How to recover orders with abandoned cart emails

When a customer abandons their shopping cart, it can feel like a huge blow. You’re left wondering why they didn’t complete their order – especially when they were so close to the finish line! You could ignore this unfortunate event and let your customers disappear into oblivion… or you could entice them back to your online shop with an engaging abandoned cart email.

Abandoned cart emails offer the chance to reconnect with your customers and recover lost sales – which, you may be happy to know, happen to the best of us. According to data collected by the Baynard Institute, abandoned cart rates are exceptionally high – the average is 68.63%, to be exact. This figure is based on data from some of the world’s largest ecommerce businesses, including Listrak and SaleCycle.

If the big players (with big budgets!) are struggling with cart abandonment, then chances are this is a problem for you too. Fortunately a well-considered follow-up email can help you lure some customers back to your online shop. Here are some tips for writing an engaging abandoned cart email.

Use humour
Reminder emails carry the risk of sounding a little ‘bossy’ or ‘teacher-like’. One way to get around this is by using humour. Try to make your emails light, funny and friendly – not pushy or salesy. If your customers feel under pressure to buy from you, they might run in the opposite direction. Humour, on the other hand, will add a little brightness to their day.

Less is more
Abandoned cart emails feature very little text. A clever subject line, a clear call-to-action and a short paragraph should be all the words you need! Back this up with a gorgeous design template and some beautiful imagery, and you’ll be well on your way to success.

Sweeten the deal
If the items in the abandoned cart are over a certain amount of money, you might want to sweeten the deal by offering your customers a small discount. It’s not a good idea to do this every time (you don’t want your customers to cotton on and start purposely abandoning their carts!), but every now and then this can be really effective.

Soothe their fears
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Why do you think they might have abandoned their cart? Maybe they are uncertain about whether they will like the product? Soothe their fears by highlighting your returns policy – this will show your customers that they can easily send back the product if it’s not the right fit.

Provide contact details
Let your customers know that they can get in touch with you if they have any questions. Sometimes all people need is some reassurance about the product in question. Clearly display your contact phone number, email address and social media channels.

Strike while the iron is hot
Timing is everything. In most cases, waiting a day is too late – but sending within the first hour is too soon. Aim to send the email within 2-5 hours of the cart being abandoned. This will give your customer just enough breathing space. If you wait too long, they might buy from a competitor or forget about their purchase altogether.

Play it cool
Although it’s tempting to send multiple follow-up emails, this could annoy your customers and put them off shopping with you again. Try not to send more than two abandoned cart emails. If they don’t make a purchase after the second email, this is a pretty good sign that they’re not keen.