Cart abandonment is one of the biggest issues that plagues eCommerce entrepreneurs, as it shows a lack of conversion from viewer to customer once individuals are met with the chance to check out. Ideally, customers should be excited and willing to complete their purchase without any other factors necessary for persuasion, however most viewers are skeptical about shopping from a new company online, and can be persuaded not to complete a purchase by a number of factors, including poor reviews or high shipping costs.
One of the best ways to increase conversion rates and reduce cart abandonment is through followup emails, reminding the would-be customer of the items they are leaving behind. Unfortunately, many companies fail to capture their viewer, as their cart abandonment emails are not intriguing enough to persuade viewers to read them. In order for cart abandonment emails to work effectively, customers have to read them, which they likely won't do if the email's subject line is boring and unrelatable.
Subject lines should be relatable, and should entice the customer to return to their cart and check out. Ideally, three followup messages should be sent to customers before assuming they have officially abandoned their cart, as only one followup message is not often effective.
Imagine a site visitor putting items in their cart, only to realize they cannot afford them with shipping. They leave the cart, intending to check out in a couple of days when the customer has gotten paid, but once that day comes, the would-be customer has forgotten about their purchase. While many cart abandoment situations are the result of skeptism or concern on part of the buyer, in many cases it is also the result of buyer circumstance. Remind buyers of their cart several times within the week after they have created their cart, as this will remind interested customers of their would-be purchase.
For those who left their cart due to skepticism, the challenge is a bit harder. These individuals will need to be convinced that they should complete their purchase, which can be done through exclusive shipping or pricing options. That being said, sending a customer a coupon does little if the customer doesn't open the email containing it. Therefore, catchy subject lines are everything when designing effective cart abandonment reminders.
It's important to instill feelings of urgency and exclusivity in email subject lines. For example, sending an email with the subject line of “An item in your cart is selling fast, time is running out!” will be very effective, as customers tend to respond to a sense of urgency moreso than many other marketing strategies. Many buyers have a fear of missing out, and therefore purchase items that are “running out of stock” without question, as compared to items they feel they can purchase at any time.
Some other catchy subject lines include variations of the following:
- “We missed you!”
- “You left something in your cart…”
- “Thank you for visiting our store…”
- “Still deciding? We've saved your cart.”
- “Are you forgetting something?”
Anything that will instill a sense of curiosity or urgency in the customer will be effective at catching their attention and converting abandoned carts into sales. The most important factor to remember is that while catchy subject lines are important, continually informing customers of their cart is key. In many cases, would-be customers have legitimately forgotten to complete their purchase, which can be remedied with a well-planned cart abandonment email strategy.
