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Cart Abandonment Insights from 500+ Brands and Top Marketers

Author

Rhythm Singhal
August 07, 2023

Hola, TheGrowthTribe community!

Picture the bustling world of e-commerce as a landscape where potential sales spark like fireflies, each cart addition a glimmer of opportunity. But amidst this flurry of activity, a significant challenge arises – cart abandonment.

Think of cart abandonment emails as the beacon that guides lost customers back to their unfinished purchases.

Almost 70% of shoppers tend to abandon their online shopping carts. This implies that 7 out of 10 individuals who take the step to add items to their cart ultimately decide not to complete the purchase.

However, this isn't a catastrophic conclusion for your sales efforts.

With a well-crafted cart email strategy, it's entirely feasible to entice a substantial portion of these cart abandoners—more than 20%—to retrace their steps and finalize their purchase, all while requiring no extra effort beyond the initial setup.

This article will help you embark on a journey to craft your own compelling cart email strategy with insights from 500+ beauty brands and marketing leaders in the industry.

Sections:

With a meticulous examination of email flows, rigorous analysis, and insightful email teardowns, we've uncovered countless trends and patterns that shape effective cart abandonment strategies.

From the wealth of this information, we've distilled these findings into four essential elements that underpin every successful cart abandonment email-
Personalization, Incentivization, Urgency & Validation

Let’s deep dive into each one of these below:

 1. Personalize, personalize and personalize more 🎨✨🔍

Personalization in email flows is crucial for e-commerce brands as it creates tailored experiences that resonate with individual recipients.

By analyzing user behavior, purchase history, and preferences, brands can deliver relevant product recommendations, exclusive offers, and personalized content. This leads to higher open rates, click-through rates, and ultimately, increased conversions.

Personalized emails foster a sense of connection and understanding, enhancing customer loyalty and retention.

2. Incentivize with an offer they can resist! 💰🛍️🤑

By offering discounts, exclusive deals, or rewards in emails, brands encourage recipients to complete purchases, re-engage with abandoned carts, or explore new products. Incentives create a sense of value and urgency, driving conversions and increasing customer loyalty.

They enhance the effectiveness of email marketing campaigns by providing tangible benefits, enticing hesitant buyers, and fostering a stronger brand-consumer relationship.

3. Creating a sense of urgency! 🚨🕒

Urgency in email flows is crucial for e-commerce brands because it prompts immediate action from recipients. By creating a sense of limited time, limited stock, or exclusive offers, brands encourage quicker decision-making and conversions.

Urgent messages tap into consumers' fear of missing out (FOMO), driving higher engagement and enhancing the effectiveness of email marketing campaigns. In the competitive e-commerce landscape, urgency is a powerful tool to generate attention, prompt action, and boost sales.

4. Validate their choices 🙌🏆

Validating user choices in email flows is important for e-commerce brands because it reassures customers and strengthens their purchase decisions.

By showcasing reviews, testimonials, social proof, or product endorsements, brands provide evidence that others have found value in similar choices. This validation builds trust, addresses doubts, and enhances the overall shopping experience. It fosters customer confidence, reduces buyer hesitation, and increases the likelihood of conversions.

Selected examples of abandoned cart emails from the beauty industry

Examples for Personalization

While All Beauty could use a more noteworthy headline, what makes its email good is the personalized touch they build by using the customer’s name and his exact cart info in their cart recovery email.

SpaceNK works personalization into their cart recovery email by acknowledging the shopper’s site visit and gently reminds them that they left some items in their cart.

Beardbrand takes personalization at a whole other level. It’s abandoned cart email looks exactly like an email you would receive from a friend or colleague. Notice in the email how Keith reassures Sam that the product that’s left in his cart is a wonderful choice. Giving the visitor this ‘stamp of approval’ will get them excited to complete their purchase.

Molton Brown’s cart recovery email directly displays the shopper’s cart in the email itself and encourages the shopper to complete their purchase then and there. By highlighting the three benefits of shopping with the brand, Molten Brown manages to give an extra nudge to the email recipient.

Lorac Cosmetics uses contrasting colors and highlighted CTAs to bring the viewer’s attention to the action it wants them to take: complete their purchase. Moreover, it attempts to increase the customer’s cart value by offering them free shipping when it reaches a certain amount

Wet n Wild sends a cart recovery email created with bright color schemes and concise copy letting you know the exact items left in your cart. The tagline “Forget something wild one?” evokes a sense of brand loyalty in the customer.

Examples for Incentivization

Lime Crime offers a discount in the third abandoned cart email. Another value incentive is the reminder that there’s free shipping over $50.

Birchbox uses discounts as an incentive for visitors who have abandoned their cart due to the cost of their order

And finally, the company informs about free shipping and its payment option “Buy Now, Pay Later” to further encourage the shopper and remove any possible obstacles to purchase.

Kat Von D’s cart abandonment emails work around this issue by offering an equally compelling alternative to discounts: Free Shipping

The Body Shop’s cart recovery email is like a breath of fresh air: with the pastel color scheme, colorful imagery and minimal copy. The line “Order before 10pm…” creates urgency in the viewer’s mind as now they’ve got to respond within the time limit to avail said benefits.

Tarte Cosmetics sends a cart abandonment email that makes clear that the shopper’s cart items are reserved for the next 72 hours. This sets the clock ticking and creates a sense of urgency by reminding the customer that they might lose on their cart items if they don’t return to the site

Examples for Urgency

What’s great about this Camera Ready Cosmetics cart recovery email is how they add a sense of urgency not as part of the main body of the email but in the footnote, which makes it even more credible.

bareMinerals’ cart recovery email does a great job of reminding the customer that items may not stay in their cart forever and are quickly selling out. This creates an urgency to make the purchase lest they miss out on their favorite item.

This sets the clock ticking and creates a sense of urgency by reminding the customer that they might lose their cart items if they don’t return to the site.

The Body Shop’s cart recovery email is like a breath of fresh air: with the pastel color scheme, colorful imagery, and minimal copy. The line “Order before 10 pm…” creates urgency in the viewer’s mind as now they’ve got to respond within the time limit to avail of said benefits.

Rudy’s cart recovery email turns up the urgency factor a notch here, and it works. The email immediately catches your eye with its witty headline “Don’t put this off like a software update”. By letting the shopper know that their chance for free shipping is slipping away, they emphasize an urgent action.

Vinter’s Daughters emphasizes on the messaging of “product will soon leave your cart“ coupled with how it will effect users’ skincare routine

Examples of validation of users’ choices

Sephora’s abandoned cart emails do everything right reasons to shop, include star ratings, link to reviews, and include vibrant product images. In case the customer is still unable to decide, it has included links to top rated products and current deals in its two bottom banners.

Kat Von D builds even more social proof by displaying its bestsellers (along with star rating and number of reviews):

Bluemercury exemplifies that a little compliment goes a long way. And telling your visitors that their choice of products is good is a great marketing strategy to make them feel special. Its subject line: “You have great taste!” and the email copy “we love your choices” g

MAC Cosmetics shows its bestseller section just in case the shopper is unsure about the items in their cart and is“searching for something else,”.

Process of crafting your cart abandonment email strategy (with examples)

Crafting a user journey for cart abandonment emails involves a series of carefully planned steps to guide users toward completing their abandoned purchases. Here's how to create an effective user journey:

  1. Immediate Reminder Email:

    • Send an email within an hour of abandonment.

    • Remind users about the items left in their cart.

    • Highlight the benefits and features of the products.

  2. Value-Driven Follow-Up:

    • Send a follow-up email 24-48 hours later.

    • Emphasize the value proposition of the products.

    • Include user reviews or testimonials to build trust.

  3. Incentive Email:

    • After 48-72 hours, offer a personalized discount or incentive.

    • Create a sense of urgency by setting an expiration time.

    • Encourage users to complete their purchase with a discount.

  4. Product Showcase Email:

    • Send an email showcasing related or complementary products.

    • Suggest products that enhance the user's cart items.

    • Highlight how the additional products can enhance their experience.

  5. Final Reminder with Social Proof:

    • Send a last reminder email before the abandoned items are removed.

    • Use social proof, such as reviews or endorsements, to reinforce the product's value.

    • Remind users of the limited availability of the items.

  6. Feedback and Improvement:

    • Occasionally, send emails asking for feedback on the user experience.

    • Use insights to refine your cart abandonment email strategy.

    • Show that you value user opinions and are committed to improvement.

By crafting a user journey that spans different touchpoints and addresses varying user needs, you can effectively re-engage users who abandon their carts, ultimately driving higher conversions and building stronger customer relationships.

Want the world’s most used email journey frameworks for cart abandonment in your inbox? Subscribe to TheGrowthTribe and we’ll send it to your inbox. :)

Till then, remember that crafting a successful cart abandonment strategy is an ongoing journey of optimization and innovation. By staying attuned to user behavior, incorporating personalized tactics, and adapting to emerging trends, you'll be well-equipped to recover lost sales, foster customer loyalty, and create a seamless shopping experience that keeps customers coming back for more.

Happy re-engaging and boosting your e-commerce success!

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