Let’s just cut to the chase and jump right into it. How to make a winner abandoned cart email?
What would really make a winner abandoned cart email is one that not only gets opened but also makes the customer finish the sales?
After a lot of research, trying and testing and gallons of coffee, here’s the ultimate answer
The ultimate blueprint of a winner abandoned cart email.
A winner abandoned cart email has eight essential, without which it would fail:
Example of a bad subject line
- Write a kickass subject line that will make them want to click
According to Jay Baer, 35% of email recipients open email based on the subject line alone. Make your subject line catchy and inviting. Your subject line should be clear, personalized and maybe witty.
Include your brand name in the subject line itself. This can either be done by putting your brand name in the subject line or the sender’s name.
Personalize your emails. Personalization is not a big deal. Including the recipient’s name in the subject line may not be so much of an eye-catcher anymore, but it is a definite requirement. Since most marketing emails do that, it is almost offensive not to personalize an automated email. A simple “Hey Sarah, you forgot something” is way more personal than “Dear valued customer…” But personalization may not be limited to just name. One could also personalize based on the items in the cart. Something like “Hey we’re holding the Betsy Polka Dot dress for you” works wonders too.
Create a sense of urgency. “Hurry! Your cart expires in 24 hours!” creates that urgent need to take action right now.
Make it exciting. Appeal to the excitement about the product. The reason it landed in the shopping cart was because the buyer wanted to buy it. Re-kindle that excitement by a subject line like “Hey Judy, remember how much you wanted to buy this?”
Don’t be afraid to make it quirky. Chubbies shorts has this amazing subject line that says “Lemme teleport you back to your cart. Free of Charge” So, experiment, get quirky, and get funny. Don’t be afraid to let out the naughty in you. But make sure you still convey the point clearly.
- Include your website navigation and invite more purchases
It is possible that your customer left because he no longer wanted the item so much. So what do you? Simple, invite them to look for more. Your navigation bar might just be the inspiration they need to shop more.
Adding your website navigation also gets them back to the state of shopping by visually triggering that part of their memory. Either ways, it is a great way to get them back to your site for some more purchases.
- Remind them of the products left behind
This is an absolute essential. Remind them of what they were buying. Include as many details as possible. Mention the quantity, the colour, the size or other variations that they selected. Oh, and include pictures. People often respond better to pictures than text on its own. They remind them of why they wanted to buy that item.
Black milk clothing, attention grabbing abandon cart.
- Write a copy that will make them want to buy
Your copy is what will make them want to click on that button and finish the sale. The goal is to create the need to buy those products that they left behind. Make them feel that they need to return to their basket now.
There are several ways of going about it.
Get cute. Black Milk Clothing uses a cute puppy face with the words “Why did you leave me?” The copy also have sentences like “that gear in your cart is lonely :( And cold” It’s so cute you want to go back and cuddle it.
Get quirky. Chubbies Shorts has sentences like “Even the guy casually taking in the sights in the image above. Clicking him will also take you to our site”
Stay simple. Simply something like “Hey Jon, we noticed you left some items in your shopping cart.” Does the trick too.
Choose a tone that works for you (and your brand). No matter the tone, your copy must include the following few things:
- A reminder that they left a few items in their bag/ cart
- The fact that they liked them enough to put them in the bag
- They should take some action now or else they will be gone. The urgency could be created by prompting that the cart will expire soon or the items will go out of stock. Something like “the items in your basket are unreserved and may soon run out of stock” will also invite urgent action
The trick here is to be helpful, not pushy, and definitely not wordy.
Chubbies “Teleport me to my cart”
- Invite action (‘cos that’s really the point)
So, an abandoned cart email without a call to action is pointless. Luckily, there’s only one action you’d want the user to take, go to the cart and finish the purchase. Make your CTA button prominent. Use a contrasting colour, a catchy text and a working link. Remember to make the CTA’s in sync with your copy. For example, Chubbies Shorts (Yes, I love the Chubbies email) have a CTA that reads “Teleport to your cart” as their subject line is “Lemme teleport you back to your cart. Free of Charge”
- Suggest some more items they can buy
Abandoned cart emails can be a great way to upsell your products. It is possible that your buyer decided not to buy the products in his cart after all. You could simply offer him alternative products that fall into a similar category. Product recommendations are a great way to increase the value of your cart and to encourage customers to complete their sale.
Psst… make sure you include pictures.
- Include reviews for added social proof
Giving social proof has proven to significantly impact purchasing decisions. Having reviews and ratings for your products naturally makes them more credible and favoured. Why not include your best review to tilt the scales and further encourage the buyer to complete the sale? Choose a small, positive review for the product in the cart and display it along with it in your email.
- Don’t forget to expand your circle
If you haven’t yet added your social media buttons as a footer to your emails, it’s a great time to do so now! Put clickable icons of Twitter, Facebook, and all other social media accounts you have. Spread the word, connect with your customer base and make it grow via social media.
That’s it! Your winner abandoned cart email is ready! Go out there and get those lost sales back!
The extra cookie tip: Timing is key when it comes to abandoned cart campaign.
According to SalesCycle’s research:
So, make sure you don’t wait too long before sending them that mail.
Go get ‘em champ!