Email Marketing 
Are you tired of losing out on sales due to abandoned carts? Well, fret not! In this blog, we’ll cover the best practices for abandoned cart emails to help you recover your sales now. First, we’ll explain what abandoned cart emails are and the common reasons for cart abandon. Then, we’ll dive into the best practices for creating abandoned cart subject lines and email content. So, sit back, relax, and let’s start our lesson!
What are abandonment cart emails?
An abandoned cart email is a follow-up email sent to customers who have added items to their cart but have not completed the purchase. The primary goal of these emails is to remind customers of the products they left behind and encourage them to complete their purchase. These emails can be personalized based on the customer’s behavior and purchase history.
5 Reasons why customers abandon their carts and how to fix it
Distrust towards the website or brand
One common reason for cart abandonment is a lack of trust in the website or brand. Customers may be hesitant to provide their personal and financial information to a site that they perceive as untrustworthy or unreliable. This can be due to a variety of factors, such as poor design, slow loading times, or a lack of security measures.
To address this issue, businesses can take steps to build trust with their customers. This may include displaying trust badges or security seals, offering clear and transparent policies, and providing high-quality customer support.
Unexpected costs or fees
Another common factor in cart abandonment is unexpected costs or fees. Customers may be deterred by shipping costs, taxes, or other fees that are not clearly displayed or explained during the checkout process. This can lead to sticker shock and cause customers to abandon their carts before completing the purchase.
To address this issue, businesses can be transparent about their pricing and fees. This may include displaying shipping costs upfront and offering free shipping thresholds. It’s also important to be upfront about any taxes or fees that may apply.
Complicated checkout process
A complicated or confusing checkout process can also contribute to cart abandonment. Customers may become frustrated by a lengthy or confusing checkout process. This can happen when they are required to enter a lot of information or navigate multiple pages.
To address this issue, businesses can streamline their checkout process and make it as simple and straightforward as possible. This may include reducing the number of steps required, offering guest checkout options, and using autofill to populate customer information.
Technical issues or glitches
Technical issues or glitches can also contribute to cart abandonment. Customers may become frustrated by slow loading times, error messages, or other technical issues. These issues prevent them from completing their purchase.
To address this issue, businesses can work to ensure that their website is optimized for performance and reliability. This may include using a content delivery network (CDN) to improve load times, conducting regular maintenance and updates. Additionally, it involves providing clear error messages and support options.
Comparison shopping or browsing
Sometimes, customers simply use their cart as a way to compare prices or products across different websites. They may add items to their cart without any intention of completing the purchase, simply to keep track of their options.
To address this issue, businesses can offer incentives or promotions to encourage customers to complete
10+ Best practices for abandoned cart emails
Abandoned cart subject line best practices
Keep it short
A short subject line is easier to read and digest. It also stands out among the clutter of emails in the customer’s inbox. You should aim to keep your subject line under 50 characters and use attention-grabbing words that convey urgency and value.
Avoid using generic or vague phrases. Instead, focus on specific benefits or discounts that the customer will receive by completing their purchase.
Use emojis
Using emojis adds visual appeal, personality, and emotional context to the message, making your email more eye-catching and memorable. Emojis can convey the intended tone of the message, whether it is friendly, urgent, or playful. They can create a sense of urgency or excitement that encourages the recipient to open the email and complete the purchase.
Remember to choose emojis that are relevant to your brand, product, or audience. Test different combinations to see which ones resonate the most. However, avoid using too many emojis or irrelevant ones that may confuse or annoy the recipient. Ensure that the subject line is still clear and informative without relying solely on emojis.
Avoid spam trigger words
Spam trigger words like “Free,” “Act now,” or “Limited time offer” can make email filters suspicious. This can lower the chances of the email being delivered. You should focus on creating subject lines that are clear, concise, and relevant to the content of the email. Also, personalize your language to the recipient and emphasize the value of the products left in their cart.
Abandoned cart email content best practices
Boost your brand identity
Including your brand logo, colors, and tone of voice in your email reminds your customers of who you are and what you stand for. This can increase their trust and loyalty toward your brand. Make sure to use consistent branding across all your marketing channels, including your website, social media, and email campaigns.
Additionally, consider including personalized product recommendations or discount codes to entice customers back to your site and complete their purchases.
Personalization
Personalization is crucial. It allows you to make a connection with the customer and remind them of the items they left behind. You can show that you value their business and understand their needs by including their name and the specific items left in their cart. Additionally, product recommendations based on their previous purchases or browsing history can also be included.
Summarize the contents of the cart
By listing the items with images, prices, and any discounts applied, customers can easily visualize their abandoned cart. This makes them more likely to take action. Make sure to highlight any limited-time offers or promotions, such as free shipping or a discount code. This can incentivize customers to complete their purchases.
Consider including personalized product recommendations based on their previous purchases or browsing history to entice customers to return to their cart. Additionally, this can further increase the chances of a successful sale.
Clear Call-to-Action
Your email should have a prominent and direct message encouraging the customer to complete their purchase. By providing a clear call-to-action, such as a button or link that takes the customer directly back to their cart, you make it easy for them to finish the transaction.
Make sure your call-to-action stands out visually and use action-oriented language that motivates the customer to take action.
Don’t overdo discounts
Discounts can be a great incentive for customers to complete their purchases. However, offering them too frequently or too generously can devalue your products and train customers to expect discounts every time they abandon their cart. Consider offering a smaller discount or another type of incentives such as free shipping or a gift with purchase.
In addition, segment your audience. Tailor your discounts and incentives based on customer behavior and purchase history. This will increase the effectiveness of your abandoned cart email campaigns.
Use urgency
This tactic would create a sense of immediacy and encourage customers to complete their purchase before time runs out. This can be achieved by highlighting limited stock or a limited-time offer, emphasizing the benefits of the product, or even offering a discount for a limited period.
It’s important to ensure that the urgency is genuine and not overused, as this can lead to a lack of trust from customers. Additionally, providing clear and easy-to-follow calls to action can help to increase the effectiveness of the urgency in the email.
Mobile optimization
The majority of consumers now use their mobile devices to browse and shop online. By ensuring that your email is mobile-responsive and easy to read on a smaller screen, you can increase the likelihood of the recipient opening and engaging with your email.
Make sure that your email design is clean and simple, with large fonts and clear calls-to-action that are easy to tap on a mobile device. You should also test your email on various mobile devices to ensure that it looks and functions correctly on each one.
Include customer reviews
Including customer reviews would add social proof and credibility to your products. As a result, this can increase the likelihood of the customer completing their purchase. You can consider featuring reviews from happy customers who have previously purchased the product that was left in the cart, or even including a call-to-action for the customer to leave their own review after completing their purchase.
Additionally, you can highlight any particularly compelling reviews or ratings to further entice the customer to come back and complete their order.
Include customer service
By providing a customer service contact, such as a phone number or email address, you make it easy for customers to reach out with any questions or concerns they may have about their purchase.
Make sure to respond promptly to any inquiries and offer helpful solutions to any issues that may have caused the customer to abandon their cart. This can help build trust with your customers and potentially lead to increased loyalty and future purchases.
Abandoned cart email series best practices
Follow-up emails
These are emails sent after the initial abandoned cart email, reminding the customer about the items left in their cart and encouraging them to complete the purchase. Follow-up emails help to increase the chances of the customer returning to complete the purchase and can also serve as a gentle reminder for those who may have simply forgotten about their cart.
It is important to space out the follow-up emails appropriately, avoiding spamming the customer with too many messages. Additionally, it can be effective to include a special offer or discount in the follow-up emails to incentivize the customer to complete the purchase.
Timing
The first email should be sent within the first few hours of abandonment, as it is still fresh in the customer’s mind. A second email should be sent 48-72 hours after abandonment, as it serves as a gentle reminder. Finally, a third email can be sent 5-7 days after abandonment, offering a last chance to purchase with a discount or limited-time offer.
Ensure that your email content is relevant, personalized, and valuable to the customer. Additionally, monitor your email open and click-through rates to refine your timing strategy and optimize your conversion rates.
You can easily automate this process by using an email marketing provider. If you are looking for one, we highly suggest checking out NestSend, you will save yourself a lot of time and effort with no expenses at all.
(Try NestSend for free!)
Test and Analyze
By testing different subject lines, email copy, and call-to-actions, you can determine which elements resonate best with your audience and drive the highest conversion rates. Additionally, analyzing metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates can provide valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences, enabling you to tailor your campaigns for maximum impact.
FAQ(s)
When is the best time to send abandoned cart emails?
The best time to send abandoned cart emails is within the first hour of cart abandonment. This is because the longer a customer waits to receive an email, the less likely they are to return to complete their purchase. Sending an email within the first hour shows the customer that the business is attentive and proactive, and can encourage them to return to their cart.
How can businesses personalize abandoned cart emails?
Businesses can personalize abandoned cart emails in a few ways:
- Using the customer’s name in the email can create a sense of familiarity and warmth.
- Recommending related products based on the customer’s purchase history can show that the business understands their preferences and can offer relevant suggestions.
- Offering a discount or coupon code can be a powerful incentive to encourage the customer to complete their purchase.
Should abandoned cart emails be optimized for mobile devices?
Yes, abandoned cart emails should be optimized for mobile devices. More than 50% of all online purchases are made on mobile devices, so it’s crucial that businesses ensure their emails are easily readable and navigable on smaller screens. This can include using larger fonts, shorter paragraphs, and clear CTAs that are easy to tap with a finger.
How many follow-up emails should be sent for abandoned cart emails?
Businesses should send at least two more follow-up emails within 24 to 48 hours of the initial email. This can remind the customer of their abandoned cart and offer additional incentives or personalized recommendations to encourage them to return to their purchase.
However, businesses should also be careful not to overwhelm the customer with too many emails or offers, as this can come across as pushy or desperate.
Recover your lost sales with NestSend now!
Abandoned cart emails are an effective way to recover lost sales and improve customer retention. By understanding the reasons behind cart abandonment, businesses can take steps to build trust and optimize their website for performance. With best practices such as short and impactful subject lines, businesses can create compelling emails that encourage customers to complete their purchases.
Using NestSend for your abandoned cart emails makes the process even easier, with its user-friendly interface and customizable templates. Plus, with features such as automation and A/B testing, businesses can maximize the effectiveness of their email campaigns and drive more sales. So, let’s start recovering your lost sales today with NestSend!
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