This example from Sports Authority doesn't picture the item that was left in the shopping cart, but it does sweeten the deal and entice the shopper to reconsider with a "Hurry Back and Receive an Extra 10% off Your Order" promotion.
Here are some factors to consider when developing your abandoned cart email program:
- Timing: send your first email within a few hours of the abandonment.
- Product inclusion: including an image of the product left in the cart should improve conversions.
- Series: send more than one email to recapture the lost sales (some companies send as many as seven emails).
- Offers: don't immediately sweeten the deal. If you send a series, your first two emails might not include an offer, after which you can introduce an inducement such as free shipping or a discount. By the way, some retailers examine whether another cart has been abandoned recently by this consumer and suppress offers to him or her. They don't want to train consumers to always abandon carts in order to get a better deal.
- Subject lines: address the issue. For example, "Tom, just a reminder, you still have items in your shopping cart."
Planning your email strategy now will lay the foundation for a more successful holiday season. I hope I've given you some ideas to consider. Do remember to start with an analysis of your 2011 holiday campaigns. That will get you up and running!
In part two of this series, I'll examine when is the right time to step up your frequency during the holidays and when to begin your holiday promotions as well as offer strategies that work.