When a visitor looks at a product or adds an item to their cart and then leaves, you send them an email to encourage them to come back and finish shopping. But what about the ones who simply visit your website before abandoning it?
See how you can more effectively target these active on site visitors — plus check out real examples of emails that brands use to drive visitors back to their site.
What is active on site?
Website abandonment — also known as active on site tracking — takes place whenever a known contact returns to your site without completing another action. So what does that look like?
A site visitor subscribes to your email list, receives a welcome email, and comes back to your website — but doesn’t view a product, add an item to their cart, or checkout. They simply view your homepage or other non-product page and leave.
With an active on site automated flow, these visitors would trigger a “Thanks for stopping by!” type of email to help boost your marketing efforts and add incremental revenue to your existing abandonment email strategy.
Active on site vs. browse abandonment
Similar to browse abandonment, an active on site event occurs when someone visits your site. The difference between the two is that active on site events are at the top of the funnel because they don’t view a category or product. Here’s how that hierarchy looks, from top to bottom:
- Active on Site
- Category View
- Product View
- Add to Cart
- Checkout Started
Visitors who land in the active on site flow need to be treated a little differently than with other types of abandonment, so we’ve put together some best practices to help you get the best results.
Best practices for active on site
From the subject line to the email content and images, each component of your active on site campaign needs to be designed to bring subscribers back to your site. These emails might not be as direct as product or cart abandonment campaigns, but that doesn’t mean you should skimp on providing value to your audience.
Here are 7 areas where you can create engagement.
Email subject lines
You only get one first impression, so make it a good one with an engaging subject line. These should be top-of-the-funnel subject lines that encourage the visitor to view more on your site.
Check out these 10 examples of subject lines that are sure to bring them back:
- Still looking?
- Thanks for stopping by!
- It never hurts to look…
- Eyeing something? 👀
- You’ve got to see this…
- Did you see something you liked?
- Take another look…
- You clearly have great taste
- Did you find what you were looking for?
- You’re going to love these
- We know you’re thinking about it…
Subject lines that focus on them “looking” at homepage content are always a good idea with this type of flow. Also, use A/B testing with the subject lines to see which ones are performing the best to improve the performance of future campaigns.
Preview text
While the subject line is often the first content your subscribers will see, don’t forget the importance of the preview text. That shows up either next to or below the subject line in their inbox, so it needs to pique their interest.
Here are 7 examples of preview text for an active on site email:
- Let us help you find the perfect match!
- Check out more of our top picks
- Enjoy a special offer…
- Recommended just for you — don’t miss out!
- Let's find what you need
- Grab them while they last!
- Come back and find your next favorite!
Always send yourself a test email before finalizing the campaign to check the preview text (along with the rest of the email) to see how it’s showing up on different types of devices.
Content
Crafting solid subject lines and preview text will help get subscribers to open your emails. But what’s inside the email is really what will make or break the campaign.
One tried-and-true method of getting these subscribers back to your site is by reminding them about what you have to offer. From your bestsellers to new products, use this email to feature items they’re sure to like.
Besides products, you can also create content that helps visitors get to know your brand a little better. For example, include what makes your brand stand out from the competition or quotes from stellar customer reviews, like in this email from Sling.
Another effective strategy is to set up a conditional split where one side of the flow offers a discount for new prospects (ex. 15 percent off), while the other side offers free shipping for customers who have placed an order before. That ensures everyone receives an incentive, regardless of their past history.
If you have a welcome email that goes out to subscribers after they sign up, the content in an active on site email should be different. The active on site campaign goes out after they’ve signed up, received the welcome email, and returned to the site. So, be sure to keep the content varied.
No matter the type of content, be sure to include a discount code and clear call to action (CTA) button to drive them back to the website (more on CTAs below). Remember: If you track conversions from your discount codes, make sure it’s unique to this email flow.
Images
Show visitors what they’re missing out on by incorporating visual elements in the email design. From popular product photos to eye-catching GIFs, images are a great way to break up the text and engage with them. Bonus points if you can tie your photos in with your text like in this email from StrangeLove.
Call to action
Like with any other email marketing campaign, you’ll want to include a clear CTA in the active on site email. This button or link should take them back to the site to continue looking at — and hopefully purchasing — what you have to offer. You can have a CTA with each product, a single one at the top, or place the text on an image.
Frequency
When setting up your campaign’s flow, we recommend creating an email series of 2 to 3 emails for the active on site flow spaced 1 day apart.
If you want to create a more general experience, you can clone your browse abandonment flow for this series and update the subject lines and content (just make sure that if you are featuring products in those emails that those products are also visible on your homepage).
Unsubscribe
Be sure to include an Unsubscribe link or button somewhere in the email to make the process as easy as possible for your subscriber. Like with any email marketing campaign, you don’t want to force people into receiving your messages.
Most Unsubscribe buttons are found in the email footer. But wherever you place it, make sure it’s easy to spot and click. You don’t want them to report your email as spam because they can’t easily unsubscribe.
Active on site email templates
Ready to convert website abandoners into revenue but need some inspiration for the campaign? Check out these active on site email template examples.
Brondell
Everyone loves a good deal, which is what Brondell is banking on for this email campaign. It’s short and sweet but includes all of the key components needed to engage subscribers.
Surreal
Who says cereal has to be boring? This email from Surreal not only makes their product visually appealing, but it also reminds subscribers that the flavor is popular — and they shouldn’t miss out on snagging a box for themselves. With fun CTAs and a few five-star reviews, this email packs a punch that’s sure to drive some traffic back to the site.
Coyuchi
Taking more of an evergreen approach, Coyuchi uses their website abandonment email to share why their organic offerings are best for customers and the environment. They draw subscribers in with the subject line, “Thanks for stopping by. Please allow us to introduce ourselves…” The email is heavy on images and CTAs, giving visitors plenty of opportunities to return to the site.
Saltair
Saltair combines a brand introduction with some of its most popular products to encourage subscribers to head back to their site. They share some of their product ingredients, how those help, and then showcase the products with CTAs for each. The lead image also features a range of skin types, showing their lineup is for all women.
Alala
When a subscriber visits your site again, let them know how excited you are to see them. This email from Alala helps the visitor see what’s new with the brand’s products and reminds them about some of their perks — like free shipping on certain purchases and a rewards program.
Mecene
Keeping the focus on what the brand does for its customers, Mecene puts their offerings front and center. They also include products in the email, but they tie it into the overall “about us” vibe, which makes the overall messaging cohesive.
Made Trade
This email from Made Trade doesn’t waste any time getting down to business. The brand starts out strong with a discount code and then features some of their best-selling products. They also highlight a few things that make the brand special to round out this campaign.
Pourri
Another example of a discount code being the main focus, the email from Pourri highlights the coupon both at the top and toward the middle of the campaign. The brand also includes photos of some of their top products, along with “Shop Now” links for each.
Get more from active on site
Any opportunity to increase your revenue with abandonment campaigns is a win. And with Retention.com’s Reclaim product, you can boost those results even more. Here’s how!
Klaviyo’s active on site metric tracks whenever an identifiable browser visits your website. It can identify top-of-the-funnel visitors for as long as their 7-day cookie is active. But after that window closes, the ability to track known visitors declines.
With Reclaim’s Active on Site tracking, you can increase the number of unique profiles you identify by 80 percent and recover lost Klaviyo events. It’s a real win-win!