Using an Abandoned Cart Email to Boost Sales Through the Roof

According to the latest stats, nearly 70 percent of eCommerce shoppers never buy the stuff they leave in their cart. For a small business, that’s a huge loss of opportunity to sell. What if you could regain the lost sales?

What is an Abandoned Cart Email?

An abandoned cart email, in essence, is a follow-up message to buyers who leave items in their shopping cart. It reminds them they haven’t made the purchase, enticing them to complete the transaction, thus improving your cart abandonment rate.

Why Do People Abandon Carts?

Interestingly, people abandon their carts for a host of reasons. Here are some of the most common ones:

• Just browsing: In many instances, shoppers add items to their carts only to abandon them because they are not completely interested in actually buying.
• Website issues: Poor connectivity and long loading times play a part in shoppers’ decision to abandon their carts.
• Comparison: Another reason for leaving carts is to compare the products on other sites.
• Price: Sometimes shoppers lack the motivation to make purchases for high-priced products.
• Complicated checkout process: A long, complex process to checkout may result in shoppers leaving without making a purchase.
• Distractions: Shoppers may be too distracted to complete the purchase.
• They Forget: Some shoppers just forget they have abandoned their carts.
• Return or Exchange policies: Complex return or exchange policies may prevent shoppers from completing the purchase.

What to Include in Cart Abandonment Emails to Encourage Customers to Complete Their Purchase

Realizing the potential to convert abandoned shopping carts into actual purchases, many businesses today are leveraging cart abandonment mails. If done correctly, these emails can encourage users to complete the purchase and even explore more products. It is also just as important to have abandoned shopping cart email best practices in place.

Here are some pointers on what to include in cart abandonment emails.

A Reminder of the Product/Basket They Abandoned

The first thing that must be included in the email is a reminder of the product(s) the shopper has left behind.

A Link to Re-Visit the Same Shopping Cart

The next thing to add is a link where they can access the abandoned shopping cart.

A Reinforcement of Your Return Policy

A simple explanation of your return policy is useful to allay concerns that may have led shoppers to abandon the cart in the first place.

Product Reviews

Product reviews can help you build trust and show customers why they should continue with the purchase.

Your Shipping Costs (Especially if There is Free Shipping)

Many shoppers leave their carts when they discover there’s a shipping cost. Clarifying the shipping fee, especially if there’s none, can help you entice the shopper.

A Memorable Subject Line

To ensure the shopper opens the email and completes the transaction, it’s useful to have a memorable subject line.

A Call to Action (CTA)

A simple and strong enough call to action can help encourage shoppers to act and complete the purchase.

Use This Abandoned Cart Email Template

The best thing about an abandoned cart email is that it doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s a simple template you can customize for your business.

We noticed you left something in your cart.

We’re holding the item for you. But don’t wait too long. Order now!

Call to action: Order now.

8 of the Best Abandoned Cart Email Examples to Boost Sales

Looking for more options in abandoned cart email templates? Here are some cart recovery email examples that may come in handy.

1. Nomad (Getting straight to the point)

Subject Line: Do you want to make a deal?

Nomad’s shopping cart email stands out with personalization. The email is signed off by a real person, which makes it unique and personalized.

Best Features:

• Short and gets to the point straight away: The email is succinct in describing the offer, which makes it more enticing for the recipient to act.
• Light-hearted tone: The cart abandonment email has an informal tone to create a stronger connect with the prospect.
• Signed off by a real sender: Emphasizing personalization further, the email is signed off by a real name.

2. Dollar Shave Club (Using humor to connect)

Subject Line: Where did you go?

Everyone likes to receive witty emails once in a while. Dollar Shave Club uses clever copy to strike a chord with its audience. The subject line is pointed and once the reader opens the shopping cart abandonment email, Dollar Shave Club uses simple messages to attract its prospects.

Best Features:

• Short, personalized subject line: The short subject line doesn’t give away much, but is effective in catching attention.
• Clever use of bullets: The benefits are laid out in bullets, which is a smart way to catch busy customers’ attention.
• 100% refund: The promise of a refund is helpful to remove any doubts from the customer’s mind.

3. Virgin Atlantic (Providing necessary information)

Subject Line: You’re almost there!

Being asked to click on too many links when reading an email is not great from a customer experience perspective. This is especially true for the travel industry. Virgin Atlantic’s email provides all the necessary information to keep customers engaged.

Best Features:

• Summary of important information: Flight summary helps customers get everything in the same email.
• Personalized text: Both subject line and email text are directly addressed to the customer.
• Call-to-action button: The call-to-action button appears twice: in the banner image and text.

4. Target (Making it difficult to resist discount)

Subject Line: Price drop alert.

Target’s strategy is quite different. The company focuses on highlighting a discount on the items that have been left behind in the cart. The subject is not specific, but the email text provides information on the new discounts.

Best Features:

• Compelling call-to-action: Target’s call-to-action are pointed and effective.
• Similar items suggestions: The email also highlights other products the user might find interesting to boost sales.
• Focus on price drop: Target features both original and discounted prices to entice its prospects.

5. Casper (Keeping it simple)

Subject Line: Did you forget something?

Casper keeps things simple. The minimalistic approach with clever copy is useful when competing against different brands that bombard users with too much information.

Best Features:

• Clear call-to-action: The email has just two call-to-action buttons. One takes the user to the cart while the other redirects to a customer testimonial.
• Simple layout: There’s not a lot that’s going on in the email layout, which is helpful to resonate with the customer.
• Interesting subject: A simple subject line that piques interest and entices the user to open the email.

6. Whisky Loot (Encouraging users to complete purchase)

Subject Line: Your cart is sobering up

Most users abandon their carts because they can’t seem to make up their minds about the purchase. Whisky Loot’s cart abandonment email addresses this challenge by giving users reasons to complete the purchase.

Best Features:

• Inclusion of a short FAQ section: Whisky Loot’s email includes a short FAQ section that answers common questions that may help users complete their purchase.
• Clever copywriting: Both the subject line and body copy make use of clever language to draw the users.
• Simple, compelling call-to-action: There’s just one call-to-action button (Treat Yourself) to encourage users.

Are abandoned cart emails worth it?

According to data, half of the customers who abandon their shopping carts are likely to complete the purchase when asked. Abandoned cart emails can help businesses convert these lost business opportunities into prospects.

Are abandoned cart emails legal?

As long as businesses have customers’ explicit consent, they can freely send abandoned cart mails to customers.

What is the best time to send an abandoned cart email?

It’s generally best to send out an abandoned cart mail three hours after the cart has been left out. Creating a cart email sequence is a great idea to follow up and ensure you get the audience’s attention.

How many abandoned cart emails should I send?

Ideally, you should consider sending 2-4 cart reminder emails. The first one can go out three hours after the cart has been abandoned. The next three cart recovery emails can be sent out every day until the customer completes the transaction. From an email marketing perspective, it’s useful to consider email sequence to boost conversion rate.

Image: Depositphotos