The ultimate goal of your site is to have a paying customer. However, statistics indicate that more than half the visitors, who begin a checkout process on your site, fail to complete their purchase. This is no doubt a disappointing fact as it derails your business growth. As a business owner, you should try to identify the elements that contribute to cart abandonment, such as:
- Technical bugs on the site
- Casual window shoppers
- User experience limitations
- Pitfalls of the check-out process
Research shows that in most cases, cart abandonment is caused by a poorly designed checkout process.
The key to reducing cart abandonment is to first identify the pitfalls of the problem.
Professional digital marketers in Singapore can also eliminate some common pitfalls that lead to cart abandonment such as:
Trust Issues
If your customers do not have enough trust in your brand, they will not purchase from you. Customers want to be associated with a well-established and solid brand. You can effectively create trust by building solid social proof as well as including testimonials on your site.
Additional Costs
Customers who begin the checking-out process usually have a strong intention to purchase. In most cases, customers will have a price point that they are willing to reach. As such, they will only begin a checkout process if the pricing is within their budget. To avoid blindsiding your customers with additional costs such as shipping, indicate the total amount upfront. Customers who will proceed with the purchase will likely complete, as they will be no surprise-hidden charges.
Time-Consuming
As a businessperson, you want to show your customers that you value their time. You can demonstrate this by ensuring that your checkout process takes up as little time as possible. Try to eliminate elements that contribute to a long checkout process such as
- Slow site
- Poor design
- Technical glitches
- Poor interface
- Complex navigation process
Many customers note that a website’s speed determines their purchase decision. Therefore, you want to ensure that your site is as fast and efficient as possible.
Long And Complicated Checkout Procedures
Long and complicated checkout processes are one of the primary reasons for shopping cart abandonment. Most online shoppers want to go through a fast and painless checkout process. Therefore, lengthy checkout procedures with numerous stages and forms to fill may frustrate and slow down your customers.
Moreover, it may negatively impact user experience, and consumers may never consider purchasing goods from your site again.
Lack of Motivation
You want your site to inspire customers to take quick action by making a purchase. You can do this by letting them know that an item will be available for a limited time only. You can also offer attractive rates for the first few customers. Finally, use phrases and language that depict urgency such as ‘Now’, ‘Immediately’, ‘Instantly’, and ‘Today’.
Sufficient Information
Your site should have all the necessary information that the customer will need to make an informed decision. If a customer is uncertain about a particular issue, they are likely to abandon the purchase.
Forceful Account Creation and Registration
Some stores make it mandatory for consumers to create an account before making purchases. Forcing your customers to create accounts and register before making a purchase is the top reason for cart abandonment. This is because account creation is a lengthy process that slows down the purchasing cycle.
Also, some consumers don’t like providing personal information, especially first-time customers. The procedure may also be unnecessary if they are purchasing fewer items.
Limited Payment Options and Payment Security Concerns
Method of payment is an essential factor to consider when purchasing goods online. While some customers may be content with the default payment option, some may want to use the convenient options. Therefore, it is advisable to use several payment options to cater to the needs of every consumer.
If customers discover that you don’t accept their payment option, they will most likely abandon the cart.
Also, most customers are usually cautious when it comes to making online payments. Although you may have all security measures in place, some customers may not be comfortable entering their payment information. As a result, they will end up abandoning the shopping cart.
Website Crashes
Serious website performance issues like errors or crashes are likely to cause cart abandonment. Such issues can make consumers doubt the credibility of your business. They also hurt user experience, making them go to other sites to look for better services.
Moreover, website crashes may make customers fear inputting their payment information for fear of being double-charged.
Unsatisfactory Return Policy
Most customers want to get assurance that they can return items if they encounter issues after purchasing. Consumers usually get return policy information after adding products to their carts.
Most online shops have strict return policies. Some take too much time to accept your request, while others require you to pay for the returns.
Therefore, if the return policy is unsatisfactory, they will abandon the cart and go to other sites that cater to their needs.
Cheaper Prices on Other websites
Nowadays, consumers can easily find information on what they want with the help of the internet. As a result, they can compare prices from different stores offering the same good before purchasing.
If consumers discover a store that offers a similar good at a lower price, they’ll abandon the cart.
Excessive Upselling
Upselling is an excellent strategy to increase your sales. However, too much upselling when your customers are making purchases can affect their shopping experience.
Additionally, intrusive advertising diverts customers from their main agenda. Therefore, they may leave your site and go to one that offers them a more convenient and uninterrupted experience.
Displaying Prices in Foreign Currency
When displaying the prices of your items, consider the currency of the areas where your business operates. This is because some consumers don’t have the time and ability to convert the currency.
If customers cannot convert the currency, they will not know the actual price of the goods. As you already know, price is among the most important considerations when making purchasing decisions. Therefore, consumers are likely to leave your website and go to one which favors them.
Limited Shipping Alternatives and Slow Delivery
Shipping is an important consideration when making online purchases. Most consumers like their goods delivered to them in the shortest time possible. In fact, most people prefer same-day delivery, especially if they need the items urgently.
If customers discover that the items will take too long to reach them, they will abandon the cart and go to a site that offers fast delivery.
Similarly, customers prefer shopping with stores that give them a plethora of shipping options. If your shipping options are limited, they are unlikely to buy from you.
Lack Of Discounts and Offers
Discounts are an excellent way to coarse customers into making purchases. Most online shops are flooded with discounts and offers, and buyers are aware of this. Therefore, if your shop doesn’t offer discounts, they will leave your site and shop in another one.
Discounts and offers are an excellent way for customers to save up some cash.
Ways to Reduce Cart Abandonment
To reduce incidences of cart abandonment, you must identify the main reason that prevents your customers from completing the purchase process. Google Analytics is an effective tool that can help you track your visitors’ actions on your site. A Singapore SEO Agency can also use Google Analytics or any other efficient tool to monitors the visitors’ actions.
The first step is to create a conversion goal that will track the activity on your web page. You should then set up a template with a new goal that will track the purchasing process of a customer online. The goal setup should show the entire process from selection, payment to the actual checking out.
You can then set up a destination page where customers can be directed to making a successful page. The destination page could be a thank you page, which will show you a clear number of the successful purchases made. You should also have a list of the steps taken by a customer to complete the purchase together with corresponding URLs. This will help you monitor the exact movement and action of your online visitors.
Be Transparent on All Extra Calls
As discussed earlier, extra costs are a turnoff, and it is among the top reasons for shopping cart abandonment. The best way to handle this situation is by getting clear on all extra costs.
Informing your customers about the extra costs they will incur ensures they are psychologically prepared.
Here are ways through which you can handle this issue.
Add a price calculator tool to your site– It’s a good idea to provide a pricing calculator on the product or cart pages. Ensure to include all elements such as taxes and delivery costs. As a result, customers will not see themselves as profit-making machines. Instead, they’ll feel valuable to your business.
Utilize the Best-Price Criteria– Nowadays, shoppers are sophisticated. They often start by researching costs offered by different eCommerce platforms before making the final purchase. Therefore, it is advisable to provide them with lower prices compared to your competitors.
Set a free delivery threshold level– Sometimes, it’s advisable to offer free shipping in exchange for a certain cart value. Even if you’re giving percentage discounts, lowering delivery costs is also advantageous. Also, keep in mind that the free delivery limit should be within an acceptable range.
Improve The Speed of Your Website
The speed of your website impacts the buyer’s willingness to purchase goods from your site. The worst thing that could happen to a consumer during purchase is being unsure whether or not their order was successful.
A fast-loading page helps in eliminating this doubt. It also fulfills your customers’ need for a quick checkout process. This will delight your customers, and they will be willing to purchase other goods from your website.
You can do the following to improve the speed of your website.
- Upgrade your web-hosting service
- Optimize and reduce the size of your images
- Minimize HTML and CSS
- Utilize browser caching
- Use content distribution networks
- Reduce redirects
- Reduce server response time
To understand your website speed issues, consider using tools such as Pingdom and Google’s PageSpeed Insights.
Minimize The Checkout Process
Lengthy checkout processes can be frustrating. Therefore, it is advisable to reduce them.
To keep the process short, ensure you only as for important information. Such information includes the consumer’s name, delivery address, and most preferred method of delivery.
You can also do the following to ensure your consumer checkout process is successful.
Use progress indicators– Use a progress bar or other tools to show customers the steps they need to take to finish the checkout process. The progress bar also shows them where they are in the process at any given time.
Use animated Graphics– Data visualization is an essential process. It includes adding dynamic visuals at each stage of the purchasing process. This will make the journey more entertaining for visitors while they are in the cart.
The animated graphics will also help in keeping customers engaged as the pages load.
Ensure the back button is fully functional– Most individuals use their browser’s back button to cancel any activities they’ve undertaken on a website. If the back button is used for anything else other than canceling or back-tracking a step or process, it may cause friction.
Minimize alternate navigation at checkout– You need to be extra cautious with this one. It can only succeed once you’ve established a strong checkout process. If you do it earlier, customers will feel confused, and if they can’t quickly return to your business website, they may leave.
Build Trust Among Your Consumers
Shoppers always want to feel safe, especially when giving you their personal information like their credit card number or delivery address. Therefore, you need to earn their trust using methods such as trust badges and social proof.
Trust badges are tiny icons or symbols that inform users that their information is safe on your site. They include a money-back guarantee stamp or secure payment options, which you will find during the checkout process. Ensure you use these trust badges throughout your website and not just at the checkout.
Social proof includes posting other people talking about their experience after using your goods or services.
There are many forms of social proof. However, the most effective one is using social proof notifications. These notifications appear to the consumer when they interact with your brand online. Such interactions include:
- Registering for webinars
- Signing up for newsletters
- Purchasing goods from your website
You may find yourself wondering exactly how social proof notifications help to reduce cart abandonment. First of all, they help you build instant trust with your customers. Secondly, they make your customers experience FOMO. FOMO is the “fear of missing out.” Therefore, when they see other people enjoy using your products, they’ll want to try them out.
If you want to create compelling social proof notifications, consider using TrustPulse. This tool will help you develop notifications in a matter of minutes. It will also make notifications that match your brand’s style and voice. Moreover, you don’t need special coding skills to use it.
Offer A Reasonable Return and Refund Policy
Online buyers do not get the opportunity of trying or testing the goods before making a purchase. Therefore, to not scare them away, ensure you create a favorable return and refund policy. This way, your customers will be sure that they will not lose their money if the goods they receive are not what they expected.
Ensure you provide this information during the checkout procedure so they can decide whether to make the purchase or not. This will also help in building trust among your customers.
Send Your Customers Cart Abandonment Emails
When doing online shopping, many things can interrupt your purchasing process. It could be that your customer lost their internet connection or had to attend to an important matter. By the end of it all, they may not remember they were purchasing something.
However, you can remind them to complete the purchase by sending an email within the next 24 hours in case they have forgotten. Reminding your customers to complete their purchases shows the human side of your business and that they are essential to you. As a result, they will end up buying your products.
To make your cart abandonment emails effective, ensure you do the following.
Create a compelling subject line– According to Convince and Convert study, 35% of people click on emails based on what’s on the subject line. Come up with something intriguing and concise like “we have reserved this handbag for you!”
Add catchy graphics– Adding catchy graphics to your cart abandonment emails can work the magic. This is because people will be unable to scroll past these images, which may compel them to purchase.
Calculate your email series– Sending only one email may not accomplish your objectives. Therefore, consider sending about two to three emails to emphasize your message. You can also make your consumers feel compelled to act quickly by adding things like “items running out of stock.” However, be careful not to look desperate or annoy your customers.
Ultimate Solution to Recovering Abandoned Carts
According to statistics, only 3 out of ten online shoppers actually complete the checkout process. As a businessperson, some of your customers’ actions are out of your control; however, you can find creative ways to persuade customers to complete a purchase. Marketers including Singapore digital marketers can look for creative and persuasive ways to reach out to their potential customers.
If you have a high number of abandoned carts, you can opt to send an email to the customers as a friendly reminder of their incomplete purchase process. You can include attractive incentives and offers that will capture the customers’ attention.
Cart abandonment issues can drastically derail the growth of your business. Therefore, you should strive to monitor your prospects’ actions online and ensure they go through with the purchase. In most cases, customers may become distracted while in the process of making a purchase; therefore do not be afraid to send them a friendly nudge.
7 Shopping Cart Abandonment Solutions to Increase Conversions
A study by Statistica reported that as many as 88.05% of shopping carts were abandoned in March 2020. The shopping cart abandonment rates vary. However, the average figure hovers around 75%.
To put this into perspective, 3 in 4 of the people who have responded to your advertising efforts made it through the sales funnel and displayed a buying intent by adding an item to the shopping cart do not proceed to checkout.
So severe is this Shopping cart abandonment issue that costs the eCommerce industry $4.6 trillion in revenue each year. Many eCommerce sites face similar problems that result in shopping cart abandonment. The leading reason for shopping cart abandonment is high prices caused by shipping costs.
Luckily turning abandoned carts into purchases is possible through the various shopping cart abandonment solutions available to eCommerce website owners. Here we look at the best solutions to use to solve cart abandonment by potential customers.
We’ll be covering shopping cart abandonment solutions to convert abandoned carts into sales.
Email remarketing
Automated email remarketing campaigns are one of the most effective methods for recovering abandoned cart shoppers. The strategic automation of messages into the shoppers’ email addresses can recover and covert over 15% of the time.
Whatever the reasons leading to an abandoned shopping cart, reaching out to shoppers through email is one of the most effective ways of recapturing them.
However, it has become increasingly harder to capture the attention of your customer in their inbox. A challenge of abandoned card solutions is the typical application of such tactics by most eCommerce sellers. The tried-and-tested methods are becoming crowded, making customer attention harder to capture. Gaining the customer’s attention is, therefore, a crucial step in converting them into sales.
The Effective Abandon Cart Email Strategies include:
- Showcasing trust and credibility in your email. Social proof can help you turn first-time visitors into willing buyers. The best way to create social proof is using consumer reviews and ratings so that prospects can see evidence of successful purchases by other buyers. 88% of shoppers claim to have been influenced by a customer review before making a purchase.
- Shining the spotlight on a single product. In one of the email campaigns, single out a single product that the customer was most likely to purchase and focus your primary efforts on it. One way to single out such a product is by referring to your most purchased item.
- Rewarding loyalty. Loyalty programs such as reward points and discount codes are the most effective ways of getting repeat customers to complete a purchase. Sellers report a 36% to 600% increase in conversion when employing this tactic.
- Keeping a longer-term connection. Maintaining a constructive relationship with the customer is essential to future growth. Effectively doing this requires constantly providing value to the prospects through newsletters. Therefore, it is also necessary to ensure you get customer consent before sending them emails.
- Giving your emails a boost with other tools. Here are a few mediums and tactics you can use to boost your abandoned cart email strategy:
- Personal calls to your customers. Calling customers with a high cart value can be used to convert such prospects effectively.
- Use an ad retargeting tool to create Facebook ads to coincide with your email campaign.
- Text messages to consumers.
Retargeting ads
A Retargeting ad is 76% more likely to be clicked on by a consumer than a standard display ad. Retargeting ads aimed at shopping cart abandoners will increase a seller’s chance of making a sale. To get the most out of a retargeting campaign, it is necessary to follow a strategic plan that is well optimized to achieve results.
Steps to Implement an Abandoned Cart Retargeting Campaign
- Segment the various types of cart abandonments. Each customer has a different reason for abandoning a cart. Then, create other retargeting campaigns for each product, type of customer, i.e., repeat or the first time, and the value of the abandoned cart.
- Choose an advertising platform. Most e-commerce platforms have an abandoned cart email feature. Start by utilizing this for your retargeting campaign. Then, to scale the retargeting campaign, use social media sites such a Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
- Choose an optimal time and frequency to send retargeting messages. The key to retargeting campaigns is timing. Do not overwhelm the customer with messages nor delay sending them.
- Optimize your sales letter. An optimized, enticing, and result-oriented sales copy that directly speaks to customer’s objections increases the chances of converting a customer.
- Running a test to gauge the effectiveness of the campaign. An A/B test enables the seller to identify the effective gain in a retargeting campaign.
Retargeting can be effective, not only in recapturing sales through converting abandoned carts but also in building trust in the brand. A well-executed strategy is, therefore, crucial to increase sales.
Exit-intent overlays
When a visitor exhibits leave behavior, this clever technology detects it and displays a strategically timed overlay with a message encouraging them to stay. Exit-intent technology is one of the most dependable techniques to prevent shopping cart abandonment.
For example, suppose a consumer has already reached the checkout page and is considering leaving because the shipping cost is too high. In that case, a timely message offering free shipping for purchases over a specific amount could rescue the sale while simultaneously increasing the average order value.
Similarly, the specific onsite activity could indicate that a consumer is looking to compare pricing with another company. If this occurs, the exit-intent overlay may suggest a discount on the items they added.
It’s critical, however, that this technology is used subtly and based on a data-driven understanding of customer behavior; otherwise, it could irritate customers and cause them to leave permanently.
Transparent checkout process
Having a multi-step checkout process – the unknown length – can create uncertainty and confusion, kryptonite for customers. To help them feel secure knowing what step is happening when showing them a progress bar indicating where they are in the process.
According to Tidio, 21% of basket abandoners felt that the checkout should be more straightforward. For example, they might be concerned there’s no chance to review the purchase or make changes, so having a step marked ‘Review’ may help to ease concerns.
On top of this, the length of checkout is a significant factor in basket abandonment. A lengthy process might cause the customer to give up or get irritated, so letting them know how fast they are moving through the checkout process is essential.
Patch Plants, a plant delivery company, clearly outlines a 4-step process with its prominent progress bar at the top of the checkout. In addition, the order summary is visible throughout this site, so customers can be sure they haven’t made any errors in their order.
You can also see that extra costs are the main reason at the top of that list, which most of the time means shipping costs. To combat this reason for shopping cart abandonment, you need to be transparent about your shipping costs. Display them as early as you can, even on product pages, have a dedicated page that’s easy to access detailing shopping costs, etc.
Social proof
Whether a buyer is unsure about a purchase – for example, if it’s a large purchase or from an unfamiliar brand – building trust is a critical approach to alleviate the concern and prevent shopping cart abandonment.
In the world of online buying, 61% of buyers check reviews before making a purchase, and 66% stated they are more likely to buy something if it comes with social proof. Customers will feel more confident in purchasing if you use a well-known trust sign.
Because social proof is one of the most critical components in any transaction. Giving genuine feedback from other customers, such as a star rating or testimonials, is a beautiful method to build it. In addition, it is a fantastic method to provide customers the sense of security that social proof gives.
To assist build trust, make sure the trust badges and certificates are displayed under the payment details. In the website’s header or footer — employing these symbols throughout the consumer journey builds trust from the beginning.
Ratings and reviews can also be displayed at essential moments in the customer experience – for example, if consumers are comparison shopping, an exit overlay may prompt them to return to complete the transaction.
Diverse payment options
Another simple solution could mean the difference between missing out on a sale and cashing in has various payment alternatives. Make sure to offer as many payment options as possible to select the most convenient one for them at the time. It makes everyone feel catered to, and you gain greater credibility as a result.
To earn your clients’ trust, make sure to display security badges or logos as close as feasible to transaction forms. Customers will be uneasy about entering personal information and credit card numbers into a site that lacks the requisite trustworthiness.
Offering diverse payment options enables you to serve a variety of consumers’ needs. However, the upfront payment might be intimidating for some consumers, and it may impede them from purchasing at the moment in their customer journey when they want to.
Several third-party checkout partners allow customers to postpone, divide, or spread out payments currently available. Klarna, Clearpay, Laybuy, Payl8r, and a few others are among the options.
An example of a retailer utilizing this is Boohoo, a fashion retailer. They make these options visible during the browsing process so that customers may shop with confidence. Additionally, to alleviate worries about affordability, a suggestion to use payment choices could be offered for any consumers who appear to be hesitating at the payment stage of the checkout.
These choices are primarily geared at millennials who seek payment flexibility, and many of them do not use a credit card (up to 63 percent in the US, according to one research)—as a result, making large purchases can be complex, especially since many millennial shoppers prefer debit to credit.
As a result, providing these clients with access to shorter-term loans could be a highly successful method to attract them. This could also be advantageous to eCommerce businesses. If more payment options were available, 56 percent of shoppers polled in the Klarna Confidential Report said they were more likely to buy more. In addition, if more payment methods were offered, millennials were more likely to buy more.
These payment methods have swiftly gained popularity. They’re easy to integrate with all major eCommerce platforms, so if the costs are reasonable, they’re another fantastic way to reduce cart abandonment and boost average order value.
Live chat or chatbot service
Implementing live chat can boost sales significantly. It’s a fantastic way to boost conversion rates and increase ROI. It allows clients to communicate with agents in real-time and receive immediate responses, allowing them to make quick sales decisions. As a result, customers are more likely to return to a website that offers live chat than one that does not, according to 63 percent of respondents.
Live chat helps to get insights into real-time visitor analytics to help you target them effectively. For example, you can send personalized, proactive messages to your website visitors with the proper product recommendations, show them discount codes or chat with them to decrease the abandonment rates.
As a result, including live chat in your digital customer engagement strategy can help you reduce cart abandonment and boost sales.
Chatbots, also known as conversational bots, can be helpful in various ways, including greeting messages, lead generation, and appointment scheduling.
Chatbots may cross-sell and upsell, as well as give offers and discounts, giving your consumers even more reasons to stick around. This gives your clients even more reason to stay and complete the transaction. Chatbots can also save up to 30% on operational costs. So, in terms of preventing shopping cart abandonment, this is a strategy worth considering.
10 Superior Ways of Responding to Cart Abandonment Via Email
Earlier in this article, we discussed cart abandonment and the plausible ways of reducing the rate. All the hacks provided can help reduce the number of people who leave your Singapore e-commerce site after adding products to the cart.
However, statistics show that the best to reduce the cart abandonment rate is by reaching out to the customers via email. Don’t get it twisted, though; this doesn’t mean that the other six solutions are not viable; they are; it’s just that email delivers more results.
And so, let us look at ten ways to use email to encourage the customers to come back and complete the purchase. You won’t be disappointed by the results if you apply these tested and proven strategies.
Create an Emotional Subject Line
47% of people decide to either open, delete or mark an email as spam based on the subject line. Another study shows that 45% of follow-up emails sent by e-commerce stores to customers who abandon carts before checking out are opened and read.
Your best bet to getting your email opened and the desired action is taken by creating an emotional subject line. Consider the interests and preferences of the recipients when creating the subject line to get the best results.
More importantly, strive to elicit the right positive emotions by using the right words and not being too salesy. Here are some ideas for inspiration.
- Indicate a promotion or discount – % off
- Create curiosity – We have something special just for you
- Mention the product – Your AI-Powered Drone is Waiting for you in the cart
- Cart reminder subject line – Did you forget me
- Customer service inspired subject line – Need Help
- FOMO subject line – Hurry! Shop Now to Get 15% Off
Capture the Customers Email Address
Getting the shopper’s email address will not only help you target them with custom ads and discounts but also build your emailing list. Remember that 34% of online customers won’t hesitate to abandon the cart if they feel you are forcing them to create an account.
One of the sure ways of getting the email address is by using exit-intent popups. Be sure to design it properly to regain their attention, as shown below.
Another alternative is a simple checkout form that is devoid of compulsory fields.
Here are five web form design best practices that you should always adhere it to increase conversions.
- Make use of in-line form validation
- Instead of marking the required fields, mark the optional ones
- Use a progress bar to keep them glued to the page
- Display dynamic popups with simple instructions whenever a specific field is selected
- Use smart defaults based on the geolocation data of the shopper
You may have to experiment with different forms and exit-intent popups to find ones that best match your brand and customers.
Create Succinct Email Copy
Your email copy has the potent ability to either convince the customer that your product or service is the best in the market and they are missing out by not completing the purchase or chase them away to your competitors.
Therefore, it is essential to create succinct email copy that communicates effectively with the customers. It should be intriguing and action-packed, not dull and generic. Personalize it based on the available customer data, such as the products added to the cart.
Here are some hacks on how to create email copy that converts.
- Email preview text should be super creative as it is shown first in the email
- The subject line should have the customer’s name
- Spice it up with sensory words
- Use psychology such as FOMO and user-generated content
- Insert responsive, eye-catching product images
Just like the exit-intent popups and web form, take the time to test different email copy formats to find the best.
Ensure the Call-to-Action is Optimised
Your email copy needs a CTA to inform the recipient what they should do and expect when they click on the button. It’s arguably the most critical part of your email copy as it directs them to the first phases of the sales funnel.
Concisely, the role of the CTA is to transform general shoppers who had doubts about your product into valuable customers. Optimize it to get the desired response. Reduce the scope or degree of commitment by avoiding “buy” and “now”.
A CTA button that reads “Return to Cart” or “Resume Your Order” is more customer-oriented than “Buy Now” or other generic CTA that we see e-commerce stores use to recapture customers.
Be sure to use the right color in the CTA button. Green is one of the best colors for these buttons as it elicits positive emotions compared to other harsh colors such as red and yellow.
Frequency and Timing is Key
Creating a great subject line and a copy is the first step to winning back customers. The next step is deciding when to send the email. If you send it too soon or too late, you won’t achieve any results.
Online shoppers are 2.4 times likely to visit the e-commerce store and complete the purchase if they receive multiple cart abandonment emails. Going by this statistic, you have no reason to shy away from sending multiple emails.
The study also shows that customers who get more than one email have a 44% multiple transaction rate higher than customers who don’t receive the email at all.
Below is a classic sequence that you can use to send out cart abandonment emails. Note the results may vary depending on the nature of your business.
- First Email: 40 – 60 minutes after cart abandonment
- Second Email: 24 hours after cart abandonment
- Third Email: 3 – 4 days after cart abandonment
- Fourth Email (Optional): Two weeks after cart abandonment
The fourth email should not just focus on the products that the customers initially added to the cart but also the alternatives. At this point, your goal should be to offer choices or suggestions instead of recovering the cart.
Set Up an Abandoned Cart Email Series
Creating a compelling, unique, and customer-oriented abandonment cart email series will allow you to understand the different psychological traits of the target customers. This goal is achieved by creating a sense of urgency, providing alternatives to the products added to the cart initially, and showing how other customers feel about the brand and products.
Below is an example of an email series for inspiration. Please don’t copy; use it to develop one that matches your products and brand’s vision.
1st Email: 40 – 60 Minutes After Cart Abandonment
The concept of sending an email to customers soon after they abandon the cart is acceptable across many industries.
2nd Email: 24 Hours After Cart Abandonment
You would send this email if they did not respond to the first email. The goal is to create urgency and motivate the customer to spring into action. However, it should not ring any alarm bells just yet.
3rd Email: 3-4 Days After Cart Abandonment
The goal of sending out this email is to test the customers’ interest in the product left in the cart. Be personal and create urgency by using phrases such as “Your cart is expiring soon” or “The special discount is expiring soon”.
4th Email: 2 Weeks After Cart Abandonment
If the customer failed to respond to the previous three emails, it’s clear that something is off. They may not be interested in the product or the brand. Your goal should be to try and woo them back by providing alternative products.
Feel free to tweak this email sequence to suit your business goals.
Focus on Loyal Customers
Discount coupons work magic when it comes to recovering abandoned carts. You will be surprised by the number of hours online shoppers looking for discounted products and services. Some won’t purchase a product until the store offers them a discount.
Such expectations can hurt your profit margin, and so it’s imperative to determine how much discount you can afford to offer without straining your bottom line. Also, regular discounts slowly eat away the value of the product.
Prevent discounts from hurting your profits by investing in loyal customers. Here are some ideas on how to do it right.
- Determine the average order value (AOV) by dividing the total revenue accrued by the total number of orders. For purposes of this example, let’s assume is SGD200.
- Based on the AOV, determine the number of customers who deserve a 10% and 15% discount. For example, you can decide to only offer the discount to customers who have accrued more than 250 and 300 loyalty points.
- Group the customers who meet the above threshold
- Based on the two groups, create custom email campaigns for each of them. Make sure that you indicate the discount percentage.
Like other campaigns, monitor the results and be ready for a new stream of customers who will hear about the offer and join the bandwagon.
Target the Best-Selling Product
Assuming the shopper added five similar products to the cart before abandoning it. They do not have the same interest or purchase intent for all the products. When targeting them with email, it makes sense to focus on the best-selling product instead of highlighting all the products in the email copy.
Besides, they may abandon the cart because they don’t have enough funds to purchase them all at a go. Check the number of sales each product has achieved over the last couple of months to determine the best-seller.
In the email copy, highlight the key features that make it different and capable of amicably meeting the customers’ needs. Go the extra mile also to highlight the value proposition of the product. More importantly, spice up the copy with several positive customer reviews to create objectivity.
Focus on Establishing Credibility and Trust
In the competitive world of e-commerce in Singapore, two factors that will determine the trajectory of your brand are credibility and trust. With the plethora of options available, you cannot afford to duck competitors.
Convince customers that your products or services are the best by radiating credibility and trust in your cart abandonment emails. They trust reviews from other customers more than in-house reviews, so use user-generated reviews as much as possible in the copy.
Ratings and reviews influence 88% of buying decisions.
Maintain Cordial and Long-Term Relationships
One of the mistakes most e-commerce stores is investing a lot of time and resources in instant conversions. They forget the value of establishing cordial long-term relationships with customers.
In the context of email marketing, you are better off having a highly engaged small list than a massive database of users who rarely respond to your emails. Therefore, it is recommendable to focus on customers who independently decided to join the mailing list instead of random addresses. Such an email list pays the highest dividends compared to a generic list.
The cart abandonment email may result in a negative response from the customer, especially if they are not ready to convert or learn something negative about the product. As a professional e-commerce entrepreneur, you should respect their decision and don’t try to force a sale out of them.
However, it doesn’t mean that you should avoid communicating with them. You can email them about the cart but after several weeks. Just don’t bombard them with emails that you send out to the qualified leads.
Watch this video for more tips on cart abandonment email.
To sum it up
There are a variety of reasons why customers quit their shopping carts. Improving the customer journey is, as always, at the heart of increasing conversions. You’ll see a decrease in abandonment and an increase in recovered carts by successfully anticipating the customer’s thoughts, customizing your communications, offering transparency and help when needed, and giving people options to complete a purchase in the way they’d like to.
While you may never recoup all of the customers who abandon carts, the data show that the minimum expenditure required to reclaim those potential purchases is well worth it.
Get in touch with us for quality conversion rate optimization services in Singapore. We also offer digital marketing services that are custom-made to crank up your business online.
