Abandoned Cart Email Templates That Will Help You Recover Lost Sales

June 28, 2023

61673d557475b7c16f7885ca A Guide to Abandoned Cart Email Strategies best abandoned cart emails

If you think abandoned carts only lead to lost revenue, think again. Turns out, they can be a goldmine for your business.

In a study by Klayvio, 9.5% of customers who received abandoned cart emails clicked through, earning businesses over $60 million in revenue. Abandoned cart emails are an effective marketing tactic to re-engage customers who left their items behind.

Whether they never made it to the checkout screen or entered all their information but never hit send, a well-crafted email can bring them back to finalize their purchase.

But one thing to keep in mind is that you can only contact customers who provided their email or already had an account.

To make the most of this strategy, it’s important to understand the different approaches that make up the best abandoned cart email templates.

By implementing a template of your own, you can re-engage customers and increase revenue. So why not give it a try?

Why do customers abandon their carts?

According to research by Statista, over 69% of customers will abandon their cart during the checkout process. Just under 75% of these customers abandon their cart for two main reasons:

  1. the extra costs (shipping) were too high, or
  2. account creation was required at checkout.

Other reasons for abandoned carts include site errors, loading too slowly, complicated checkout process, or consumers not feeling safe giving the business their credit card information.

Plus, shopping cart abandonment rate on mobile is more than 14% higher than on desktop computers.

Smaller screens, such as mobile phones, offer a different shopping experience, one which often doesn’t end with a sale.

Many shoppers use their mobile devices to research products before making a purchase on their desktop computer. But the truth is, a poor mobile shopping experience can deter them from taking that final step altogether.

Whether it’s a desktop computer or mobile screen, creating the best possible experience for your store is vital. By offering a better mobile browsing experience to your customers, you can build trust and increase the likelihood of finalizing a sale.

The first and easy-to-implement fix is to improve website speed, which can reduce the chances of abandoned carts.

#cta-visual-pb#<cta-title>Make all your store pages mobile-friendly with Shogun Page Builder<cta-title>No matter what device they use, be the store they stay with from homepage to checkout.Start building for free

Tips for writing the best abandoned cart emails (with examples) 

It’s no secret that abandoned cart emails can be effective, but did you know that some strategies work better than others? If you want to see real results from this marketing tactic, it’s important to use the right approach.

Here are some top-notch ideas to supercharge your recapture of those abandoned carts.

1. Offer free shipping

Though free shipping strategies tend to see slightly lower open rates, the click-through rate is significantly higher than average. Since nearly half of all shoppers abandon their cart due to extra costs like shipping and taxes, ​​this tactic works.

By offering free shipping, you eliminate one of the biggest barriers to conversion and make it more appealing for customers to complete their purchase.

It’s a simple change that can lead to big results.

You can re-engage these consumers by offering a discount just like Specialized does here.

specialized free shipping email abandoned cart
Notice how Specialized offered free shipping and showed the consumer what it was they left in their cart; Image: Really Good Emails

If free shipping isn’t right for your brand, try bundling products instead. Beardbrand is an excellent example—without discounts, they achieved a 40.1% increase in conversions by re-engaging customers with bundles.

#cta-paragraph-pb#If your brand isn’t comfy offering free shipping, no sweat, try out bundling instead. Beardbrand is an excellent example of successful bundling—without turning to discounts, they re-engaged customers to achieve a 40.1% increase in conversions!

2. Be personal, but get straight to the point

Over half of abandoned cart emails never get opened.

One highly effective abandoned cart email strategy is reminder emails. Reminder emails simply inform the consumer that they left something in their cart, nothing more.

We like this email strategy because it gets straight to the point, keeping the content simple and the subject line obvious.

And one of the most effective subject lines is:

“It looks like you left something behind…”

Take a look at this example by Ugmonk and note the simplicity of the design.

ugmonk reminder email abandoned cart
We love how this email by Ugmonk reminds the consumer that they forgot something in their cart while inviting them to ask the owner any questions they may have before purchasing; Image: Really Good Emails

When replicating this type of abandoned cart email template, you don’t need to offer any incentive to purchase.

Instead, list the items they left in their cart as a reminder of what they are missing out on and make sure the subject line is straight to the point. Include a link to a customized Shopify landing page and a link where they can complete the purchase.

Create this custom Shopify landing page with a focus on including answers to all common FAQs and a way for them to check out once they’ve got their answers.

You can use a drag-and-drop builder like Shogun’s Page Builder to include what you need rather than just what your template contains.

#cta-visual-pb#<cta-title>Build the perfect custom landing page for that email<cta-title>With Shogun Page Builder, you can quickly create a high-converting landing page to drive them to complete their purchase.Get started for free today

3. Build trust with user-generated content

According to research, 40% of people always read reviews first before making a purchase. So, including user-generated content (UGC) like testimonials in your abandoned cart emails may significantly increase conversions.

When readers see social proof from real customers who have gotten results with your product, it builds trust in your brand. With just a few clicks, you can boost consumer confidence.

Just look at these ratings:

  • Over 75% of people trust online reviews
  • 25% only trust reviews if multiple are present
  • 79% say user-generated content highly impacts purchasing decisions

Use this info to your advantage by asking customers for reviews or product photos they take at home. Incentivize customers to provide content by telling them they could be featured on emails in the same way as this abandoned cart email by Adidas.

adidas abandoned cart email user generated content
Shoppers trust other shoppers the most, so Adidas uses this UGC to build customer trust; Image: Really Good Emails

When looking to add UGC into an abandoned cart email, strive for authenticity. Acknowledge who created the content, and where, and even link to it if possible.

For example, if it came from a branded hashtag, add that information so that potential consumers know where it came from and how they could create their own UGC if they want.

Use this abandoned cart email template sequence to re-engage shoppers

According to Shopify, sending multiple abandoned cart emails significantly increases the likelihood of a purchase. Shoppers who receive 3 emails are 2.4x more likely to buy.

We recommend sending your first abandoned cart email within 60 minutes of cart abandonment. Then, send two follow-up emails over the next few days.

A 3-email series has been shown to re-engage customers and boost conversions. Try this proven approach by Shogun:

Email 1: Reminder email

Subject line:

“It looks like you forgot something…”

Body:

“Hey [customer name],

it looks like you left a few items in your cart. We’ve saved them for you! Take a look below to see what you left.

<Optional: image of product left behind dynamically pulled into email>

If you have any questions about our products, reply to this email, and I’ll personally get back to you. Or, click the big button below to read our most common FAQs and check out.”

<Big button at the bottom: “check out now”>

<A signature [photo, social links, etc]>

Email 2: Reminder with UGC, showing what they left, a button, and UGC reviews

Subject line:

“Hey [customer name], it’s us again! You still have items in your cart”

Body:

“Hey [customer name], there are a few items in your cart that are about to expire. If you’re ready to check out, click the bottom below.”

<Images from Instagram of the product and 5-star reviews of the products they were thinking about buying>

<Maybe a “Want to be featured on our emails? Use #brandedhashtag”>

<Button at the bottom that takes them to the cart>

Email 3: A discount, letting them know their cart is about to expire and offering free shipping

Subject line:

“Free shipping on your next order + two more days before your cart expires”

Body:

<A big graphic of a coupon for free shipping that’s a button that takes them to their cart + coupon code>

Tip:

Showcase their cart one more time, just as with the first email. We recommend very little text in this one 🙂

Abandoned cart email FAQs

What should I write in an abandoned cart email?

In an abandoned cart email, highlight the items left in the cart, offer assistance for any issues they might have faced during checkout, and encourage them to complete the purchase. You can also include customer testimonials or reviews about the products, and consider offering a limited-time discount or incentive to prompt immediate action.

Is it legal to send abandoned cart emails?

Yes, it is generally legal to send abandoned cart emails if you have obtained the customer’s consent to receive marketing communications from your business. However, laws regarding email marketing vary by country, so it’s important to comply with local regulations like the CAN-SPAM Act in the U.S. or GDPR in Europe. Always consult with a legal expert if you’re unsure.

How do you address an abandoned cart?

To address an abandoned cart, you can send reminder emails to customers who left items in their shopping cart without completing the purchase. These emails typically include details of the products left behind and a prompt to complete the transaction.

Help take those carts back with a great customer experience

Based on research by Statista, over 10% of people that don’t finish the checkout process do so because the website crashed or had errors.

And in 2019, over 30% of consumers ranked a “user-friendly online experience” as the most important factor for an online shop.

Creating a responsive and custom shopping experience is vital for keeping customers on your site until the order confirmation page.

For SMBs, building a powerful, fast, and responsive online store has never been easier thanks to Shogun Page Builder.

With our drag-and-drop editor and customizable templates, you can create a completely unique on-brand customer experience that drives conversions.

No matter the size of your business, Shogun has everything you need to create a store that centers the customer experience.

#cta-visual-pb#<cta-title>Foster incredible customer experiences with custom store pages<cta-title>With Shogun Page Builder, you can quickly create unique store pages that get shoppers to checkout faster.Get started for free today

The Shogun Team

Shogun's team is full of whipsmart ecommerce experts, dedicated to making the process of building and customizing your Shopify store simpler, faster, and more intuitive.

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