Abandoned cart emails are the norm, and for good reason. Every time we start down the path with a client to show them how these kinds of advanced technologies can work for them, by targeting that low-hanging fruit, we see immediate results on behalf of the client…and a very happy client. The ROI on this is amazing, truly. It still blows me away every time.
And every time I think to myself, “Everyone should be doing this.” And everyone should be thinking about taking it to the next level of sophistication.
Cart abandonment emails are only the first step
Cart abandonment emails are a no brainer in email marketing. These target the people already most likely to buy because they’ve gotten this far along the buying process. They’ve browsed your website, found a product they liked, and put it into their virtual cart. Many of them need only one more little nudge to complete the purchase (and 20% of them will!).
However, there are other factors to consider beyond just cart abandonment, namely knowing why they abandoned, as well as when, i.e. the point at which they abandoned (at the point of payment or while entering shipping information, for example). And what about those people who were a little less committed to buying, who were on your website but didn’t get as far as putting items into a cart?
Considering all of these different whys, whens and wheres is how you start evolving your abandoned cart thinking into something more sophisticated, thereby taking it to the next level.
For example, if they abandoned at the point where they should have entered information for a credit card payment, send them alternate payment options. If they abandoned when they got to the shipping stage and found out the cost, offer free shipping.
Do you see where there’s potential to take this kind of targeting to a whole new level? Rather than simply, “Hey, you left something in your cart” messaging, you can target a particular pain point such as shipping, and therefore increase your chances of success.
Targeting the subset of a subset
Even when you know someone abandoned the items in their cart, you might not know why. And the possibilities are many. It could be…
- They would buy from you if they could check out as a guest rather than have to create an account.
- They had issues with the payment process.
- They couldn’t get a promo code to work.
- They didn’t like the shipping costs.
- They got frustrated with having to enter information.
- Your website was too slow.
Can you see where each of these scenarios might require a different kind of messaging to overcome the objection and get the customer to complete the purchase?
Looking for some harder-to-reach fruit
And there is the potential for still more. Cart abandonment is the easiest to target, the lowest of the low-hanging fruit. But—as this article points out—you can move farther up the chain, to those a little less committed to buying, for even more ROI. You can take your targeting to the next level of sophistication.
It’s the next step in segmentation but also communication: You’re talking to a smaller subset of a subset.
Where else are you leaving money on the table?
Without cart abandonment emails, you’re leaving money on the table. Every time we look at shopping cart abandonment and suggest a client uses technologies like SmarterHQ, the very first time the client uses it, it pays for itself.
Also consider personalizing your website, as another example of how advanced technologies can help you zero in on targets. If I know which emails you opened, which calls to action you clicked on, and what you’ve purchased in the past at my website, I might want to have a technology that shows you what you are more likely to purchase when you come to my website the next time.
So you have to ask yourself, “Where else am I leaving money on the table?” There are so many other ways to take segmentation to this next level of sophistication. There are so many ways to go beyond simply the bare bones basics of cart abandonment emails.
As I said at the beginning, when it comes to abandoned cart emails, everyone should be doing that. But I also think everyone should be looking for opportunities to dig deeper.
Want to dig deeper but not sure where to start? Call on ClickMail for help.
About the Author: Sharon
