How to Master Abandoned Cart Emails?

What Is an Abandoned Cart Email?

Shoppers sometimes put items in their online shopping carts but then leave the website without buying anything. Abandoned cart emails are messages sent to these customers to remind them about the items they left behind and encourage them to finish their purchase.

These emails usually have a friendly tone and show pictures or descriptions of the items left in the cart. For example, if you’ve ever started buying something online but didn’t finish, you might have gotten one of these emails. The first email is often a gentle reminder. The second one might say something like “Your order is about to expire!” The third email usually includes a coupon or discount to entice you to come back and buy the items.

Small stores sometimes send these emails by hand. If that takes too much time, there are ways to set up automatic emails to make the process easier.

Why Should I Send Abandoned Cart Emails?

Sending emails to remind people about the items they left in their online shopping carts is a smart move for online stores. Here are some reasons why it’s a good idea:

Get Back Lost Sales: Sometimes people leave things in their cart and forget to buy them. An email can remind them to finish shopping and help the store make more sales.
Better Chances of Making a Sale: These emails go to people who already liked the items and put them in their cart. They are more likely to buy compared to other people who just visit the website.
Stay Connected with Customers: These reminder emails help keep your store in the customer’s mind and encourage them to come back and shop more.
Make It Personal: You can include the customer’s name and show them the exact items they left in their cart. This makes the email feel special and more relevant to them.
Offer Special Deals: You can include discounts or special offers in the email to encourage customers to complete their purchase.
Learn from Customers: These emails can help you understand why people aren’t finishing their purchases, so you can make improvements to your website or products.
Easy and Low-Cost: Once you set up these emails, they can be sent automatically. This means you can save time and money while still making more sales.
Stay Ahead of Competitors: Not all stores use these reminder emails. By using them, your store can do better than others that don’t.

Overall, sending abandoned cart emails is an easy and powerful way to increase sales, make customers happier, and learn more about what they like and don’t like.

Common Reasons for Shopping Cart Abandonment

There are several common reasons why people leave their shopping carts online without buying. Some of them include technical issues, security concerns, unexpected extra costs associated, change of mind, and more. Let’s learn about them in detail below:

Unexpected Costs: Extra fees like shipping, taxes, or other costs can surprise shoppers, making them leave the site without buying.
Complicated Checkout Process: If buying items takes too long or is confusing, people might give up before finishing.
Account Creation: Some websites make customers create an account before buying, which can be annoying and cause them to leave.
Security Concerns: If shoppers don’t feel their personal and payment information is safe, they might not complete their purchase.
Comparing Prices: Shoppers sometimes add items to their cart to compare prices on different websites, and then leave to look for better deals.
Lack of Payment Options: If a website doesn’t offer the payment method a shopper prefers, they might abandon their cart.
Technical Issues: Problems with the website, like slow loading times or errors, can frustrate customers and cause them to leave without buying.
Change of Mind: Sometimes, shoppers simply change their minds about buying the items.

Abandoned Cart Email Best Practices

As a brand, store, or company, you would not want your customers to abandon the shopping cart in between while making the purchase. Therefore, to prevent your customers from doing so, you can send automated emails reminding them to complete their purchase. For that, you can simply follow some of the tips to draft emailers. These include:

Timing: Send the first email soon after the shopper leaves their cart, usually within a few hours. Send another email a day later and a final one a few days after that.
Subject Line: Use a catchy subject line to get the shopper’s attention. Examples are “Don’t forget your items!” or “Complete your purchase!”
Personalization: Include the shopper’s name and mention the items they left in their cart to make the email feel more personal.
Clear Call to Action: Make it easy for the shopper to return to their cart with a big, obvious “Complete Your Purchase” button.
Highlight Benefits: Remind shoppers why they wanted the items. Mention any perks, like free shipping or easy returns.
Offer Incentives: Offering a discount or free shipping can encourage shoppers to finish their purchases.
Mobile-Friendly Design: Make sure your emails look good and are easy to read on phones, as many people check their emails on their mobile devices.
Social Proof: Include customer reviews or ratings of the items to build trust and encourage the shopper to buy.
Multiple Emails: Use a series of emails instead of just one. The first can be a gentle reminder, the second can add urgency, and the third can offer a discount or incentive.
Testing: Try different subject lines, email designs, and incentives to see what works best. Keep improving based on the results.

Best Abandoned Cart Email Examples

Now that you know what an abandoned cart email is, let’s look at some great examples to get inspired by.

Casper

Subject line: Did you forget something?

Casper sends emails when you leave something in your online cart. The subject line, “Did you forget something?” makes people curious and want to click. Inside, the email uses the playful headline “COME BACK TO BED” to grab attention.

Casper’s email is simple and easy to read, with a clear button that takes you back to checkout. They also include customer reviews to show that their products are worth buying and give you a chance to see more reviews if you want.

Rudy’s

Subject line: Don’t let free shipping go to waste

Rudy’s sends a funny follow-up email. The headline “Don’t put this off like a software update” is something many people can relate to because if you don’t update your software, it can cause problems. The idea is that you don’t want to miss out on your items.

Rudy’s includes pictures of the items you left behind and offers free shipping to encourage you to complete your purchase.

Whisky Loot

Subject line: Your cart is sobering up

Whisky Loot uses humour in their cart reminder emails. When someone leaves a subscription box in their cart, they get an email with the subject line “Your cart is sobering up.” This funny and unique subject line can make more people open the email.

The email starts with a question and lists funny things you can do with the whiskies. This makes readers laugh and imagine themselves using the items. Whisky Loot ends the email with a FAQ section and a button that says, “TREAT YOURSELF.”

Nomad

Subject line: Nomad Gear is Selling Out Quick

Nomad’s email makes people feel like they might miss out on something if they don’t act fast. The subject line encourages people to click and check it out. The email has on-brand images and explains how to recover your cart.

They address a common worry by saying, “Afraid to Make the Leap?” and explain their return policy and two-year warranty. This helps build trust and shows that Nomad stands behind their products.

Dollar Shave Club

Subject line: Where did you go?

Dollar Shave Club is known for its fun and friendly marketing. Their abandoned cart email is no different. The subject line is short and makes people curious.

Inside, the email uses bullet points to quickly list why their razors are good. The images show what you get in their monthly box. They also offer a 100% money-back guarantee to remove any doubts and encourage people to complete their purchase.

Conclusion

Abandoned cart emails are a smart way for online stores to remind customers about items left in their shopping carts and encourage them to complete their purchases. These emails are friendly and often include pictures of the items, making them feel personalized. Sending these emails can help recover lost sales, keep customers engaged, and even provide insights into customer preferences. By following best practices like timing, personalization, and offering incentives, businesses can effectively increase sales and customer satisfaction. Learning from successful examples like Casper, Rudy’s, Whisky Loot, Nomad, and Dollar Shave Club shows how creativity and customer-focused strategies can make these emails effective tools in e-commerce.