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When I think about my email consumption mentality, I’d categorize it two ways: my inbox is cluttered (with tons of emails from the brands I’m opted in with, from friends and family, and even from addresses I don’t recognize), and as a result, I’m increasingly cautious about what I open.
I believe this description pretty accurately reflects the larger consumer pool, too. Today’s consumer receives an average of 122 emails per day — with about 18 of those being spam.
The question that begs is this: why would anyone open and click on a branded marketing email?
Getting noticed and inspiring action in the inbox is no easy task.
It takes a truly personalized touch to get attention and drive action that leads to value for your company.
Cart abandonment emails work to re-engage individuals who have built but bailed online shopping carts with items from your e-store. This practice — leaving a saved cart behind — is too common: 68% of online shopping carts are abandoned before the customer completes a sale, according to Shopify. About 59% of U.S. online shoppers have abandoned a cart in the past three months because they were ”just browsing/not ready to buy.”
Your job is to re-engage them with ridiculously good content.
I like to think about these kinds of email campaigns around the five “C’s” — these are the most important things to think about with cart abandonment emails:
Customer → Is the email tailored to individual customers using their name and other identifiable elements that says “we know who you are!”?
Context → Does the content counteract the reasons why customers might have abandoned their carts?
Customization → Does the email contain personalized components like unique subject lines or product recommendations?
Clear/Concise → Cart abandonment emails should not be lengthy or too involved — you want to capture interest and keep it as succinctly and quickly as possible
Call to action → Is it easy to find and click on a button or link to be redirected to the check out page?
The 5 “C’s” to get right w/ shopping #cartabandonment #email campaigns are: Customer, Context, Customization, Clarity, & CTA CLICK TO TWEET
Cart abandonment emails and personalization are a match made in heaven, and the two go together like bees and honey. Let’s talk about why and how.
Sometimes, You Just Need a Friendly Reminder
I love ice cream. But I’m also passionate about staying healthy and fit. I remember when I first learned about Halo Top ice cream — all the flavor but only about 300 calories per pint! At first, it was a tough treasure to find in stores and I got so excited when I found it at my local grocer. But over time, the product became more common and I quickly began expect it always to be there.
If you think about it, cart abandonment emails are kind of like my experience with Halo Top ice cream. It was so special at first, but customers are no longer delighted by the discovery. They have come to expect it. In fact, they might be disappointed if they don’t receive an abandoned cart message after bailing before making a purchase.
Cart abandonment emails still work, but they require the right appeal, and if you miss the mark by even a smidge, customers will move along to the next flavor.
Cart abandonment and personalization
We’ve already published a lot of information about how to create and execute personalized shopping cart abandonment emails — that’s not the idea of this post.
The value of cart abandonment emails today really isn’t re-introducing products to consumers. Brands that can’t do that with run-of-the-mill abandonment emails are in the minority.
But using artificial intelligence and capable mar-tech to add additional layers of personalization to these emails is not only possible but will also set you apart from everybody else.
Cart abandonment emails, infused with personalized elements, can politely prompt customers to return to their cart and complete their purchase, quite often at a higher average order value (AOV).
But what does personalization look and feel like within these emails?
Personalized, AI-Driven Cart Abandonment Emails Work
Personalization adds flavor to a rather bland touchpoint. The trick with abandonment emails is to make what may seem like an intrusive marketing message FEEL like a life-saving, beautifully-crafted, last-ditch opportunity.
Leveraging artificial intelligence in cart abandonment emails, like data-driven customer lifecycle insights or predictive product recommendations, not only satisfies customers but leaves them craving (and spending) more.
Personalized, triggered cart abandonment emails consider the customer and context. Questions to ask include:
Who is the customer? A lead? A first-time buyer?
What is the context of the customer’s journey and why did they abandon their cart? Cost issues? Decision fatigue?
Identifying who and why enables your AI-driven automation machine to enhance customization levels to further personalize beyond a first-name basis — with product recommendations that complement the saved cart items.
You always want to remain as concise as possible and offer a clear CTA (I love buttons) so the customer can’t resist but to click.
One of my favorite brands, Sephora, does all these things — they emailed me by name, and included an email that proved they knew where I was in the buying journey, complete with personalized recommendations and a CTA to go back to my cart.
And guess what? I returned to my cart, and continued the checkout process.
Parting Thoughts
As I often remind and advise my clients, cart abandonment emails are as much about human psychology as anything else… then using personalization to enhance the content and increase likelihood of conversion.
What, when, and how will trigger their interest to read, return, and buy? It’s not an easy task, but one ripe with opportunity — multiple sources reveal that about 40% of abandonment emails are opened, with about 50% of those being clicked.
Regardless of the platform, a majority of cart abandonment automations are triggered the same way. The difference is in the level of personalization that you can add to the emails… and it’s that added “little bit extra” that will often mean the difference between being ignored among a mass of other emails, or being engaged with. ◾
Cameron Halcomb is a Customer Experience Consultant at Emarsys. She works with global brands to help them engage with their customers through cutting-edge technology and customer-centric strategies.
Cameron Halcomb is a Customer Experience Consultant at Emarsys. She works with global brands to help them engage with their customers through cutting-edge technology and customer-centric strategies.
