Shopping cart and abandonment is one of the biggest thieves of revenue in e-commerce today and it’s also one of the easiest to attack.Consider some statistics:

1. Nearly 68% of online shopping carts are abandoned on average (meaning 2/3 of all online retail revenue is left on the table every day.)
2. Approximately 60% of customers who abandoned their carts would return if they received an email reminder.
3. About 50% of those customers say they’re likely to follow through with a purchase if that email includes an incentive for doing so.

With numbers like these, there’s no valid reason to ignore cart abandonment or to assume there’s nothing you can do to fix it. Creating and optimizing personalized, automated cart abandonment recovery email campaigns is your best bet for earning back 12, 15, even 20% of that lost revenue or more.

Here are some ideas to help you:

Was there a problem?

According to surveys run by Shopify, about 39% of carts were abandoned because the customers ran into some sort of technical issue with the site, including the site timing out or crashing. Theoretically, the number of abandonments due to technical issues outside your control could be even higher.

So, it’s always a good idea to broach that subject in the first automated email after the cart is abandoned, which is usually most effective within two hours of the customer’s visit.

For example, you could say something like, “We noticed you left before completing your purchase and we wanted to see if there was an issue with the site or the checkout process that we could assist with.” Notice that the tone assumes something unavoidable got in the way of the purchase. This isn’t just a clever psychological ploy, it’s also very likely accurate. And, as such, it’s going to be appreciated by those customers who may have been annoyed by a technical issue earlier and are now being given the opportunity to get back to what they were doing.

Do you need some more time?

In many cases, especially if big-ticket items are in question, cart abandonment indicates the customer wanted an opportunity to do some more research, read reviews, and compare prices on different sites.

Understanding that, another excellent idea for recovery emails is to gently introduce urgency into the customer’s mind.

For example, you could try subtly indicating that delaying any further could result in the product selling out: “These products are still in your cart right now, but honestly, they tend to disappear fast.”

Some stores will go as far as including a “remaining stock” number or a countdown timer until the product is likely to be gone. How you word it depends completely on your brand’s tone and voice, but scarcity is a proven sales tool that shouldn’t be ignored.

Did you know…?

If your customer did abandon their cart because they’re shopping around for the best value, it’s possible all they need to get them back to your store is a reminder of all the great things you offer besides just the product(s) they left behind.

For example, you could take the opportunity to remind your almost-customer of your free shipping policy and your lifetime guarantee, both of which add tremendous value to the purchase, and should rightfully be considered when comparing your products to the competition.

And, by including these quick reminders along with a sincere request for feedback and/or questions, they sound less like a sales pitch and more like an offer of assistance.

Would a discount help?

Another excellent option to consider for your cart abandonment recovery email campaigns is a discount or other incentive to drive customers back to their abandoned carts.

It’s important to note, though, that only a percentage of those who abandon their carts do so because of the cost. While you may find offering discounts raises your recovery rate, you’ll need to balance this with the amount of revenue being lost to these discounts to make sure it remains a viable strategy for your business. At the very least, it makes sense to reserve discount offers to the second or third email rather than starting off with this tactic.

Another good idea is to attach a specific time limit to the offer, adding urgency to the mix. If you want your purchase at 25% off, you’ll need to act within the next two days.

Personalization adds value

Cart abandonment recovery emails are already personalized to a certain extent because they’re specific to an individual’s product choices. But keep in mind that automated personalization applications like Strands Retail can slice and dice customer information in a thousand different ways, giving you tremendous flexibility in how you personalize these valuable messages.

The more personalized and engaging the emails are, the better chance you’re going to have of bringing those customers back off the fence and turning them into buyers.