How to optimize your abandoned cart email journey?

An abandoned cart refers to an online shopping cart that a customer fills with items but leaves before completing the purchase.

In other words, the customer adds products to their virtual cart on an e-commerce website but does not proceed to checkout and finalize the transaction.

This is commonly seen in the e-commerce industry and can occur for various reasons, such as unexpected costs during checkout, a complicated or lengthy checkout process, distractions, or simply a change of mind by the customer.

Abandoned carts represent potential lost sales for businesses, but they also offer an opportunity for optimization and recovery through targeted strategies aimed at encouraging customers to complete their purchases.

How to bring back customers?

So, how exactly can you bring back these potential customers who left items in their carts?

Well, one of the most effective methods is through strategic email marketing. Let's explore the best practices you should keep in mind when creating your abandoned cart email journeys.

Cart abandoned is a common occurrence in e-commerce, with studies showing abandoned rates as high as 70-80%. Email journeys provide an opportunity to remind customers about their abandoned carts and encourage them to complete their purchase, thereby recovering potentially lost sales.

Abandoned cart email journey

When setting up an abandoned cart email journey, it's recommended to incorporate four emails into the sequence. This structured approach has been found to yield positive results, with an expected conversion rate (CR) of around 8%.

1. First Email (Sent after 15 minutes): The journey begins with the first email, which is sent promptly after 15 minutes of the customer abandoning their cart. This initial email serves as a timely reminder and aims to capture the customer's attention while their interest is still fresh.
2. Second Email (Sent after 2 hours): Following up on the initial email, the second email is sent approximately 2 hours later. This email provides another opportunity to re-engage the customer and may include additional incentives or offers to entice them back to their cart.
3. Third Email (Sent after 24 hours):The third email is dispatched around 24 hours after the second email. At this stage, it's a good strategy to offer a more significant incentive, such as a 10% or 15% discount on the abandoned items. This strategic move aims to increase the likelihood of conversion by providing added value to the customer.
4. Fourth Email (Sent after 72 hours):The fourth and final email is sent approximately 72 hours after the customer enters the abandoned cart email flow. This last email serves as a final reminder and may emphasize urgency or scarcity to prompt action. It's the last opportunity to capture the customer's attention and encourage them to complete their purchase.

Summing Up

By implementing this structured approach, you can effectively re-engage customers who have abandoned their carts and increase the likelihood of recovering lost sales. The combination of timely reminders and enticing incentives helps to guide customers back to their carts and ultimately drive conversion.