As an e-commerce merchant, we don’t likely have to tell you that abandoned carts are a major issue for online sellers. The number of people who abandon an online cart is staggering—many statistics have it hovering around 70-75% of consumers, and the reasons they abandon are varied (we’ll get into that in a second). We’ve looked at some Shopify data in particular and found something that is abundantly clear: Shopify abandoned cart emails are an absolute must for every store owner.
Just how much is being left on the table?
We analyzed Shopify abandoned cart data just for our ShippingEasy customers who aren’t using the abandoned cart emails available through our platform with our Customer Marketing tool. The total value of Shopify abandoned carts came to $5,454,224.00. Yep, that number has two commas in it.
Klaviyo estimates that the average recovery amount for abandoned cart emails is around 5%, meaning that the amount of money left on the table by these Shopify sellers comes to $272,711.20. Is it going out on a limb to say that you’d likely be interested in your cut of over $272k? Of course, you would. So let’s talk about how to get that lost money back.
Abandoned cart emails convert
Abandoned cart emails give you an opportunity to play with tone, approach, and offer. They can be as simple as a reminder that a customer left items in a cart to a more aggressive approach by offering discounts or free shipping. In most abandoned cart email examples we’ve seen, many online retailers take a more irreverent or friendly tone, as opposed to pushy. Take the email from Adidas below, for example.
This email had a subject line of “Sorry to hear about your WIFI.” A playful approach on the idea that there surely must have been another reason you didn’t complete your purchase. It’s the kind of email that gets opens and makes a customer chuckle, but at the same time gets right to the point in a big and bold way.
The item left in the cart is front and center in the email. It’s recognizable because you were just looking at it. Some of the highest converting emails are sent about an hour after cart abandonment, or at least the same day. That way the purchase intent is still fresh in a customer’s mind.
The best part about automating this type of email marketing is that much of this can be templatized while still being personalized. Custom variables like product image, product name, and a call-to-action that links directly back to the product (or cart with product still in it) makes this email feel like it’s tailored to the recipient. Personalization is a top expectation from the modern consumer, and it can be done without having to write one-off emails.
Why you shouldn’t use the native Shopify Abandoned Cart Emails
There are at least two reasons abandoned cart emails convert so well. First, is that they are resonant due to a customer already showing interest in an item by putting it in a cart. This is particularly true if the email comes soon after on the same day, as mentioned above.
The second reason is that you can have fun with these emails. The problem with Shopify Abandoned Cart emails that come natively from the platform is they’re pretty bland. That’s not to say they won’t convert, but when you can add a bit more flair, branding, and personality to an email, it feels much more personal and interesting to a customer.
This email still hits some of the main points. It features the products you left in your cart. It has a call-to-action button back to your cart. But is it compelling? Do you get excited about it? Not really. Having a solution that allows you to easily customize, add images, and put your brand’s stamp on these emails helps ensure that the experience feels on-brand and recognizable.
But perhaps something a bit more fun and visually compelling that still features all the same elements?
Abandoned cart emails are just the beginning
Once you start realizing what kind of email campaigns you can automate while still maintaining personalization, you take your email marketing game to the next level. Let’s take a look at some other types of personalized email marketing campaigns you could set up.
Buy it again reminders
You know your customers and you know your products. Chances are either your intuition or your data can tell you how long it might be until a customer would need to reorder a product. With that in mind, you can set an email to go out X amount of days after an order containing a specific product SKU has delivered. A subject line such as “Ready for a refill?” or “Getting low on X? Reorder now!” can create repeat business almost like a subscription service.
There’s an additional way to make this hyper-relevant if you offer the ability to mark something as a gift. Set an automated email campaign to go out at least a week earlier than the purchase date next year and see if that customer needs to purchase another gift for the same person. There’s a chance you may save them from forgetting, or catch them before they purchase a gift for that person from somewhere else!
Lapsed customer win-back campaign
Sometimes a simple reminder to a customer that they haven’t been by in a while can prompt a purchase. Try setting an automated email 60 days from the last purchase date (increase or decrease the number of days depending on what makes sense for your individual products) with a “We miss you!” or “We’d like to welcome you back” type of subject line. This can be particularly impactful if you offer a discount code. Just be careful to set the days far enough out that it is focused on real win-back opportunities, otherwise you may end up training your customers to simply wait long enough to get a coupon before purchasing!
When you incorporate data points to personalize and automation to put building repeat business on autopilot, increasing sales becomes easy. That’s exactly what ShippingEasy’s platform does. Shipping automation and data coupled with robust email marketing puts everything you need in one place. Try our platform FREE for 30 days by clicking below and experience how easy e-commerce can be!
Rob Zaleski
Latest posts by Rob Zaleski (see all)
- USPS 2023 Shipping Rate Changes - November 16, 2023
