Even among the premier Internet retailers, the average checkout abandonment rate is staggering.
A recently released study of Q1 2015 from SaleCycle actually found an abandonment rate of 75.6 percent across all sectors (see an infographic about the study here).
While the report has a great deal of useful information, one data point stands out in particular: nearly one-third (29.9 percent) of clicks on remarketing emails lead to a purchase back on the site.
Data from the Salescycle report definitely mirrors the abandoned checkout research that others have done, so where can retailers go from here? Toward a greater understanding of the user experience.
The first step is to accept the fact that abandoned shopping carts happen.
Once that can acknowledged, it will be necessary to optimize the experience that is delivered through email specifically in order to reengage those at various points in their buying journey.
The "journey" and the experience delivered is important as consumers have different needs and expectations during their relationship with your brand.
Is there a solution to the madness? Could the approach used and the experience delivered to consumers after abandonment occurs be the key to lowering this discouraging statistic? Yep.
What you'll find here will provide an (almost) unfair advantage.
These few effective and practical suggestions will help email marketers make the most of the email experience they develop for those that abandon their shopping carts, but which were courteous enough to provide just enough information to make remarketing possible.
Show the product
It seems like such a simple idea - and it is.
If you're going to send an email to a customer that previously expressed interest in a product (or service), helping them make a stronger brand connection through visual recall should be an absolute requirement.
Use a call to action
Just because we're trying to create a better experience here des not mean that marketers and designers should not emphasize the action they want users to take.
Brands must guide users down the optimal path, and using the many best practices related to creating calls to action are important.
Offer product recommendation
Keep in mind that consumers most often abandon shopping carts because they don't even know what they want - they are in an "exploratory" phase of their buying journey.
While it's important to remind the user of the product, recommendations for similar products or solutions often proves worthwhile. SUBSCRIBE to Website Magazine - 12 Issues FREE
It can also help increase the average order size which by itself should serve as motivation for implementation.
Consider offers and incentives
Ideally, several email deliveries will be made in the course of a remarketing experience, but there will be a few consumers that are difficult (if not impossible) to reengage.
There will come a time when including offers and incentives for re-engagement are useful but know that it's not always necessary, and there is a lack of evidence showing that including offers in an initial engagement is any more effective that delaying use of offers and incentives.
Where to Begin?
Obviously some powerful technologies will need to be in place to make the most of an initiative where a path to purchase (which includes email) can be optimized.
Many ecommerce systems offer the necessary functionality from the core, but there many available integrations that warrant serious consideration including many of the marketing automation and personalization solutions featured previously here at Website Magazine.
Do you send emails to those who have abandoned their experience on your website? Share your comments below.
