Craft Compelling Cart Abandonment Email Templates That Drive Conversions

Shopping cart abandonment is nothing short of getting dead legs before you touch the finishing line at a marathon. You’re almost there but still fell short. But before consumer brands give in to despair, they can use cart abandonment email templates as a fail-safe mechanism. It is a final burst of energy for a much-needed push across the winning side of the checkered line.

Here’s a look at how to build a successful abandoned cart email strategy.

Anatomy of a Successful Cart Abandonment Email Template

Surprisingly, an abandoned cart email template need not be elaborate. In fact, it contains only a few elements at its core; these are:

a.) A Reminder of the Value Proposition

Most businesses view abandoned carts as lost customers. But throw in some cart abandonment emails, and they become warm leads. However, you can only recover this lost revenue if you focus on what customers care about – value.

In some cases, the value can be the product itself. Remind customers of the items they placed in their carts but failed to checkout. After all, 24% of cart abandonments happen due to website crashes, with 15% happening because of timeout issues. 

Adidas recognizes such a possibility and incorporates it humorously in its abandoned cart email template. Also, notice how it accentuates the product’s USP through user-generated content (UGC) and ratings to recover lost sales.

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UGC and social proofing is one way to subtly hint at the value proposition or highlight how it addresses customer pain points. Brands can also get straight to the point, like how London North Eastern Railway does:

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The goal is to lead them back to their abandoned carts; hopefully past the checkout page to complete their purchase.

b.) A Captivating Copy to Let Customers Know What They’re Missing Out on

A captivating copy is the heart and soul of any abandoned cart email template.

And when we talk about “copy,” we don’t just mean email body; we’re talking the whole nine yards starting with the email subject line. 

As per our findings, certain email subject lines perform better than others. For instance, subject lines spanning 110 to 140 characters see higher click-through rates – and you can increase its effectiveness further by adding emojis. So, strategize everything, beginning with the subject line. Once you open with an eye-grabbing subject line, sustain the reader’s interest with an equally captivating email copy. Here’s how Chubbies Shorts adds a ton of personality to its cart abandonment campaigns:

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The messages are short enough to retain attention and interesting enough to keep you reading! That’s the kind of copy you need for your abandoned cart email template.

c.) A Click-Worthy Call to Action

We cannot stress this enough – cart abandonment campaigns must contain a call to action. After all, it is the crucial link between the abandoned cart email templates and the checkout page!

You want a call to action that is clear, actionable, and easy to understand. Also, place it in a prominent location of your abandoned cart email templates. This call to action can guide the lost customers to the product or landing page, checkout page, or helpdesk to keep them moving through the sales pipeline.

d.) An Incentive (Optional) to Resume the Shopping Journey Upto Checkout

Your lost customers need an incentive to come back to the online store. This incentive could be in the form of free shipping, discount code, vouchers, coupon code, gift cards, or free samples. Highlight the incentive that you have to offer to recover lost revenue; you can do that by incorporating it into your call to action.

5 Winning Abandoned Cart Email Examples

Following are some examples of killer abandoned cart email templates used by brands. 

Example #1: Headspace Leverages Emotions to Resume Customer Journey

Here’s an abandoned cart email template of how Headspace sends an empathetic (and humorous) reminder to recover lost sales:

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Apart from adding oodles of personality to the abandoned cart message, it also offers multiple options for the customer to jump back into the sales pipeline.

They encourage customers to continue to checkout, learn more about the product that they were about to purchase, self-service through FAQs, or connect with Headspace reps through live chat or email. By doing so, this abandoned cart email template minimizes any kind of bottleneck or roadblock in the sales cycle.

Example #2: Whisky Loot Uses a Concise But Compelling Copy to Delight Customers

Whisky Loot sets a gold standard for abandoned cart email templates. For starters, the email subject line reads, “Your cart is sobering up,” which is sure to grab eyeballs and get a good number of clicks.

The email layout is neat and minimalistic and uses an engaging (and quirky) copy to entice customers into going through with their purchase.

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The email also addresses some commonly asked questions while allowing the customers to respond to this email with additional queries. Finally, the email template ending seals the deal with a CTA that says “Treat Yourself” – and who would say no to that?

Example #3: Dyson Offers Assistance to Lost Customers

Dyson checks a lot of boxes of exemplary abandoned cart email templates. The decluttered email copy comes off as helpful as it assists lost customers in resuming their purchase journey. The product photo is used as the hero image of the abandoned cart email, and additional details can be seen under the “Your Basket” section.

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The “Continue Shopping” CTA is available at the top and the bottom, while buyers also have the option to connect with a Dyson expert for more assistance. The E-Commerce store also generates a sense of urgency by informing the buyer that the offer is available only for a limited time. Finally, it offers four quick and compelling reasons to shop at Dyson for those who still need a final nudge.

Example #4: Google Generates FOMO to Win Back Customer Interest

Google truly knows how to leverage the scarcity effect with a series of actionable elements in its abandoned cart email template. The email opens with the title “Going, going, (almost) gone” and follows it up with how their popular items sell out fast. Those in a hurry can connect with Google on chat or call to clear any doubts and complete their purchase.

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Placing the “Subscribe Now” button at the end is a great way to get opt-in for sending news, offers, and tips – especially since the customer would already be drenched in FOMO at this point.

Plus, the fine print for limited-time free shipping could play a clinching role, as 48% of buyers abandon carts due to hidden charges like unexpected shipping costs!

Example #5: Casper’s Minimalist Email Uses Social Proof to Gain Credibility

An email with the subject line “Did you forget something?” is bound to stand out in your inbox, and Casper knows it. Not only that, the email copy is short, scannable, and playful.

The top half is reserved for the product and has a CTA to the shopping cart, while the bottom half contains social proof in the form of customer testimonials along with a CTA to read more.

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Adding the latter is a stroke of genius since 49% of customers trust online reviews just as much as personal recommendations from friends and family! 

9 Tips and Tricks to Optimize Abandoned Cart Email Templates

Here’s a look at how you can spice up your abandoned cart email templates:

1.) Go Beyond Just One

Sometimes, even your best-crafted abandoned cart email templates cannot get the job done in one go, which is why cart abandonment campaigns should contain a series of such emails. Typically, the abandoned cart workflow should contain three sections with the following cadence after cart abandonment:

1. A reminder: within 24 hours
2. A follow-up email: a few days later
3. An incentive: a few days after the follow-up email

Use email marketing softwares to maintain this abandoned cart email sequence and recover abandoned carts like a pro!

2.) It’s All About the Timing

As with any customer engagement strategy, timing is everything. Your shopping cart abandonment email should knock on the customer’s inbox while they’re still considering the purchase. Unfortunately, there is no magic formula or rule of thumb to identify the right timeline. You will have to use email marketing tools to find what works for you.

3.) Use Subject Lines That Are Click Magnets

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Abandoned cart email subject lines are a preview of what’s in store. If you want the customer to open such emails and get to purchase completion, you want to start on the right foot. Front-loading value is a great way to get clicks on your subject line.

Let them know if the cart abandonment email contains a coupon code or a free shipping option. Alternatively, you can try something extraordinary or witty to eclipse other promotional emails.

We’ve done a detailed piece on some of the best email subject lines to boost open rates. Feel free to check it out.

4.) Offer a Summary of Cart Content

Abandoned cart emails are a reminder of what shoppers were about to buy. As such, the cart content should be the hero of such emails. Give the receivers a high-level overview of the cart they’ve put together, along with necessary details such as the cost, product details, delivery timelines, and more.

5.) Incorporate High-Quality Visuals

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About 80% of consumers rely on product photographs while making purchase decisions. So, why should you limit their scope to product pages alone? Embed high-quality product photos and videos in abandoned cart email templates to delight and entice customers.

6.) Sprinkle a Dash of Personalization to Connect With Customers

Whether it is the subject line of your shopping cart abandonment email or an itemized list of products in the cart, personalization is the secret ingredient that lends the abandoned cart email strategy an oomph factor. When done right, personalization can not only recover lost customers but also increase revenue through upselling and cross-selling!

For example, Spencer’s Retail used MoEngage to drive insights-led personalization and increase conversion rate by 30% across cart abandonment campaigns and 10% on cross-selling campaigns!

7.) Leverage Social Proof to Gain Trust

Social proof instills credibility and trust in brands. Genuine customer reviews and testimonials can handle sales objections and convince buyers who are still on the fence. It is an opportunity for brands to connect with and win over potential customers before their lead turns cold.

8.) Go Omnichannel to Become Memorable

While emails are the go-to channel for abandoned cart recovery, eCommerce businesses should also explore other channels like push notifications, social media ads, pop-ups, SMS, and more. Such an omnichannel abandoned cart strategy will keep the eCommerce business fresh on the consumers’ minds!

9.) Perform A/B Testing to Know What Works Best

A/B testing is one of the most reliable ways to test the performance of your cart abandonment campaigns. It lends insights into what your audience truly wants. Do they prefer free shipping? Are your emails engaging? What kind of brand voice do they appreciate? The answer to all such questions (and more) will be available through A/B testing.

Closing Thoughts

On average, only three out of ten carts make it past the checkout page. This troubling statistic highlights how cart abandonment is a pressing problem among different industrial sectors and business sizes. Fortunately, abandoned cart recovery is a strong possibility if you set the right trigger campaign for it.

Your abandoned cart email template should ideally serve as a reminder of the product and its value and contain a CTA to resume customer journeys. You can even throw in an incentive as a last-ditch attempt to win over the lost customers. We have shared a few best practices to amp up your abandoned cart email strategy and make it more effective.

Take inspiration from some of the cart abandonment email examples discussed above to craft a campaign that ensures virtually nobody slips through the cracks!