart abandonment occur?
Well, it depends on several factors. From slow loading sites to payment issues, anything can become a deal-breaker. Let’s have a quick look at the top 10 reasons behind cart abandonment.
1. Unexpected shipping cost
2. Need to create a new user account
3. Researching for a later purchase
4. Payment related security concerns
5. Confusing checkout journey
6. Unavailability of a coupon code
7. Lack of express shipping
8. Website errors & crashes
9. Unsatisfactory return policy
10. Credit card getting declined
Here’s how you deal with cart abandonment
I know it hurts seeing someone coming so close to buying your product and then backing off at the last moment. But you know, you can get them back if you play your cards well.
Here is one such excellent email example from Headspace. Instead of being disappointed, the messaging seems to relate with the buyer, which goes well with their overall branding. When the brand tries to understand the buyer’s sentiment behind opting out, the chances are high that they would buy the product.
Source: Really Good Emails
The next step
It’s good if your cart abandonment email gets the buyer back. But what if you want to minimize any possibility of people calling it off in between? Well, here the email series comes to the rescue. Let’s have a look at the best four such examples:
Uncommon Goods
A report suggests that the “eCommerce marketers that use a series of 3 cart abandonment emails have the best order rates: they’re seeing 69% more orders on average than those marketers sending only one cart abandonment email.”
Hence, it’s not strange that Uncommon Goods closely followed suit. The brand created a well-crafted series of 3 cart abandonment emails carrying different subject lines, CTAs, email body content, and other essential email elements. These emails were shot over a month. Have a look at them and get ready to be amazed!
The first one:
The second one:
The last but not the least:
Observe how the email copies have been consistently kept conversational. This practice not only helps your email stand out but also strikes the right chord with the long-lost customer. Playing the emotional card isn’t too bad if it sells your stuff, isn’t it?
Asics
The cart abandonment email series from the leading footwear brand consisted of two emails. The first email carried the subject line: “Did you leave something behind?”
Notice how deliberate puns have been inserted in the email’s body content to make it relevant to their branding. Such content helps the branding make a stronger impact and get those ‘lost’ customers back to the cart.
The following email in the series had this subject line, “Subject line: Don’t get left in the dust!”
See how some subtle yet smart integrations in the content can elevate the overall appeal of your email. And in cart recovery programs, it’s all about appealing to the customers.
Wayfair
Another brand that is at the top of their cart abandonment emails’ game is Wayfair. The e-commerce brand sent two emails for the same deal but with different subject lines, copy and email body content. See for yourself and pick the one which you think makes a more compelling case for a subscriber to reconsider the deal.
Notice how the subject line is in perfect sync with the email copy as if they were part of the same sentence. This is an ideal example of a subject line and email copy duo.
First email – Subject line: The Lamppost Figurine is just WOW
Second email – Subject line: An item in your cart is very popular!
Boden
The last but definitely not the least brand on our list is Boden, the British online clothing retailer. They followed the same strategy as Wayfair, sending a series of two emails but with different subject lines. However, in my opinion, both of them work equally fine. These series are a great example of A/B testing as well. Have a look!
Subject line of the first email: You left something… but where? Oh look…
Subject line of the first email: Something’s STILL waiting for you…
Wrapping up
So, this was all about cart abandonment and the brands who are acing it. Draw inspiration from the above series and create your own cart recovery emails today.
Author Bio
Kevin George is the head of marketing at Email Uplers, that specializes in crafting Professional Email Templates, PSD to Email conversion, and Mailchimp Templates. Kevin loves gadgets, bikes & jazz, and he breathes email marketing. He enjoys sharing his insights and thoughts on email marketing best practices on email marketing blog.