How does marketing automation help you recover abandoned shopping baskets?

The number of online shops is constantly growing. Just like the number of Internet users who are encouraged to shop online by their 24-hour availability, a greater assortment of products than in traditional shops or the ability to freely compare offers. However, retaining a potential customer is a big challenge for shops, as evidenced by the widespread problem of abandoned baskets. Why do customers give up shopping? How to use marketing automation to encourage them to finalize transactions in the e-shop?

Why do customers abandon shopping baskets?

According to research conducted by Listrak, up to 75% of all shopping baskets are abandoned. E-shops that want to increase the level of conversion should carefully analyse the causes of this phenomenon and learn how to minimize its effects. The most common reasons why customers abandon shopping carts are:

• high additional costs, including delivery costs and commission on the form of payment,
• the need to register in to place an order,
• incorrect shop design – non-intuitive navigation or slow loading of the page,
• complicated ordering process,
• imposing a form of payment,
• unfavourable return policy.

Marketing automation as a remedy for abandoned baskets

Automation of marketing, which consists of a number of tools that make it easier to direct personalized messages to website users, helps to restore abandoned shopping baskets. How? Thanks to e-mail remarketing, i.e. the use of e-mails to interact with customers who for some reason did not complete the transaction. The aim of the campaign is to show the customer that we care about his or her return and that selected products are still waiting for him or her. What is important – reminders are opened even 621% more often than regular sales offers!

However, time plays a key role in remarketing campaigns:

• the first e-mail reminder – sending within 24 hours,
• the second e-mail reminder with a photo of the product – sending within 48 hours,
• the third email reminder with a photo and discount – sending within 72 hours.

With the passage of time, the effectiveness of remarketing dramatically decreases. The form of the message sent to a customer is also important.

What to include in a remarketing email saving an abandoned basket?

In order for an e-mail to be effective, it should contain the following elements:

• good quality product photos,
• direct words to the customer,
• a reminder that a product may soon be sold out, 
• information about the benefits of the purchase – free delivery or free return, 
• offer of advice on purchase together with contact,
• CTA, which is a call to action,
• thanks for visiting,
• the “I am no longer interested” button, which allows you to stop the remarketing campaign.

The problem of abandoned baskets concerns almost all e-commerce companies. Fortunately, the development of marketing, and especially effective automation of marketing, is able to remedy this and increase sales by up to 20%.