Did you know that the average abandoned cart/checkout rate on eCommerce stores is 68% and that statistic is a few years old, recently I’ve seen it quoted even higher than that. So with so many people abandoning our website before they ever make a purchase, it’s so important that we have mechanisms in place to help us get that customer back.
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Now when you look at the research, most reports say that high shipping or unexpected costs overall as usually the reason why people abandon checkout. And that may very well be true. But with the rising cost of shipping, it’s pretty hard for small businesses to lower their shipping rates without significantly eating into their margin, right?
So look, that’s not to say there aren’t things we can do to get your rates down. But that’s a conversation for another day.
What I want to focus on for today is how do we increase the chances of getting them back, once they’ve decided to leave. I know, we should focus on preventing it, but I love to get you quick wins, and this is going to be a lot faster to tackle.
And note: we also talking specifically about email today. Not SMS, or any other fancy app. Just good ol’ fashion email that still converts no matter what those naysayers are spouting. That’s not to say email is the only way, but it’s a very viable one.
So the first thing is, you’re going to want to have emails set up in your email marketing software like
I typically start with 3 and then adjust if necessary based on the business and customer.
Generally, the first email is where you’re going to see the bulk of the conversions, and you do not have to give a discount at this stage. In fact, I advise against it – you don’t want to train your customers to wait for that email.
If you are comfortable giving a discount, do so in the 3rd email, and II usually only send this to people who have never purchased from me before.
Now the trick is, what content do you put in there? And here’s the real nugget of this episode…
You want to include objection handling content in your abandonment emails. This could be in the form of product reviews, maybe it’s FAQs, it honestly doesn’t matter the form. The point is that you want to think about what might be preventing your customer from buying at this point and make sure you put the customer’s mind at ease through this content.
Let’s run through some examples: If you sell shoes, apparel, or any other hard-to-fit items, this is a good time to tout your awesome return or exchange policy.
If you sell something that has a learning curve, reassure them that you’ll provide them with all the necessary know-how to have the best experience with your products.
If it’s price resistance, remind them about the quality they’re getting and the small businesses they’re supporting.
You get the idea, right?
If you’re not sure what those objections are, it’s time to do a little market research. Start by looking at your product reviews, customer service inquiries, and even your social media conversations. Your customer’s objections are all right there, usually in the form of questions or complaints. If you’re just starting out and you have no data to work from, start with an educated guess. If you were a consumer of your business or brand, what would your concerns be?
Then answer them in your email content.
My favorite way to do this when you already have emails set up is to set up a split test in your flow. If you use
Once you’ve got the basics set up and you have a handle on those common customer objections, then you get even more specific with the content you share based on the products that people are buying by using dynamic content.
For instance, I worked with a client who sells DIY nail polish kits. You’ve probably heard me talk about her before. But she also sells other cosmetics and nail care products. Not all products are going to need the same level of objection handling as those kits, so we used dynamic content in her abandonment emails to show or hide that content depending on what they have in their cart. It’s a pretty nifty feature and just one of the many ways you can use it to personalize your customers’ experience.
So, the moral of today’s story… include objection handling content. It can be in the form of product reviews, FAQs, or both. Make sure the content is right there in the email.
I can’t wait for you to try it and let me know how it went!
