When customers churn the eCommerce website you are using to fulfill sales right when they're at the checkout, it could signal a bigger problem. This especially applies when the statistics of people abandoning carts is rising or if it's already at a high rate.
Perhaps after investigating and identifying the problem, you should send out an abandoned cart email. That email should be compelling enough to convert the user into completing the transaction they have started.
Sounds easier to say than to do? To help you get some ideas on how you can draft this email, here are the best abandoned cart email examples and how to convert the unconvinced user.
Subject-orientated emails
Writing an email for patrons who have abandoned their carts on your online shop can be tricky because many people do not open these emails. If they see the standard tricks and Tom Foolery on the email subject, they click delete right away. Even worse, they might just categorize the email as SPAM.
Not carefully considering the subject you’re going to use is one of the most common email marketing mistakes. Therefore pay careful attention to what you are going to write in this field. You can use catchy phrases like "Forgot something?". Alternatively, you can use subjects like "Saw you browsing… and started wondering".
Convincing a user that had a bad UX problem
Writing a perfect subject that gets the email opened is one battle won and you still have the war laid out upfront. The next step is drafting an email body that is consistent with why the user abandoned their cart. In many cases, it is due to bad UX. Maybe the customer wanted to shop some more and was directed to the checkout section.
You find out why they abandoned the website by heat mapping it and then drafting an appropriate email body. The body could include sentences like "We couldn't help but recognize the technical glitch you faced. We have fixed it and you can get back to your cart by using this link".
Acknowledging their busy schedules
Sometimes users could abandon the website simply because it was not a time convenient for them. You can try to ascertain this by looking at their usage patterns and when they stayed on the site longer. Once you have identified their busy schedules as the cause for abandoning their carts, here are words that you can use in the email:
"Hey there!
You might have gotten busy and forgot that you were shopping with us earlier on. Resuming your session is as easy as clicking the link below. Happy shopping!"
Reminding them of the products they left in cart
An effective trick to get shoppers that abandoned their carts back to your website is simply reminding them of what they left in the cart. Some shoppers could be on a shopping spree and did not keep track of what they bought and forgot. Reminding them of the products in their carts could be an awakening for them.
You can use words such as "Do not forget to check out these items" additionally add some images for their reference. Do not forget to detail the pricing and include the items with design elements similar to the website. This helps the email seem like they can check out instantly there, which drives action right then and there.
Time-sensitive abandoned cart email
Time-sensitivity can drive into impulse sales and trigger unconvinced buyers to make a purchase right at that moment. You can use the subject and email body combined and design elements that lead to impulse sales like red, bold and high caps letters.
Perhaps you can say, "Running out of stock, get yours now." The urgency could drive unconvinced buyers to be sure about their decision to make the purchase.
Using a discount coupon
Shoppers, at times, might be shopping around without recognizing how they have spent or currently have in their bank accounts. However, they could really want the item but just a few dollars shy of buying it.
In this case, you can send a discount coupon as an incentive and as a means for them to complete the transaction. Obviously, you would not want to use this kind of email always because customers would use it as a hack to always get discounts.
Personalizing other suggested products
If you have a wide variety of products, probably in different colors or forms, personalizing the email and sending other suggested items could be effective. How? If a shopper was looking for a juice bottle and only finds the color blue and can't navigate to their favorite color, they could abandon their card.
To bring back these customers, you can send an email with all the product colors and similar makes and models. Alternatively, you can send an email with accessories that go with the product as may be required at that particular time.
Asking for feedback
As an alternative to sending an email that directly brings back unconvinced shoppers, you can send one that asks for feedback on why they abandoned. If they report a technical or UX issue, you could ask in the survey what problem they faced. That indicates genuine care for a perfect user experience.
As a result, customers could see that you are willing to change to be a brand that is convenient for them. That could bring back some customers, but if it does not, odds are there will be less shoppers abandoning their carts in the future.
The bottom line
Writing abandoned cart emails requires a good understanding of the most common problems customers face. Most importantly, it also entails understanding the specific case on hand. After identifying the problem, draft an email subject that is most likely to get opened. Afterward, focus on addressing the specific problem or enticing the customers back on the email body.