If you’re new to the ecommerce world, the number of abandoned shopping carts you’ve seen thus far is probably alarming. Before you become distraught and give up on your dreams, take a deep breath. Believe it or not, 99% of buyers have absolutely no intention of buying the first time they visit an ecommerce site.
See there? Everyone experiences a 1% success rate for first-time visits. Everyone has filled shopping carts that never make it through the checkout process. If you’re not going after those shoppers and wooing them back, you’re not the only one. Studies show only 25% of companies send emails to shoppers who abandoned their carts. And now you can, too.
Here’s the plan:
Discover WHY
Carts are abandoned for a wide variety of reasons. You don’t have to know the exact reason each individual person walked away from the purchase. You just need to know why most do. The number one reason for everyone surveyed is surprise shipping costs. The second complaint is that a new user account with the website was required.
Without knowing why shoppers abandon their carts, you can’t fix the problem. Take a look at the top reasons so you can start putting a plan in place for all of them.
Catch Them Before They Go
An exit pop-up message could solve the problem before it starts. Sometimes your visitors will spend so much time shopping that they’ll forget they found a few gems and put them in a shopping cart. They may also navigate away to see what other companies offer and forget to come back for the items they wanted to buy from you.
If you program a pop-up window to remind them of their full basket, they’ll probably finish the purchase. Then you don’t even have to worry about what comes next. If they still exit without buying, it’s time for the next steps.
Set Up Your Email Strategy
The companies that are sending emails after a shopper abandons their cart don’t waste any time. Of the top 500 ecommerce companies, nearly 59% of them reach out within 24 hours after abandonment occurs. The second 500 companies are even more aggressive, with 75% of them sending emails within a day. The strategy is effective, since 72% of people who abandon carts come back to make their purchase within 24 hours, and 50% of those buy within an hour of abandonment.
So, what should your email timing look like? If 50% of buyers come back within an hour of abandoning their carts, how many more would buy if you sent a reminder email? Your next email should go out 24 hours later. Even if the buyers don’t come back after 24 hours, that doesn’t mean they’re gone for good. A study on cart abandoners shows that 99% of them did come back to purchase within two weeks. That means an email at two weeks isn’t a bad idea, right?
Use Images and Clever Copy
When you send your email, be sure to grab their attention right away. This email from Old Navy reminding me of my abandoned cart is a perfect example of clever copy that will stop a reader in her tracks. Then, just underneath, take a look at the second email they sent within 48 hours. With great copy, you leave a lasting impression—one that just might prompt a sale.
The images will serve to remind the user what they wanted to buy in the first place. If they spent an hour shopping several different sites, they probably forgot which pair of jeans they loved and put in a cart for later purchase. You’re just being nice by reminding them, right?
Plan a Remarketing Campaign
The use of cookies allows you to track visitors to your website. With a remarketing campaign, you can greet those visitors in ad space on future sites. Some consumers consider this a little creepy, so you must be careful with the information you use in your remarketing efforts. For instance, pointing out when they visited and what they almost bought might pique their “ick” meter. Instead, you can give gentle reminders by just being present.
If you want to also remind them what they placed in their shopping cart, be sneaky about it. Set up revolving images for the remarketing campaign so they’re met with general information sometimes and target information others. This allows you to prod a customer into purchase without creeping them out.
For most of these tasks, you need an ecommerce platform that has all your wants, wishes, and needs covered. Does your site help you capture abandoned cart information so that you can reach out and close the deal? If not, it’s time to find a new platform. When you’re ready, we’re here to help.
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