Cart abandonment happens more often than you might think. The average abandonment rate is 70-80 percent depending on your sector, but it is rarely the end of the shopping experience if you take action.

Emails prompting customers to return to a site and complete a purchase, so-called abandoned cart emails, can be extremely effective and are a cornerstone of e-commerce email marketing. According to SaleCycle, cart abandonment emails are opened by the recipient in about 46 percent of cases and about 35 percent of those clicks lead to sales. At the end of the day, every abandoned cart email you send is worth $5.64 in revenue.

The trick is that you have to send the right email at the right time. Timing is one thing. Ometria writes that cart abandonment emails sent in the first 20 minutes that someone abandons a cart have a 5.2 percent conversion rate while those sent in the first hour have a 4.5 percent conversion rate. Wait 24 hours before you send an abandoned cart email and the conversion drops to 2.6 percent.

The other side of cart abandonment emails is that you have to send the right one. Here are five abandoned cart emails for Shopify that you can start using today:

The Reminder Email

At its most simple, an abandoned cart email reminds customers of what they left in their carts. This could take the form of a list of the items in their cart or include photos of the same. In either case, the goal in this email is simply to remind your customers of the purchase they had considered.

Example:

“You left something in your cart. Are you ready to complete your purchase?”

A reminder abandoned cart email can be very effective, because sometimes abandoning a cart is unintentional. According to Statista, 24 percent of all cart abandonments happen because the website went down and another 21 percent because the process took too long. Sending a reminder could find your customer at a more convenient time and ready to make the purchase. It gives you a chance to offer assistance as well, just in case there really is a problem with your website.

The Promise Email

You can also send a promise abandoned cart email. This email tells your customers that you are holding the items in their carts. Often times, this message mentions something that could make the customers think that they could miss out, either because the cart will expire or the items will sell out. It is a call-to-action that has the added allure of a limited time offer presented as a helpful act.

Examples:

• “We are saving your shopping cart for you.”
• “Don’t miss out. Your items are selling out fast.”
• “Your cart will expire in 24 hours.”

It helps assure the customer that his or her items are still there and still available at the same price as before, but only if the customer acts now. You aren’t saying “buy now.” You are saying that you noticed that the customer liked these products and should know that they could sell out fast.

The Joke Email

Of course, cart abandonment emails can come across as a sales pitch if you aren’t careful. To this end, you need to make sure that you have copy with personality. This can take a couple of forms — you have probably seen them yourself. The first is a play on words, usually one that reiterates some aspect about your company, products or mission. Other forms of joke abandoned cart emails draw attention in an unexpected way or could speak irreverently about what would happen if the customer missed out on the product.

Examples:

• Travel company: “Don’t let this offer pass you by.”
• Clothing company: A meme of someone on vacation with a caption that asks “Where did you go?”

The Thank You Email

Another cart abandonment email option is to simply thank the shopper for visiting. This format lets you say that you noticed these would-be customers stopped by your site and you’re thanking them for taking a look around. Many companies use this cart abandonment email to open conversation about any questions or concerns the customers may have.

Example:

Clothing store: “Thanks for stopping by. If you have any questions about our fabrics or fits, give us a call or reply to this email. We have clothing experts standing by to help you make sure you get exactly what you want, every time.”

The Discount Email

Lastly, there is the discount abandoned cart email. In this message, you would simply offer the customers a special coupon code to complete their purchase. The percentage or discount can be as high or low as you like. The idea is simply to entice the customers to make a purchase. In addition, the discount can be tailored directly to the customers and the products they viewed.

Examples:

• “Ready to buy? Complete your purchase today and save 15 percent.”
• “Come back now and save an extra 20 percent on all women’s clothing.”

Shopify calls cart abandonment emails “a bonus marketing opportunity” because your customers are already interested in your store and recently picked out a product. They are a captive audience for your abandoned cart email messages in a way that traditional e-commerce email marketing just can’t top. With the right abandoned cart message, you can turn cart abandonment into a sales stream.

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