Cart Abandonment can happen for numerous reasons. If your site is not cleverly constructed visitors can easily be lost in the checkout process, though the site design and checkout process is not always to blame. Some people simply get distracted or are just browsing, some even think they made a purchase though didn’t realise they missed a step. Without a follow up “Cart Abandonment Email” to capture this audience you are losing out on potential sales.

A recent study (from a selection of 200 global brands) has shown that the average conversion rate from a Cart Abandonment Email reduces for every minute that passes. For example the ecommerce stores in this study received a 5.2% conversion rate when the email was sent within 20 minutes, though waiting for 2-24 hours reduced the conversion rate to 3.2%. So “speed matters”.

Re-engaging the customer within the first hour of an abandonment basket dramatically increases your conversion rate. We recommend an ‘immediate’ email on abandonment. Speed of response is essential for sales recovery, with a 50% drop in performance on conversion after 24 hours… so don’t wait! We also recommend you setup a series of triggers to follow up the customer 3 times until the conversion happens (we suggest one immediately, another after 24 hours, and one a week later).

The subject of the Cart Abandonment Email is also important. This same study showed that a combination of the company name and product details was the safest bet to ensure an open rate over 50%. Including the person’s name only received a 38% conversion rate so the days of ‘email personalisation’ may be over, which I believe is due to years of overuse with this strategy within SPAM campaigns.

The content within the email is also critical. As the saying goes “content is king”. Where you place design elements and links will influence the click through rates, so ensure you test different formats. Also make sure you include your value proposition (eg free shipping, easy returns, safe shopping, etc) within the email to build confidence.

To get an effective Cart Abandonment Email setup for your online store simply contact us.