Abandoned checkout recovery, like any other part of your email marketing strategy, requires planning. Otherwise, it’s just background noise.
So here’s how to write effective cart abandonment emails.
Timing
First, when should you send checkout recovery emails? It is suggested that 2 hours later is okay. It’s not too early to scare away customers or too late to lose them to competitors.
But you don’t have to lose the sale after that. Do you know how many abandoned cart emails you can send?
Cart abandonment usually involves three touch points:
- Cart reminder 2 hours later;
- 24 hour SMS or email confirmation
- Three emails with enticing offers.
Create pretty branded emails
When the cart abandoner opens the email, it should be clean, professional, and inviting.
A fake website could cause people to not click on your links.
So go ahead and add your logo, colors, and legal info. This will reassure people that you are who you claim to be and know what is in their cart.
Then, highlight the abandoned product to re-engage them. The CTA should say “Complete order” or “Go back to cart” to indicate the button’s destination.
Offers
If you want to increase your cart recovery emails’ conversion rate, give a discount code after the second or third touch. So customers don’t abandon carts just to get a discount.
You can also offer tiered discounts based on order volume or lifetime value. Your email template can have an if/else rule.
A/B testing
A/B testing is a best practice in email marketing that should be used to combat cart abandonment. Use A/B testing to see what works best for you. You can also test out different layouts and products.
In the automated flow, why not test whether an email or an SMS works better?
Optimize checkout process
Finally, improve your checkout page to reduce abandoned carts. Include all fees and taxes so no one is surprised at the end. Indicate delivery options. Don’t hide return/exchange policy.
A live chat widget can also help. If unsure, customers can ask a customer service representative, just like in a store.
Also, during checkout, collect the customer’s email and phone number for possible abandoned cart recovery.