Strategies To Improve Your Abandoned Cart Email Results
There are plenty of things businesses can do to improve the outcome of their email marketing campaign. Check out a few suggestions to get started.
Digital marketing is essential in the tech-first world we live in. There are many types to invest in. One of the most lucrative types is email marketing. While many dismiss email as on its way out, email as a communication platform grows each year steadily.
There are many email types brands send out to their customers. One of the most lucrative email types to send out is an abandoned cart. Abandoned cart emails automatically trigger when a customer puts something in their cart and does not complete the checkout process.
These can be very beneficial and bring customers back to complete their purchases when done strategically. Here are a few strategies to improve your abandoned cart email results.
Segment
Segmenting emails is a great strategy regardless of the email type. For abandoned cart emails segmenting allows brands to address the reason for the cart abandonment. Many companies make the mistake of assuming every customer who abandons their cart due to price point when there could be many reasons for it.
Segmenting allows brands to separate customers into groups based on the perceived reason for the abandonment. Here are a few examples of reasons a person may not complete the checkout process.
- The price point of the products
- Shipping costs
- Forced account creation
- Security concerns
- Slow delivery options
- Website performance issues
- Lack of payment methods accepted
There are countless other reasons a potential customer may abandon their cart instead of completing a purchase. Consider segmenting into sections of first-time buyers, second-time purchasers, and frequent customers. These groups often have a different motivation for abandoning carts. Segmenting them helps to address the issues of each group to increase.
Find the segmentation that works best for your business through trials and adjust the strategy as needed based on metrics.
Focus on Subject Lines
The subject line of emails can make all the difference in whether the user opens it or not. The subject line must accurately convey what the email is about while grabbing the user’s attention. Crafting a compelling subject line is no easy feat.
First, step away from the metrics and remember that your subscriber list contains real people, just like you. Consider what compels you to open an email from a brand. Chances are, they may prefer similar things.
Stepping away from the data for a moment to remember the human aspect is vital, but don’t discount data entirely. Pay attention to which subject lines get opened and which do not. Allow this information to help guide future subject lines.
Another way to improve subject lines is to keep them short and to the point—over half of all email users open emails on a mobile device. Subject lines must be optimized for mobile usage, meaning you should keep them short and digestible. Sentences that take up too much of the screen look clunky and unappealing and can even become truncated.
Follow the Data
The data email marketing provides brands is invaluable. It can inform many decisions about email marketing and beyond. You get to learn about your target audience and discover more about what they respond to.
Use the data gained from previously sent emails to inform when and what to send going forward. Open rate, click-through rate, and conversion rate are all vital metrics to watch closely. It takes time for enough data to gather for a brand to base decisions on, but it should always act as a guide.
When it comes to abandoned cart emails, pay attention to what amount of time is the most optimal to wait before sending. Most abandoned cart emails find success within the first hour after abandonment—but this 60 minute time window is critical to experiment with. Note the data from statistics and from your campaign to find the best return possible.
Use a Responsive Format
As mentioned earlier in this article, most email users are using email on their mobile devices, such as their cell phones. This screen is significantly smaller than a desktop screen. Even if a brand curates everything about an abandoned cart email perfectly, it will not drive conversions if the design is not responsive.
The optimal experience with email is opening the email and being able to see every aspect of it. Unnecessary scrolling from side to side to read copy or zoom in or out to see an image is enough to drive someone to delete the email.
Investing in a responsive format is essential to allow your copy and graphics to shine and elicit positive responses from your customer base.
Consider a Series
Sending a series of emails can help to boost conversions over time. Sometimes a single email is not enough to convince a shopper to come back and complete the checkout process and another push to make the purchase.
Sending out multiple abandoned cart emails can help to remind the customers and incentivize them to come back to your site. For example, the first email in the series could be a regular abandoned cart reminder. The second then may touch on inventory levels or offer a discount or another incentive. If that second email still does not convert the customer, a third one can act as a final call to action before accepting the abandoned cart and hoping to see the customer again soon.
Personalize
Personalization is something that does not work for every business but can work wonders for some. It is something worth testing for your brand. Consider adding personalization to act as an attention grabber for your users.
Another personalization option is to include the user’s name in the body of the email. Addressing an email to the specific person helps them feel the connection between them and the brand is mutual.
There is also the option of personalizing through ad copy and segmentation. Suppose a particular group of your customers prefer emails with a specific tone, segment, and send. There are so many ways to make emails more tailored to the personal customer, which helps increase conversion rates and brand connection.
Focus on Timing
Timing is the most crucial aspect of an abandoned cart email. The first 60 minutes after the customer abandons their cart are the most vital. Send out the email in the first hour after the abandoned cart for the highest chances of bringing them back to complete the purchase.
Many companies deal in email marketing for eCommerce sites of all sizes. Logical Position, a nationwide digital market company, has a successful email marketing division based out of their Chicago office. The company services over 100 clients. The manager of email marketing, Jeremy Vale, said, “It is timely and super targeted. They are very effective because they connect with the individual with what matters most to them at the time.”
He emphasized how much timing matters. Setting up the email to send out quickly after an abandoned cart is the best option for ensuring no conversions slip away.
These are just a few strategies to improve your abandoned cart email results. Consulting with a professional email marketing agency can help you identify potential areas of improvement for all types of emails, including abandoned carts. Maximizing your return on investment through email is possible with the right strategy and timing.