Abandoned shopping carts are a major missed revenue opportunity for many ecommerce businesses. According to stats, 67-88% of online carts are abandoned before completing a purchase. Luckily, abandoned cart recovery emails can help you win back many of those lost sales.
This guide will teach you how to create effective abandoned cart emails to turn site visitors into paying customers. We’ll cover:
Follow these abandoned cart email strategies to drive higher purchase rates and sales revenue. Let’s dive in!
When a customer fills their cart but leaves your site without buying, capturing their email enables you to bring them back with targeted outreach. Abandoned cart emails serve several key functions:
Well-optimized emails can recover a significant percentage of customers who previously abandoned, bringing in recovered revenue.
Analyze why carts are abandoned to address issues. Common reasons include: unexpected costs, lack of trust, technical problems. Emails give insight.
Sending dynamic emails that showcase their specific abandoned items enhances personalization and improves remarketing.
Asking for feedback in the email provides an opportunity to gain insights you can use to improve the buying journey.
Abandoned cart outreach shows customers you value their business and keeps your brand top of mind for future purchasing.
Executing strategic abandoned cart email campaigns pays off. Let’s explore tips for optimizing your outreach.
Apply these proven best practices when creating your abandoned shopping cart emails:
Offer a time-sensitive discount, free gift, free shipping, or other perk to motivate immediate purchase. Avoid generic offers - personalize with their cart specifics.
Get to the point fast. Include their cart details high up and make your CTA prominent. Avoid lengthy text.
Subject lines like “Complete Your Order” are obvious. Instead, reference their product or offer an incentive.
Images of their intended purchases remind customers what caught their interest.
The sooner you can send an email after cart abandonment, the higher your chances of converting. Automate emails to deploy immediately after abandonment.
Mention their specific items left behind and details like selected size/color to make it relevant.
Reiterate key product benefits, great reviews, warranty, etc. to reassure them.
Saying “Reply to this email for any questions” provides a lifeline if they just need a nudge.
Survey why they didn’t complete the purchase so you can improve their experience.
Showing satisfied customers provides social proof.
Here are sample email copy templates you can adapt for your abandoned cart outreach campaigns:
Subject: Don’t forget your cart!
Hi [Name],
It looks like you left something behind! When you visited [Store] earlier, you added the [product name, color, size] below to your cart but didn’t complete checkout.
We wanted to let you know this item is still reserved for you! But it won’t stay in your cart for long - complete your purchase in the next 48 hours and get free shipping with code FREESHIP.
[Insert image of product]
We know you’re busy, so we’re here if you need any help or have questions about purchasing. Just reply to this email and we’ll assist you right away! We appreciate you shopping with [Store] and look forward to getting this item out to you soon!
[CTA button to complete purchase]
Best,
[Your name]
[Store]
Subject: 24 Hours Left for 25% Off!
Hi [Name],
When you visited [Store] yesterday, you added the [product] to your cart but didn’t complete the purchase. We wanted to let you know this item is still waiting for you for the next 24 hours!
But we won’t hold it forever - take 25% off your entire order if you complete checkout in the next 24 hours. Just use code SUMMER25 at checkout.
Here’s a reminder of the [product name & details] you left in your cart:
[Product image]
To take advantage of this limited time 25% off deal, click here to complete your purchase before it expires:
[CTA button]
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Thanks,
[Your name]
Subject: Could you spare a quick minute?
Hi [Name],
I noticed you started a purchase on [Site] yesterday but didn’t complete checkout.
We’re constantly trying to improve our customers’ shopping experience, so I'd really appreciate any feedback about what prevented you from completing your order.
Please reply to this 2 question survey so we can better understand any issues:
We value all customer input as it really helps us identify areas for improvement. Thanks so much! We hope you’ll give us another try in the future.
Let me know if I can assist you with anything.
Best,
[Your name]
Here are two real-world examples of abandoned cart emails that apply best practices:
TOMS sends a highly personalized email within an hour if you abandon a cart. It references exactly what you left behind and shows images. They offer 10% off plus free shipping to incentivize purchase. The tone is friendly and they make assisting you easy.
Subject: Hayden, your cart is still waiting for you!
Hi Hayden!
Thanks for stopping by TOMS! It looks like you left our website before you could complete your purchase. Your cart is still reserved with the Ash Textile Paseos you were looking at.
We know you lead a busy life and may have just gotten distracted. As a thank you for shopping with us, we're offering you 10% off + free shipping for your next purchase! No worries if it wasn't in your cards today -- we'll be here when you're ready!
[Picture of item]
[CTA button]
Let us know if you need any help getting your new Paseos!
Sincerely,Your Friends at TOMS
Harry's sends emails if you abandon at various steps. This one catches you before leaving the site. They reference your specific product, share reviews, offer to answer questions, and provide an easy call to action to checkout.
Subject: Don't forget your handle!
We noticed you were checking out the Winston Handle + Blade Set but didn’t complete your purchase.
We wanted to let you know it’s still waiting in your cart! But it won’t wait forever.
Here’s a reminder of the handle you liked:
[Handle image]
Highlights:
We're here to answer any questions you might have to finish up your order! Just hit reply. Otherwise, click below to checkout at your convenience:
[Checkout button]
We hope to see you again soon!
-- The Harry's Team
Try to send within 1 hour of cart abandonment for fastest results. The longer you wait, the lower your chances of recovering the sale.
Aim for at least 15-25%. The faster you deploy emails, the higher open rates you can expect.
Shoot for a CTR of at least 10-15%. Well-optimized emails can reach towards a 30% CTR.
Send an initial email right away. Follow up again in 24 hours if no response. Beyond that provides diminishing returns.
Yes, tweak your messaging and offers in each subsequent email. Test subject lines as well.
It’s brand dependent, but discounts, free gifts, free shipping, and limited-time offers tend to convert well.
Asking 2-3 short survey questions helps uncover usability issues impacting conversion that you can address.
Abandoned shopping carts represent lost revenue opportunities. Follow the strategies in this guide and use the email copy templates to create campaigns that successfully turn around site abandonment. Consistently nurturing dropped carts will significantly increase purchase rates and sales.