How these 11 brands are nailing cart abandonment emails

Cart abandonment emails, which notify a consumer about a shopping cart with products left in it, can be very effective in improving a brand’s conversion rate. But as with all types of email marketing, you need to get the approach just right in order to have the best chances of success.

It’s common for consumers to browse several sites until they are ready to proceed to a purchase. They may even add products to shopping carts, but forget to complete the order.

Cart abandonment is therefore a persistent problem for ecommerce brands, reaching a global average of 76.9% for Q2 2017. Why are consumers so hesitant to check out, to the extent that less than a quarter of them actually manage it?

According to Baymard, 61% of US online shoppers have abandoned a cart when they found out that the additional costs for their purchase were too high. 58.6% of respondents also said that they were abandoning a cart because they were not ready to buy yet.

However, the same report indicates that brands still have reason for optimism, as the conversion rate can be increased by 35.26% with an improved checkout design.

Source: SaleCycle

Cart abandonment emails, which notify a consumer about a shopping cart with products left in it, can be very effective in improving a brand’s conversion rate. But as with all types of email marketing, you need to get the approach just right in order to have the best chances of success.

Let’s look at 11 brands who are really nailing cart abandonment emails, and what retailers can take away from their techniques.

Net-A-Porter

Net-A-Porter have opted for a gentle approach to remind their consumers about incomplete purchases. This way the brand avoids an aggressive sales approach that could wind up putting customers off completing their purchase.

Along with some information on the product that was left in the cart, the brand also provides 6 reasons for people to shop through their site. This serves as a great reminder of what the site has to offer and how it can help its customers.

Kate Spade Saturday

Kate Spade Saturday’s cart abandonment email excels in branding and copywriting with its simplicity, and also reminds customers that they won’t have to fork out for any additional costs for shipping – or for returns if the product isn’t to their liking. In other words, what do they have to lose by checking out?

The design facilitates the call-to-action,increasing the chances of grabbing the recipients’ attention.

Levi’s

It’s common for cart abandonment emails to include a discount or a saving coupon, in an attempt to entice consumers to complete a purchase. Levi’s sends similar emails to reduce their cart abandonment rate, offering a discount for a limited time.

This can be an effective way to increase conversions, as it creates a sense of urgency, while also showing appreciation to potential customers by offering the products at a lower price.

ASOS

ASOS wanted to focus on simplicity with their cart abandonment strategy, and so created a simple and clear email to remind their customers to complete the order.

With the visual content placed at the center of the email, the image serves as a strong reminder of the product, while the footer that offers additional details about free shipping and easy returns can help consumers move towards a purchase.

Moreover, the copy creates a sense of urgency, encouraging consumers to purchase the product while it’s still available. This is a common yet effective method in ecommerce to increase sales and ASOS seems to be aware of the best way to use it.

Bonobos

Bonobos certainly know how to create a unique cart abandonment email. The brand uses their authentic tone to create an appealing email that grabs the consumer’s attention right from the title. Moreover, the copy focuses on offering help, while the call-to-action is clear and aims to increase conversion with the direct approach.

This makes a great combination of authenticity, engaged customer service, and clear CTA, a strategy that can increase conversions through such emails.

Warby Parker

Warby Parker aims to maintain the brand’s tone in this cart abandonment email, reminding consumers about the product in the cart with a soft approach.

Moreover, after making it clear that there’s no pressure to purchase, the visual content hopes to create a conversion, by showcasing the product in an appealing way.

The structure of this email is common among cart abandonment strategies, especially when brands aim for a gentle approach that still encourages consumers to complete a purchase.

Starbucks

Starbucks decided to rely on visual content to create an engaging email, using the image to create a clever result. Moreover, the suggested products at the end of the email increase the chances of having a completed purchase from each consumer.

Adidas

Adidas created a cart abandonment email that speaks to its audience. The usual motivational content is now encouraging consumers to complete a purchase before they lose the product.

The strategy also taps into the emotion of urgency, creating an excellent template that stays true to the brand’s tone of voice.

Nasty Gal

Nasty Gal decided to use a clever and appealing email to remind its consumers of their incomplete purchases. The tone of voice reflects the brand, while the urgency and the clear call-to-action increases the chances of a conversion.

Aeropostale

In this cart abandonment email by Aeropostale, the focus is not on the product in the consumer’s cart, but on the quirky image and the limited-time free shipping offer. Notice how the pattern on the model’s T-shirt co-ordinates with and draws attention to the ‘SHIP ON US’ lettering.

The overall effect is designed to make customers smile, reinforcing the brand’s fun image – and enticing them back to complete their purchase before the free shipping runs out.

Dollar Shave Club

Dollar Shave Club is known for its unique brand and its humorous approach, so expectations are already high. Fortunately, its witty and clever cart abandonment email more than justifies this reputation.

As Dollar Shave Club is a subscription product, the company needs to persuade customers to complete more than just a one-time purchase; they need to commit to spending money over a longer period. Dollar Shave Club achieves this by urging customers to “join the club”, making them feel like part of a bigger community – and shows off the different types of razor they can get at the same time.

How to create successful cart abandonment emails

If we had to summarize what we’ve learned from these stand-out examples of cart abandonment emails, we’d offer the following tips.

Know your audience

The first step to a cart abandonment email strategy is to learn as many things as possible about the recipients. Find out about the language they use, their habits, the best times they’d like to receive such an email and the best way to encourage them to complete an order. The best way to maximise conversion is to think like your consumers.

Don’t be annoying

It’s important to find the best time to send each email. The first email can be sent 24 hours after the customer’s incomplete purchase, with a second email after 3648 hours. Also, it’s useful to create a copy that is not sales-focused, as it reduces the chances of a conversion with a direct push towards a purchase.

Personalize your emails

It’s useful to segment your consumers by creating different emails. This way you increase the chances of effectiveness by creating relevant copy for each audience. Personalization can also occur in the ways to encourage an action, from increased visual content to clever copy that may appeal to a specific target group.

Add value

One of the best ways to increase conversation rates from cart abandonment is to offer genuine help and value with your emails. Whether it’s a discount code, free shipping, or additional customer support, consumers like to feel important – so show them why you value their custom.

Use automation

The most effective way to create successful cart abandonment emails is to set up an automated process. A series of 23 emails that have to be sent at a specific timeframe for each customer can be time-consuming, but automation technology can make the process faster.

Moreover, sophisticated technology can indicate the best times to send each mail, helping brands up their conversions even further.

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