Cart abandonment is a real challenge for many e-commerce brands. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the average cart abandonment rate across all industries was approximately 88%. Since the pandemic, that number has come down slightly to around 65%, which makes sense. More people were solely reliant on e-commerce purchases to survive lockdowns during long periods of isolation and quarantine.

However, it still means nearly two thirds of potential buyers choose not to complete their purchases. Without a re-engagement strategy, that’s a massive amount of revenue left on the table.

That’s why many e-commerce brands create cart abandonment emails to try and win back some of those lost shoppers. Using cart abandonment solutions, you can reconnect with your shoppers, remind them of the wonderful shopping experience with your brand, and then automatically direct them back to their shopping carts so that they can complete the checkout.

What is an abandoned cart email?

Quite simply, an abandoned cart email is a follow-up message to reconnect with your shoppers and remind them of the items they were so close to purchasing on your website. Abandoned cart emails encourage shoppers to reconsider the items they intended to buy, typically featuring imagery and messaging that excites the shopper into feeling that inherent need for the item.

Engagement with abandoned cart emails makes the difference between recapturing lost purchases and abandoning that revenue altogether. Even a basic re-engagement email should drive some of your shoppers back to your site and increase conversion rates. The potential benefits outweigh any logistical challenges of compiling those emails and sending them out to the intended audience.

Abandoned cart email best practices

If you want to make cart abandonment emails a central piece of your re-engagement strategy, you should adhere to some of the best practices known to improve conversion rates and checkout rates from those emails. These are some of the tips to keep in mind as you build out your own re-engagement campaigns.

1. Send emails with immediacy

Timing is critical to increasing the success rate of your cart abandonment emails. For instance, a cart abandonment email sent within an hour after a user leaves the site may generate a 20% conversion rate. On the other hand, an email sent approximately 24 hours after the shopping cart was abandoned will have a conversion rate closer to 10%. If you want to maximize revenue and re-engagement with shoppers, send out your emails as quickly as possible.

2. Keep the emails simple

Make sure the emails are very straightforward and to the point. The focus is to remind people of the items they intended to buy but ultimately chose not to complete the checkout. Include visuals and messaging tailored to the products they intended to buy. Make sure you mention details about the most important pieces of the transaction, including price, delivery fees, delivery time, and any other relevant details that make shoppers comfortable completing the checkout.

3. Be careful with discounts

It might seem tempting to include a special promotion in the email that offers a 10-15% discount on the item if they follow the link and complete the purchase immediately. But those discounts can actually undermine your intentions.

One, it costs you revenue that you don’t necessarily need to give up. Two, and most importantly, it gives the perception that the product is not worth the price you’re charging. People may look at those deals and wonder why they weren’t marked at those prices in the first place, which could cause them to question the quality of the item.

4. Use dynamic content

Personalization is key to re-engagement. People don’t want to receive a generic email informing them of a deal on the item they nearly purchased. They want messaging, imagery, and videos that align to their unique needs and motivate them to complete the purchase.

That’s why cart abandonment email technology is so important for your campaigns. You can customize your emails with content tailored to each shopper’s experience on your website. The messaging, the design, the body, and the entire look and feel of the email can strictly adhere to unique shopper interests so that people get the sense that this effort on your part is specific to them and them alone. That’s the best way to drive up re-engagement and conversions.

Best abandoned cart emails and what to learn from them

1. Helly Hansen: to the point and easy to follow

Helly Hansen created an optimized cart abandonment email that made it easy for their customers to take action and complete purchases. Their efforts successfully drove a 12% increase in conversion rates and a 25% boost in average order value (AOV).

2. Schibsted: CTA driven

Schibsted created dynamic cart abandonment emails that can be optimized for all devices, ensuring a succinct look and feel that motivates users to take action. These emails helped Schibsted generate a 39% click-through rate and an 11% conversion rate.

3. Komplett: Customer-first

Komplett created an email template that delivers straightforward tips and advice for customers to make contact and get answers to any questions or concerns. The direct path back to the checkout enables straightforward conversion points that help drive up order values.

4. Cubus: Product-focused

Cubus created emails with an emphasis on showcasing the products that were in the shopping cart at the point of abandonment. The visuals and brief descriptions of the items help recapture the initial interest in the product to drive up conversions on the items.

5. Jimmy Choo: strong branding

Jimmy Choo uses strong branding in their cart abandonment emails. The design, colours, structure, and descriptions all align with the onsite shopping experience, providing a direct throughline between what shoppers browse on the site and what ends up in their inboxes.