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Abandoned carts can be the bain of a Shopify eCommerce brand’s existence. Imagine being a brick-and-mortar store and having people walk in, fill up carts, and then simply walk out, leaving a jumble of filled shopping carts near the front door.
It happens in the outside world too, but it's epidemic online. And these abandoned carts represent billions in lost revenue. That’s why every Shopify and Shopify+ brand should have a strong abandoned cart plan as part of their overall retention marketing strategy.
This article will look at some of the top reasons that shoppers abandon their carts, and what you can do to not only minimize abandonment but also to get some of those shoppers back in to make the purchase.
Why, oh why, do they do it?
Shoppers don't feel a sense of urgency to complete their purchase when they're just browsing an online store. They can always come back later and buy the item, so there's no need to act now.Second-guessing the purchase
Will this item really be worth it? Is it the best quality? Do I really need it? shoppers may have doubts about an item before finalizing their purchase.
Online shoppers can get easily distracted by other tabs, notifications, or emails. Once they click away from your website, they may not come back.
If the checkout process is too complicated or takes too long, shoppers get frustrated. This one happens plenty in the physical world as well.
Obviously, it’s hard to control for some of the reasons above. You can’t keep a shopper from getting distracted by an email or call, can you? So you focus on what you can control. Oh and don’t worry, we’ll show get to how you win back those distracted shoppers later.
Let's focus on #4 above - a complicated checkout process. What are some of the main reasons consumers find checkout processes too complicated?
Online shoppers want to be able to check out quickly and easily. If there are too many steps involved in the process, they will likely abandon their cart.
How can e-commerce brands avoid having too many steps in their checkout process?
Some websites require users to create an account before they can checkout. Many shoppers simply do not want to create an account in order to complete their purchase. If this is a requirement, they will likely leave your site and find a similar product elsewhere.
What is your solution to this? Allow guest checkout. You can still capture vital information like name, address, phone and email, which every shopper expects to have to give to make a purchase. Once you have this identifying information, you can continue to market to them and convert them to account holders down the road.
Nothing is more frustrating to an online shopper than finding out there are hidden fees at the end of the checkout process. These unexpected costs can cause shoppers to abandon their purchase altogether. This can include things like shipping or VAT that were hidden from the customer until deeper into the checkout process.
You can solve this by being transparent early in the cart process as to what fees will be included, or simply add them to the total cart cost as the customer is shopping.
If the layout of the checkout page is confusing or difficult to navigate, shoppers may become frustrated and abandon. Keep it simple - customers should be able to easily go back a step and make changes without losing the inputs they have already made. Don’t make them enter info twice. The road to purchasing should be clearly marked and easy to get to.
If the shopper is having trouble inputting payment options, they will likely prefer to buy from a competitor that has ApplePay, Paypal, or other widely-used and easily automated services. Some people simply find that getting their credit card out of their wallet is more daunting than just finding the product on another site with easier checkout options.
This one is a no-brainer, but you should be employing every mainstream payment option out there.
But even if you work against all of the above, shoppers will still abandon carts… it’s just a fact of eCommerce life. What’s a brand to do about it?
Capture abandoned cart user identity, and bring them back with email and SMS marketing.
Email marketing to cart abandoners will help get them past some of the other stumbling blocks mentioned in the intro, like a lack of sense of urgency, or second-guessing the purchase. It can also help recapture shoppers who simply got distracted before they checked out.
You can send a series of email reminders, each with a different offer or incentive, to encourage them to come back and complete their purchase.
This is just the tip of the iceberg though…
Fortunately, we have a trove of resources to help you out at every turn. Check out these articles for deep dives on the following topics:
You should find everything you need in those links to build a robust marketing program around abandonment flows.
There’s still one question in your head, though… how do I even identify who these abandoners are if they haven’t signed up or purchased something from me in the past?
Retention.com specializes in retention marketing and e-commerce solutions, including cart abandonment and re-engaging potentially lost customers. We provide one-click integrations with leading marketing automation platforms.
Our dashboard features a user-friendly interface to easily connect to any email marketing application in under a minute. Retention’s integrations automatically update and suppress contacts daily.
We can help you reclaim up to ten times more abandonment revenue by leveraging industry-leading Identity Resolution technology. When an unidentified customer abandons a cart, we identify them. Then a personalized flow automatically triggers in the messaging platform.
Scale up your abandonment flows and improve your retention marketing strategy. Get in touch with Retention.com today to find out how we can help.
Email marketing can be a powerful tool in getting shoppers to come back and complete their purchases. By using email subject lines, images, videos, and countdown timers, you can create a sense of urgency that will encourage abandoned cart email conversion. And by offering discounts, coupons, and free shipping, you can provide shoppers with incentives to come back and buy. So if you're looking to recapture lost sales, email marketing is a great place to start.
If you're a Shopify or Shopify+ brand and you don't have a solid abandoned cart recapture program, chances are you're leaving a lot of money on the table.
It's estimated that brands on Shopify miss out on around 70% of their potential sales due to shoppers abandoning their carts alone. This represents a massive segment worth targeting. But how do you capture, identify, and bring them back to seal the deal?
Let's walk through it.
Set up robust email retention and retargeting plans. What is retargeting? It’s making sure the right email goes to the right person at the right time. This is actually the hard part, even though it’s not that difficult.
It really comes down to a few things:
Okay, that may be a bit oversimplified. Want to know more? We've got you covered.
Fortunately, we set up a trove of resources to help you out at every turn. Check out these articles for deep dives on the following topics:
Now, the easy part...
Most marketers probably think this is the hard part, but it’s actually much easier than you think. The answer? Work with Retention.com.
Retention.com specializes in retention marketing and e-commerce solutions, including cart abandonment and re-engaging potentially lost customers. We provide one-click integrations with leading marketing automation platforms.
Our dashboard features a user-friendly interface to easily connect to any email marketing application in under a minute. Retention’s integrations automatically update and suppress contacts daily.
We can help you reclaim up to ten times more abandonment revenue by leveraging industry-leading Identity Resolution technology. When an unidentified customer abandons a cart, we identify them. Then a personalized flow automatically triggers in the messaging platform.
Abandoned cart emails are a powerful tool for Shopify brands looking to boost sales and close more deals.
By setting up an automated email sequence and offering a discount or other incentive, you can bring interested shoppers back to your site and convert them into paying customers.
Just make sure you're capturing everyone who stops by, not just those who sign up. And keep an eye on your metrics so that you can continue to optimize your emails for maximum effect.
If you run an e-commerce business, especially on Shopify or Shopify+, then you know that abandoned cart emails are an essential part of your email marketing strategy.
These emails are designed to reach shoppers who have put an item in their cart and then left without purchasing. And while they may seem like a small thing, abandoned cart emails can make a big difference in your bottom line.
In fact, one study found that the average abandonment rate for all e-commerce businesses is 69.23%. That means that for every 100 people who visit your site, almost 70 of them will leave without making a purchase. Ouch.
But it doesn't have to be this way! With a few simple tweaks to your email automation flows, you can increase your sales and recapture lost revenue.
Here's how:
The first step is to make sure you have email capture forms on all of your product pages. This seems like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised how many e-commerce sites don't have email capture forms on their product pages.
Beyond email capture forms or other capture incentives (like discount offers, etc), you can leverage retention marketing tools like retention.com. When an unidentified customer abandons a cart, we identify them. Then a personalized flow automatically triggers in the messaging platform.
The second step is to set up automated flows in your email marketing system. There are a variety of ways to do this, depending on which platform you use. Retention.com provides one-click integrations with leading marketing automation platforms. We've even got a guide for how to set one up on Klaviyo.
We’ve written extensively on how to build out strategies for a variety of automation flows including cart abandonment and browse abandonment.
But a flow is incomplete without the content, so you have to...
The third step is to actually set up your emails that will be triggered by the automated flows.
Of course, number one among all the tips is to create a sense of urgency in your abandoned cart emails. Remember, these customers have already shown an interest in your product by adding it to their cart. So all you need to do is give them a little nudge to seal the deal. You can do this by offering a discount code or by highlighting the benefits of the product. You can also try using images or video to show off the product in action.
We have a great resource for cart abandonment templates and tips as well as browse abandonment email templates and tips. Dig in to get inspired!
The fourth and final step is to make it easy for the customer to complete their purchase. This means including a direct link back to the product page in your email and making sure that the checkout process on your site is quick and easy. You also want to make sure that there are no roadblocks along the way that could cause the customer to abandon their cart again. By following these simple steps, you can increase sales and recapture lost revenue with ease!
To unlock the vast segment of consumers that you have yet to identify and capture (ie: cart and browse abandoners, work with retention marketing professionals. It’s less expensive than you may think, and can bring anywhere from 20-40x ROI.
Retention.com specializes in retention marketing and e-commerce solutions, including cart abandonment and re-engaging potentially lost customers.
Our dashboard features a user-friendly interface to easily connect to any email marketing application in under a minute. Retention’s integrations automatically update and suppress contacts daily.
We can help you reclaim up to ten times more abandonment revenue by leveraging industry-leading Identity Resolution technology. Allowing you to engage personalized flows to a vast new network of interested prospects, all while building that valuable first-party dataset.
Scale up your abandonment flows and improve your retention marketing strategy. Get in touch with Retention.com today to find out how we can help.
Abandoned carts are inevitable if you run an e-commerce business. But with a few simple tweaks to your email automation flows, you can increase sales and recapture lost revenue.
Ask anyone with an e-commerce site what’s one of their main pain points, and abandoned carts will probably be toward the top of their list. It hurts to see a shopper add a product to their cart, only to leave your site before ever following through with their purchase. (That's why we're going to give you tons of abandoned cart examples!)
Cart abandonment is an issue no matter your brand’s industry or size. The average cart abandonment rate is 70 percent, and some companies have rates above 80 percent. So yea, abandoned carts are a big issue.
While these numbers may seem high and overwhelming, there are several things you can do to help lower yours and help people complete their purchases. That’s why we’ve put together tips, techniques, and abandoned cart examples that will push shoppers to convert.
Here’s some of what we’ll cover in this guide:
To stop shoppers from leaving their carts before making a purchase, you first need to understand why this happens so you can then fix or prevent the issue.
To create a compelling campaign that drives them back to your site to finish their purchase, you first need to understand why they abandoned their cart. While you aren’t going to know each shoppers’ specific reasons for leaving (unless they leave you feedback, which is amazing!), you can learn about the most popular causes of cart abandonment.
Then, take steps to prevent or reduce the issue so that they don’t have a reason to leave their items unpurchased. (These can also help with browse abandonment.)
These are the Top 10 reasons online shoppers abandon their carts:
Luckily, you can do something about most of these issues.
Now that you understand what causes them to ditch their carts, you need to focus on eliminating those reasons as much as possible. We’ll dive into each reason shoppers abandon their carts and give you a way to prevent those issues from happening.
If a shopper puts a $20 item in their cart and then sees a $40 total when they go to check out, they’re not going to be too happy about it. That’s because it’s unexpected. And instead of searching to see what all of those extras costs are, they’re probably just going to close out of the site.
We know not all fees are avoidable (though you can include some of those costs in the product cost so there are fewer surprises). If you have to include them, let them know before they ever get to their cart. For example, run a banner at the top of your page that says “Shipping starting at $4.99.”
They shouldn’t be too surprised by taxes since those are pretty much the same across the board, but do what you can to eliminate other fees — or at least let them know earlier.
Consumers want the checkout process to be as quick and painless as possible. They don’t want to spend another five minutes filling out your forms to create an account after they’ve added items to their cart: They’re ready to make a purchase and be done.
So, instead of requiring them to create an account before checkout, give them the option to checkout as a guest. That saves them time if they aren’t interested in creating an account with your company right now.
You can, however, let them know if they create an account, you will save their information (address, billing, etc.) so that it’s all there for the next time they make a purchase. That allows you to put the decision on them.
Again, this goes back to people wanting the process to be as quick and easy as possible. Don’t make them jump through a dozen hoops to make a purchase. Only ask for the information you need (ex. address, billing, name, etc.), and keep it all on one screen so they know how much they will have to do.
No one wants to open their cart and see a total price they weren’t expecting (unless it’s lower, of course). And no one is going to keep a running tally in their head of how much all of their items cost.
To help them keep track of their costs, show them a pop-up similar to what Old Navy does in this example. They show the product details for what was just added, along with the subtotal for all of the items in their cart at the bottom.
We know delivery is a tricky thing right now during the pandemic, but that won’t always be the case — and people want their items, like, yesterday. So, offer them different shipping options with different pricing options for each. Let them control how quickly they want to receive the package and if they’re willing to pay more for it to come sooner. If it’s a priority to them, they will pay more to have it shipped earlier.
A shopper is only going to give their personal information to someone they trust. So, it’s important you build that trust with them before they go to make a purchase. Here are a few ways to show consumers it’s safe to give you their information:
It’s pretty obvious someone isn’t going to complete their purchase if the site isn’t actually working. We know all bugs can’t be prevented, but make sure you go through the checkout process to identify any possible issues. And when there are errors or the site’s down, show customers a message that you’re working to get the issue resolved.
Making a purchase online can be a bit scary for consumers, considering they’ve never seen the product in person. That’s especially true if they’ve never made a purchase on your site before or the item costs a little more.
Make sure to state what your returns policy is on the cart page and on your homepage. For example, you could put a banner that says “Free returns within 60 days” on your page, or whatever your policy is. Many brands are also extending their returns policy right now due to COVID, so you can also do that to show you care about your customers.
People like options. And when it comes to payment options, you want to give them enough so that one fits their needs. In addition to the major credit cards, you can also include methods like PayPal.
We know you can’t control if a customer’s card is declined. But by offering a variety of payment methods, like we just mentioned, that may help them find an option that will work for them.
Of course, you can do all of the things on this list and still experience cart abandonment. Maybe they found another product they liked better, or they were never that serious about making a purchase.
However, by fixing these abandoned cart examples and reasons, you can greatly reduce your abandonment rate. Once you’ve taken the time to resolve those potential problems, you can move on to focusing on bringing shoppers back after they abandon their carts with these email marketing techniques.
One of the best ways to convince consumers to visit their carts and complete their purchases is with email campaigns. And we’ve got plenty of abandoned cart examples to show you!
Remember the example we showed you above from Old Navy about giving the cart subtotal whenever a shopper adds an item to their cart? Well, this is the cart abandonment email we received after leaving those items behind. It arrived a day after we put the items in the cart and exited the site.
Here are some of the things we love about this abandoned cart example:
This email really packs a punch in terms of content, photos, design, and touching on some of the main issues that could have caused the shopper to abandon their cart.
While we are pleased with the email overall, here’s something that could have taken it one step higher:
Here’s another abandoned cart email example that was sent about a day after we left a product in our cart. Target likes to use a popular tactic of reminding them about the product by lowering the price. Check out these other techniques used in the email:
Whatever they left in the cart should be the main focus of the email. However, we feel like this email would be better if:
This email from PinkBlush mixes a sense of urgency with showing the customer what styles are popular right now (and reminding them they have great taste). From “There’s Still Time” and “Don’t wait any longer” to “More Hot Styles,” this email packs a punch with a simple approach.
The brand also uses social proof by showing other popular items, along with a star review for them. That’s a great way to get them back to your site if they weren’t sold on the original item in their cart — or as an up-selling tool.
And here are some other things we love:
One thing this email is missing:
With a clean, simple design, this email perfectly matches the look and feel of the brand’s website. Everlane sells timeless pieces that go right along with this email campaign. There’s not as much to look at in this example, but there’s still plenty to enjoy about it:
To make this email even better, they could have done these things:
When a shopper opens this email, it’s clearly from Alex Mill, and we aren’t just talking about the logo that’s at the top. The font also matches what’s on their website, making the email a cohesive extension of the brand. A few other things we liked about this email include:
What we think would make this abandoned cart example even better:
Perigold leads off the email with, “The perfect piece is still in your cart,” in large text. That’s then followed by a smaller font that reads, “And it looks even better up close. Why not bring it home?”
We like how they have the main text and then more copy below that. There’s also a menu bar at the top so shoppers can easily access any of the brand’s departments. Check out these other components we’re vibing with:
Here are just a few things we think would make this email even better:
Known for its modern, contemporary furniture, you get that same vibe in Blu Dot’s email design. Some of the other pros about this abandoned cart example include:
These are a few things we think should have been avoided to get the best response:
This email from Society6 really lays it all out there. There’s no messing around with this example. The brand lets the shopper know their cart is incomplete, and they need to take action ASAP if they don’t want to lose those items: Because no one wants to have to go looking for items again.
If that wasn’t enough goodness, we are also loving these other components they put into this email:
While we love the design of this email and some of the components, there are some things it could do better — especially one big thing:
Who doesn’t like being told that they made a good decision or have nice taste? We’ll take those compliments all day long, and that’s exactly what Food52 does with that subject line.
Once the shopper opens the email, they are greeted by fun, light-hearted content: “Your Cart Called. It’s hoping you’ll come back and see it.” They follow that up by reminding the shopper their items won’t be there forever (will see that in the next example).
What we would have liked to see them do a little better:
Creating a series of abandoned cart emails is a great practice because maybe one email’s approach will work better than another. You can space these emails out by a few days and hope one of them catches the shopper’s eye.
While the email in the example above lets them know the brand saved their items in their cart for them, this email lets them know those items might now be gone from their cart: “Oh no! We had to let the treasures saved in your cart go. But you might just be able to snatch them up again. Let’s take a look, shall we?” Pretty slick, right?
Here’s what else we like about this email:
Of course, we’ll mention a few things that might make this example better:
From the subject line to creative CTA, this email from Cater2.me has it all. And since it’s short and sweet (or maybe savory since there are tacos involved), we’ll get straight to what we love about it:
What would make this email even better? Here’s one idea:
Something we haven’t seen in the other examples yet is a personalized greeting. Those can be a great way to engage your shopper and remind them you sent this email just for them. We all like feeling special and not like a number. Check out these other components that we like from Bearbrand’s example:
As always, here are a few things we would have liked to see done differently:
Though the company has since changed its name to Drop, we like this cart abandonment email they put together. They make it clear why they are emailing this subscriber: “You left something behind” and “Looks like you didn’t finish checking out.”
Without further ado, we’ll jump into what we think could make this abandoned cart example even better:
It can be hard to put a personal touch on a branded campaign, however Peel does a great job of making it seem like it came from a real person. They include their founders’ names, signatures, and Twitter handles, which really helps shoppers feel more connected to the brand and people behind it.
As with all of these abandoned cart examples, we have to figure out a few things that might have made it better:
Anytime you can set your brand apart, you’re making some real progress with online shoppers and consumers in general. That’s what Dyson does at the bottom of this cart abandonment email with the section, “Reasons to shop at Dyson.”
They hit on several potential issues that could keep a shopper from converting, including showing they offer a price-match guarantee, 30-day money-back policy, free tools, and free 2-day delivery (which is a great turnaround that competes with Amazon).
Check out these other tactics they use to bring shoppers back to their carts:
We can’t help but think the brand missed out on the opportunity to use a vacuum pun in their email, such as, “Don’t let this offer get sucked away,” or “Time to clean out your cart.” When you have the products to back it up, go for the puns!
This email from Chewy shows a complete thought process of getting the shopper back to their cart. First, the subject line asks if they forgot something. That’s followed up by telling them they saved the item they forgot — and hey, there’s a photo of it in case they don’t remember what it was. And to round out that digital conversation, there’s a CTA to “View Your Cart.”
It’s a cohesive progression of copy that works well with the other components:
As for components they could have improved on:
It doesn’t get much sweeter than wine and a discount, right? That’s what Winc is hoping for with this email. Offering a $20 discount sounds pretty nice for a first purchase, and they top that off with a clean design.
But those aren’t the only things we’re enjoying:
Here are a few things that could make this wine more fine:
We don’t know about you, but purchasing clothes online — especially items as personal as underwear — can be a bit tricky since you can’t try them on until they arrive. That’s why we like how Mack Weldon’s email makes their guarantee a large part of this email.
If a shopper doesn’t love what they receive, they can get another pair or a refund. That’s a big selling point and one that could be the reason why the shopper goes back to their cart. Check out these other things we like about this example:
There are no glaring issues with this one, but here are a few ways they could make it even better:
The answer to that subject line is, “Yes, they definitely did, and now we’re going to tell you why you need to complete your purchase!” OK, maybe that’s coming on a little too strong, but ASICS’s approach works just as well: “You left something behind. Get it before it’s gone.”
We like how they:
As for things that could have made this email better:
Though we’re not sure if it’s actually possible for something they order out of their cart to arrive at their home (and closet) tomorrow, it’s a strong way to start off this J.Crew email. Here are other aspects we like about this abandoned cart example:
What they could have done a little better (in our humble opinion):
Let’s be clear: We are huge nerds who have an unhealthy relationship with all things Lord of the Rings — or really any fantasy novel. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, you can better understand why we are in love with this example from TeeFury. (I mean, do you know of any other email campaigns that mention hobbitses? Yea, that’s what we thought.)
This email has some other great things going on too:
Here’s one thing we aren’t quite sure about:
There’s no pushy language in this email from Google Express, and we like that. A simple, “We’re ready when you are,” followed by letting them know they can finish their order works for this type of campaign.
Here’s what else we like:
What could have been a little better:
Rhymes are always fun, so we enjoy this subject line from Huckberry. Once the shopper is inside of the email, they will be reminded they need to take action before their items are gone: “Our sales and inventory are often limited, and we can’t guarantee that the products left in your cart will still be available when you decide to pull the trigger.”
The brand is putting it all in the shopper’s court, while also subtly letting them know their products are popular (if there’s a chance they could be gone).
Here are other things they did right:
What they could have improved on:
Don’t get us wrong: We like making a sale as much as the next guy. However, if that’s all you’re after, you’re missing out on the bigger, more important picture. Your abandoned cart emails should be focused on building long-lasting relationships with your audience, not simply a sale.
Because if you’re able to earn their trust and loyalty, you can know they will be back again. If not for this product, then the next one they see.
That means you want your email to not only tell them they left something in their cart and what that something is, you want to engage with them. For example, include a way for them to contact you if they have questions. (And actually respond to those questions in a timely manner.)
Or, let them know how they can connect with you on social media or through your newsletter. Again, you’re in this for the long run, not simply a one-off sale. That’s how you turn shoppers into loyal promoters of your brand.
Just as a reminder, here are some of the important elements to consider when building your abandoned cart email:
Take what you’ve learned from these abandoned cart examples to craft an automated campaign that’s uniquely designed for your brand and audience. You have the tools, so now is the time to get started!
