Studies on the subject all point to the same result: the abandoned cart rate is relatively high in e-commerce. According to SaleCycle84% of customers do not complete their online purchases. In other words: they put the products in the basket and go no further.
This represents 4 out of 5 baskets.
And it’s not getting any easier, since other studies show that basket abandonment is increasing year on year (+2% between 2022 and 2023 according to Barilliance).
A real scourge for online store owners, you need to take this problem very seriously if you want to improve your sales.
We tell you everything you need to know about cart abandonment and how to turn prospects into customers.
What is an abandoned cart: definition
If you’ve ever shopped on the Internet, you’ve undoubtedly put items in your shopping cart without going any further.
This is the abandoned cart.
To put it simply: an abandoned shopping cart occurs when an Internet user selects several products, places them in the shopping cart and then abandons browsing before making a purchase.
Whether the prospect stopped immediately after placing the order in the shopping cart or before finalizing the order process, it’s an abandoned cart.
To calculate your cart abandonment rateyou can divide the number of orders by the number of baskets created.
Of course, it’s interesting to know when a customer abandons items in the shopping basket and why.
What are the main reasons for cart abandonment before purchase?
There are many reasons why prospects may not complete the order process. Some depend on your site and your order process, while others are linked to the behavior of web users.
In fact, it’s not uncommon for a potential customer to put products in the shopping cart just to compare several sites. If it turns out that your price is too high compared to your competitors, this can generate cart abandonment.
What’s more, we’ve noticed that some people don’t like to create an account. In this case, an obligation of this type may encourage them to give up browsing your online store.
While it’s possible to test other methods and pricing policies to encourage your potential buyers to go further, it’s going to be difficult to change web users’ behavior. Thereby, this type of cart abandonment should not worry you more than that.
That said, there are other main reasons for cart abandonment that require an urgent response on your part:
- Additional costs and final prices too high (including delivery);
- No secure payment ;
- Few payment options;
- Few delivery options;
- Complex ordering process.
In e-commerce, these examples are major disincentives to purchase, and can impact your brand image. So we need to find a solution right away.
The abandoned cart email: a good e-commerce practice that will win you a few customers
One of the most effective ways to bring customers back to your online store is to relaunching abandoned shopping baskets.
Obviously, if your e-commerce site has structural or technical problems, or an overly complex order process, sending an abandoned cart email won’t help.
However, according to Growth Angels, a successful relaunch of abandoned shopping baskets achieves a 44% open rate and an 11% click rate, of which 1/3 will result in a purchase..
You’ve got it: reminder emails are powerful marketing tools that e-tailers should use without hesitation in order toimprove their conversion rate.
How do I send a reminder e-mail to a customer after an abandoned cart?
The main purpose of the follow-up email: make your prospects want to come back to your site to finalize the purchase of the product in question.
To do this, you need to send them a personalized email that encourages conversion.
Based on tests, it’s estimated that 3 follow-up emails are needed to bring back a customer. Setting up a automated dunning scenario is therefore necessary.
In the first reminder mailYou remind your customer that he’s forgotten to complete his purchase. The content of the message should be appealing and include a link to your website (and the product in question). That’s why it’s recommended to save all unfinished baskets. It is advisable to send this email within a day or an hour of the shopping cart abandonment.
If the first reminder e-mail wasn’t enough, send a new one 24 hours later with a promo code/discount and an easy way to find the shopping cart. (a direct link). Don’t hesitate to use elements of reassurance (free returns, for example) and to instill a sense of urgency in your customer with a simple but precise phrase.
Some say that the 3rd reminder mail must follow the second one by a day, while others prefer to send it a few days later. Run tests and study the results. In all cases, and don’t hesitate to reintroduce a new promo code if you wish. if you wish.
Creating an abandoned cart reminder email: examples to follow
For inspiration, here are a few examples of reminder e-mails that combine a number of best practices: https://www.brevo.com/fr/blog/exemples-emails-relance-panier-abandonne/
To sum up:
- Keep the design simple and to the point;
- Insert call-to-actions in the right place;
- Use a notion of urgency with a promo code that expires in a few hours and/or scarcity with a possible out-of-stock condition;
- Work on the subject line to make your customers want to open your email;
- Don’t hesitate to remind your customers of your various advantages (reassurance elements);
- Use cross-selling wisely by proposing other similar products (in case the customer hasn’t seen them);
- Be original (if it fits in with your brand communication).
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