Have you ever imagined having everything ready for a delicious dinner, only for your guests to cancel at the last minute? That’s somewhat how an online store owner feels when potential buyers abandon their shopping carts!
According to Econsultancy and Hostinger, the average cart abandonment rate in global e-commerce is 69.82%. In other words, for every 100 people who start a purchase, only 30.18% complete it.
Let’s say that “recovering abandoned carts is like giving love a second chance.” – Unknown Author – It’s an opportunity to convert leads into sales and boost your online store’s profit.
Now, let’s see how we can recover an abandoned shopping cart. But first…
Why are shopping carts abandoned?
There can be several reasons for cart abandonment. Some of the most common include:
Unexpected shipping costs: A high shipping fee can definitely be a major deterrent to completing a purchase. For example, imagine adding a product to your cart and, when you reach the checkout page, you encounter an unexpectedly high shipping cost. It’s clear that this could lead you to abandon the purchase.
Long and complicated checkout process: No one wants to waste time with long and confusing forms. If, to complete the checkout, a customer needs to fill out a long form with various personal details, it can be frustrating and lead the customer to give up.
Doubts about the product or the store: Insufficient information about the product, store, or company can create insecurity in the customer. If the customer can’t find detailed information about your business or the product itself, they may doubt whether the store is trustworthy or not. This can, of course, lead to the abandonment of the purchase.
Distractions: Sometimes, the customer simply gets distracted and forgets about the cart. For example, if I am browsing an online store and receive an important call or message, I might forget about the cart.
Technical issues: Errors on the store’s website, such as issues with the payment process or navigation, can also lead to cart abandonment. A customer tries to complete the purchase, but the website shows an error, which can become frustrating and cause the customer to give up.
In addition to these, there may be other reasons, such as: lack of payment options; prices that are too high; the absence of discount coupons; low trust in the store; and more. It is important to understand the reasons why customers abandon their shopping carts so that you can take action and prevent it from happening.
Effective ways to recover abandoned shopping carts
1) E-mails personalizados
Send emails reminding the customer about the products in their cart and offering a discount or free shipping. Here are some tips:
Subject: Create attractive and personalized subject lines to spark the customer’s curiosity and encourage them to open the email. Use psychological triggers such as urgency (“Last chance!”), scarcity (“Limited time offer!”), and personalization (“[Customer’s name], your favorites are waiting!”).
Tone: Remember to use a friendly and personal tone, being clear and concise, and avoiding overly commercial or formal language.
Email body: Remind the customer of the products they left in the cart. Include images of the products, their names and prices, and:
- Offer an incentive to complete the purchase: a discount, free shipping, an exclusive gift, or another benefit that is relevant to the customer.
- Create a sense of urgency by informing the customer that the offer is time-limited or that the products are in low stock.
- Highlight the security of the purchase and the quality of the products.
- Make it easy to complete the purchase by including a direct link to the shopping cart or checkout page.
Here’s an example:
Subject: “An amazing discount is waiting for you!”
Email body: “Hello, [Customer’s name]! You showed interest in some amazing products at our store and haven’t completed your purchase yet. Click here to take advantage of an exclusive 20% discount on your items! The offer is for a limited time, so don’t miss out on this opportunity!”
2) Remarketing
Use targeted ads to show the abandoned cart products to the customer on other websites. Here are some types of ads you can use:
Display ads: You can use banners with images of the products the customer left in their cart.
Video ads: You can create short and engaging videos that showcase the products in action.
Social media ads: You can use social media to show the products to customers who abandoned their carts.
For these ads to work, you’ll need to target the ads very specifically to customers who abandoned their carts. In this regard, you can segment by: the products the customer abandoned; the cart value; how long ago the cart was abandoned; the customer’s location; the device the customer used; among others.
As a practical example, here’s something that has definitely happened to you: imagine you viewed a pair of shoes on an online store and added them to your cart, but didn’t complete the purchase. Later, while browsing other websites, you are shown ads for the same type of shoes! This can remind you of the unfinished purchase and encourage you to complete it.
3) Offer an online chat
Have an online chat available so that the customer can ask questions and complete the purchase more easily. This can bring many benefits, especially:
For reducing cart abandonment: The online chat allows the customer to get their questions answered in real-time, which can prevent them from abandoning the purchase.
Increase in sales: The online chat can help increase sales by providing the customer with the support they need to complete the purchase.
Improved customer experience: The online chat provides a more personalized and convenient shopping experience for the customer.
For example, imagine a customer is on your online store and has questions about a particular product. They open the online chat and are assisted by someone who answers their questions and helps them complete the purchase.
When implementing an online chat, remember to:
Choose an online chat platform: There are various online chat platforms available on the market. Choose a platform that is easy to use and integrates well with your website or online store.
Train your team: Train your team to respond to customer inquiries quickly and efficiently.
Set a service schedule: Define a service schedule for the online chat. If possible, offer 24/7 support. This is achievable with an AI-powered chatbot!
A study by Forrester Research showed that companies that recover abandoned carts can increase their sales by up to 25%. Recovering abandoned carts is a crucial strategy to boost sales for your online store. However, you can also focus on preventing cart abandonment. For example:
- Oferecendo envios gratuitos ou descontos em compras acima de um valor determinado.
- Simplifying the checkout process.
- Providing complete information about the products, the store, and the business.
- Creating a secure and trustworthy environment for the purchase.
- Offering different payment options.
Começa hoje mesmo a recuperar os teus carrinhos abandonados e vê o impacto positivo nas vendas da tua loja online! Se precisares de ajuda, envia-nos uma mensagem…