How to Write Abandoned Cart Email
The eve of Christmas 2008, was the very first time i visited the website of eCommerce giant Amazon, i was super exited, went through all my favorite category, added as much product and toys as i wanted and then tap my cart icon at the very top right to go checkout, maybe i though everything was going to go for free till i was asked to add my card …Haha. Subtotal of goods in my cart was about $600, and guess what? “I bounced”. Another Abandoned cart, but little did i knew.
“Abandoned cart is an ecommerce term used to describe a visitor on a web page who leaves that page before completing the desired action. Examples of abandonment include shopping cart abandonment, referring to visitors who add items to their online shopping cart, but exit without completing the purchase.”
Abandoned cart emails are one way to convert lost business and turn a lost prospect into a brand enthusiast.
For an abandoned cart workflow, the emails could be structured like this:
- Email 1: Cart reminder (sent a few hours after cart abandonment)
- Email 2: Follow up (sent a few days later)
- Email 3: Promotional discount (sent a few days after email two)
According to Omnisend, a series of emails works 63% better than a single email for abandoned cart emails.
Whether you send one email or implement a full drip campaign, there are a few best practices to keep in mind when planning an abandoned cart email. For example:
Timing
Send your abandoned cart emails within a few hours after a customer abandons their cart. You don’t want the prospect’s desire to go down your before sending your email or starting your drip campaign. The customer’s journey from product selection to to abandoning the cart should show you they desire the product but for some unknown reason abandoned the cart.
Personalization
Abandoned cart emails should be personalized to the customer you’re sending them to by including the items that were left in their cart and addressing them by name.
CTA
Your abandoned cart email should encourage customers to complete their purchase. For example, the CTA might be something like “Continue where you stopped” “Buy Now” or “Resume Your Order.” Example below
Copywriting
The copy should be straight to the point, concise, and compelling. Great copywriting is interesting enough to entice someone to complete their purchase.
Subject line
Your subject line should be interesting enough to get people to open the email. For example, using something like discounts, humor, or questions could intrigue the customer enough to click. If you wanted to include a promotional offer, your subject line could be something like “20% off all purchases.”
Social proof
You can use reviews and testimonials to strengthen your branding and create more desire among customers who abandoned their cart. For example, including reviews in your abandoned cart emails for specific products can tempt someone to purchase.
Bottom line is
Undoubtedly there are many different approaches to the abandoned cart email. I suggest A/B testing different variations to see what works for your audience. Do they prefer personalized emails? Discounts? Humorous text? It’s important to find out.
Abandoned cart emails can create brand enthusiasts and delights customers at every touchpoint. With stellar copywriting and branding, you can earn your customer’s trust and loyalty.
