Techniques to recover abandoned carts

An abandoned cart is no less than an order that was left unfinished. For some reason, the customer decided, after adding the product to the cart, that he would no longer make the purchase.

The abandonment rate is usually high. Several surveys indicate that the average dropout rate of the cart is around 75% - 80%, which means that only 20% to 25% of the orders are completed according to the brand's expectations.

This can happen for multiple reasons and happens in all the online stores, but there are some techniques to turn this situation around and recover abandoned carts, boosting the increase of sales on the e-commerce.

Do remarketing campaigns.

The remarketing strategy is widely used in the recovery of abandoned carts - it is a technique that encourages customers to resume and complete their purchases, showing them, on different platforms, the products they have previously added to the cart. This means that the customer will see an ad about the product later, after leaving the online store. This technique is interesting because the advertisement is shown to somebody who has already shown interest in acquiring the product.

Send abandoned cart recovery emails.

Depending on where the cart was left, it is possible that the customer has inserted his contact data in a form and, if he is a frequent user, he is likely to have logged in before placing the order. Thus, it is common to have access to the email of the customer who abandoned the cart and to know which products he had an interest in acquiring, as well as the phase in which he decided to give up the order.

The abandoned cart recovery emails alert the customer to the fact that he did not complete the purchase, demonstrating the need for urgency in the purchase. Ideally, the email should contain a relevant CTA (call-to-action) and the customer should be forwarded to the checkout or product page (depending on the status of the order) so that he can complete his order with just a few clicks. Including the brand contact in the email is also advantageous, this way the customer will be able to clarify possible issues that led him to abandon the cart the first time.

Include the opinions of the other customers in the product's communication.

When a product, or service, is associated with a good recommendation, score or opinion, the probability of the customer feeling safer to make the purchase is higher. Thus, communications directed to customers who abandoned carts should contain these reviews – including a review in the cart recovery email shows that other people made the same purchase and were satisfied with the product or service in question.

Submit a new payment method.

This can also be a way of understanding if the customer abandons the cart because he is not interested in making the payment through the available method. If the cart was abandoned at the time of the payment method selection, the probability of that being the problem is high. Thus, contacting the customer and presenting a new payment method (via bank transfer, for example) may be a way to guarantee the sale.

Send an abandoned cart recovery text.

Like the second topic of this article, the text message may be the necessary push for the customer to place the order. This is another way to remind the customer that he did not finish the order and, thanks to smartphones, the text can now also contain the direct link to the product that aroused the customer's interest. It is important, however, that the recipient of the message is able to stop receiving this type of communication (the opt-out is essential).

Offer the client an advantage.

Discount codes, free shipping or other advantages (such as the possibility of participating in a lottery between the customers of the month, among others) are other techniques to achieve sales from previously abandoned carts.

An interesting way to offer an advantage to the customer and still get him back to the store is, for example, to give him a discount code - by completing the current order - that can be used in his next purchase. This way, the customer will make the purchase of the product he had already seen and will return to place a new order where he can use the discount code he received.

Enlighten the client.

Some abandoned carts are the result of doubts that prevent customers from feeling safe enough to advance to the check-out process. Thus, presenting an email address, a phone number or even a chat window can make a difference in the completion of the sale – being able to clarify his doubts at the time of the purchase, the customer will not think twice and the impulsivity of the online order will not be lost.

Figure out what drives customers to abandon their cart.

When do customers give up ordering? Which products are most often in these carts? Does it have to do with the price of shipping? Or is it related to the available payment methods? Understanding the reason for abandoning carts is essential to reduce the rate of this problem, as you can only recover orders if you understand where the problem is.

Having a complicated, confusing and not intuitive checkout system is a point to consider in this theme, as the customer will give up the order more easily. To ensure that this does not happen, it is essential to optimize the checkout process –online shopping can be pleasant or frustrating, depending on how this process is designed.