How online retailers can respond to forgotten shopping carts
Every online retailer knows the phenomenon of abandoned carts. Alexander Handcock from Selligent Marketing Cloud shows strategies retailers can use to ensure that the contents of virtual shopping carts and shopping carts end up on the checkout belt more often.
75 percent of all online shoppers fill their virtual shopping cart, push it to the checkout and - leave it there without completing an order. After all, not every customer who visits an online store and puts things in their shopping cart does so with the intention of buying them.
A simple series of e-mails reminding the potential customer of his unfinished purchase often has the desired effect. However, even this comparatively simple measure needs to be carefully designed. With the following best practices, online retailers can significantly increase their conversion rate.
Effective timing
In the best case, a follow-up program consists of two or three emails that reach the customer at specific intervals. The following pattern has proven particularly successful in practice:
- E-mail No. 1: after 30 to 60 minutes
- E-mail No. 2: after one day
- E-mail No. 3: after three days
Normally, the first reminder email generates 50 to 60 percent of conversions. This is likely due to the fact that over two-thirds of consumers complete a purchase within 12 to 24 hours of their visit to the online store. In terms of messaging, retailers should follow a specific pattern.
Email #1: Show empathy
The first email is a chance to find out why someone didn't complete their purchase. For example, you can ask the customer if there was a problem during the checkout process and if you can help them. This reveals potential for optimization on the one hand, while demonstrating empathy with the customer on the other.
Of course, this also includes offering the customer a simple contact option. As well as a direct link to their shopping cart, which allows them to continue the buying process where they left off.
Email #2: The Fear of Missing Out
The second email should also contain a direct link to the shopping cart. In addition, it makes sense here to give the customer the feeling that he only has a short time left to complete his purchase, for example, due to high demand for the products.
Email #3: The Last Chance
If the customer has not responded to the second e-mail either, there is still the option of appealing further to his sense of urgency and telling him that his saved shopping cart will soon expire. A discount can be a further incentive to buy here.
The theory is simple - so is the practice
If you send personalized e-mails with the right message at the right time, in many cases you can ensure that the contents of forgotten shopping baskets find their way across the virtual checkout belt after all. The strategy required for this is not very complex, but it is very effective. All that is needed is a little marketing know-how and an appropriate platform that is capable of delivering the right content to customers automatically.
* Alexander Handcock is senior global marketing director at Selligent Marketing Cloud.
