By Nermeen Nabil 
If you’re like most people who shop online, you’ve probably abandoned your share of carts over the years. The reasons why can range from simple distraction to sudden second thoughts at the last minute. However, that doesn’t change the fact that you were interested in those products enough to consider them in the first place.
Where there’s interest, there’s also an opportunity to rescue a sale, and this is just as much the case for your Shopify customers as it is for anyone else.
Over 70 percent of online shopping carts wind up abandoned, leaving that sale uncompleted. But a well-crafted, timely Shopify abandoned cart email can give your customers the nudge they need to reconsider and complete their purchases instead of missing out. Here are some techniques for ensuring yours are effective.
Adopting the Right Approach
Like other forms of email marketing, the success of a Shopify abandoned cart email is all about nailing the approach. Here are some creative email examples and techniques to consider:
Humor: Use humor and witty subject lines to set your brand apart and encourage shoppers to open and engage with your email.
Urgency: No one likes to miss out on a truly great deal, least of all a shopper on the cusp of completing a purchase. Use urgency to activate a consumer’s fear of missing out (FOMO) and encourage them to retrieve their cart.
Empathy: Consumers respond to brands that express empathy and understand where shoppers are coming from. Use this to your advantage in your email efforts.
Incentives: Sometimes, an extra discount or a gift with a purchase is all it takes to convince a shopper that a purchase is worth finalizing after all.
Employ Smooth Copywriting
Effective copywriting is an art form all Shopify store owners and marketers should master. The right wording, formatting, and incentives can make retrieving an abandoned cart positively irresistible. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Craft your subject line carefully, as the right approach can drastically improve open rates.
Personalize your message by using the customer’s name (if possible) and reminding them of the exact items waiting for them in their cart.
Leverage action words to encourage people to take that next step and click back through to your store for a second look.
Use incentives to make great deals even better and more appealing.
Close with a powerful call to action (CTA) that will resonate with the reader.
Add Visual Appeal
The right visuals can add just as much impact to a Shopify abandoned cart email as well-written copy can, so choose yours wisely. Keep designs and layouts appealing but simple to ensure the purpose of the email is crystal clear. Employ recognizable brand assets like logos, colors, fonts, etc. to add authenticity.
Graphics and images of the actual items in the cart are also helpful and encouraged. Help that customer recall exactly what they found so appealing about them in the first place.
Personalize Where Possible
The average person receives many emails each day – up to 100 or more in some cases. It only stands to reason that they won’t have the time or inclination to open and interact with all of them, so they need a reason to choose yours. Personalization can give them that reason.
Personalize the subject line by using the customer’s name or referencing the items in their abandoned cart. Do the same throughout the actual body of the email. Suggesting additional products to complement the existing items in their cart can be effective, as well.
Time Things Just Right
Timing and frequency can also help maximize the potential success of a Shopify abandoned cart email. Although it’s always advisable to experiment with different timing options to see what works best with your clientele, the most popular time range for sending a first email is between 30 minutes and 2-4 hours after cart abandonment.
If that first email doesn’t do the trick, try sending a subsequent email the following day and (if needed) a third two days later.
Sweeten the Deal
Additional incentives are very powerful ways to convince an interested customer to go right ahead with a purchase. They not only ensure someone feels they’re getting a good deal but also help them feel they’re getting something special and exclusive someone else might not.
Options to consider include:
Over-and-above discounts
Free shipping
Gifts with purchase
Limited-time offers
Optimize for Mobile
The days when consumers shopped online exclusively via their laptops or desktop systems are over. These days, at least 60 percent of internet users regularly access the web via smartphones and other mobile devices, including for shopping purposes. They certainly turn to their mobile devices to keep up with their email.
That said, ensure that your abandoned cart emails are fully optimized for a variety of screens, including mobile screens. An email that loads too slowly or doesn’t display correctly could lose you the opportunity to reclaim that sale.
Ready to start re-engaging interested customers and finalizing sales? Contact us at Groove Commerce to learn how our team can increase your open rates by 85%
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Nermeen Nabil Khear