Ways To Rescue Abandoned Carts In E-commerce - Semalt Expert
Although the term sounds quite dramatic, abandoned carts are actually an inherent part of any e-commerce business. But does that mean you shouldn't bother with them at all? Not necessarily. Abandoned carts can be a great way to increase online store conversions. How? Read on and I will try to introduce you to some proven methods. Let's start with the basics….
What are abandoned carts?
As the name suggests, this is when a user visits our store, adds items to their cart, and then leaves the site, often with no intention of returning. According to research, this is the case with an average of about 70% of shopping carts.
Although this result may seem a bit terrifying, let's remember that there is no such e-shop that this phenomenon would not apply to. However, this does not mean that we can rest on our laurels just because everyone is facing it. It often turns out that we can reduce the number of abandoned carts in our store, and thus generate more sales. For this, it will be necessary to conduct an analysis of our e-commerce. In order to make such an analysis, we must answer one question.
Why do customers abandon carts?
It should be acknowledged that some abandoned carts are simply the result of how users shop online today. Not every purchasing decision is made in the same way, so the number of abandoned carts can vary depending on the industry. The decision to buy a new set of furniture for the living room requires a bit more time and thought than replenishing the stock of basic care cosmetics. This is mainly due to the value of the products, but also the time in which the product will be used.
So, since we will not be able to influence some of the cases of abandoned carts, let's focus on those reasons for abandonment that we can have a real impact on.
Top 10 reasons for shopping cart abandonment
- Too high additional costs, e.g. delivery costs
- Forcing the creation of an account to place an order (perhaps a tempting option, but as you can see a bit risky)
- Long delivery time
- Too long or too complicated ordering process
- Lack of trust in the website and the resulting resistance to providing credit card details
- Hardly visible information about the total cost of the order
- Errors on the website, problems with displaying the website
- Unsatisfactory return policy
- Not enough payment methods
- Credit card declined
The above list gives us quite a hint on where to start analysing our e-commerce. Using it, each e-commerce entrepreneur can make an initial assessment of his/her business on his/her own. In the meantime, you can ask yourself - is the game worth the candle?
Why is it worth saving abandoned carts?
A deeper analysis of our store may reveal problems we didn't even know existed. Trying to fix them can certainly take a lot of time, but also some budget. Every entrepreneur will think twice about such an investment if he/she is not sure whether it will bring the desired results. So, let's take a look at the arguments for saving abandoned carts.
Customer acquired and recovered
The main challenge faced by entrepreneurs and marketing agencies on the Internet is to acquire a new customer. This is not a simple matter and usually, marketing activities with such a goal generate higher costs. When we already have a potential customer, who finds an interesting product or service in our store, adds it to the basket, but for some reason does not finalize the transaction, there is a good chance that we will be able to convince him/her to come back and complete the purchase.
It also happens that the reason for abandoning the cart is some random event, something that distracted the user for a moment and managed to make him/her forget that he/she had just found the products he/she needed in our store. In such a situation, there is a good chance that the customer will return to our store when we remind him/her of it. Remarketing activities often require less money than acquiring a completely new customer.
Real increase in sales
Thanks to the analysis carried out over the last 10 years, it was possible to calculate that the recovery of abandoned carts can generate an increase in conversion in the store. E-commerce in the United States and Europe generates more sales each year. So, entrepreneurs are constantly thinking about how to improve conversions in the store. It turns out, however, that they should rather think about how to recover abandoned carts.
How to save abandoned carts?
Having data on why and how often carts are abandoned, we can move on to the topic of their recovery. There are many possibilities. We can actually break it down into two categories:
- remarketing
- online store optimization
Let's focus on the first point first. Remarketing actually involves a number of activities.
1. Email remarketing
One option is to run an email campaign. For such activities, a customer contact database is necessary. For this reason, it is worth making sure that the user is contacted at the earliest possible stage of the purchase path.
Once we have the e-mail address of our potential customer, we have the opportunity to remind him/her about his/her abandoned purchases. Time is of the essence here. Within 24 hours of adding to the cart, the customer should receive at least one message. We can send another one after a week. If we see that reminders alone don't work, sometimes it's worth trying to offer a discount in subsequent messages.
In the case of such a campaign, it is important to ensure that the content of the message is personalized, but not intrusive.
2. Campaign on Social Media or Google Ads
Another way will be to run a campaign on social media or Google Ads. Each of these options gives us slightly different possibilities, but the form is very similar. Thanks to these media, we can display graphic or text advertisements with appropriately tailored content to the user. These ads "track" the user across the web. It is enough to create an appropriate group of recipients, which will direct our advertisements to those people who have left the basket in our store.
We can also use discounts in these activities, but it is worth focusing on encouraging them to return to our website at the beginning and treat any discounts as a last resort. This will allow us to strengthen the brand, and at the same time will not encourage users to deliberately abandon the basket with the intention of obtaining a discount.
Optimizations on the website that will help solve the problem
Website conversion optimization is the key. Although all remarketing activities are very successful, even the best-prepared advertising content will not help if the problem is with the website. Let us remember that abandoned carts in an online store have their source in problems encountered directly during shopping.
Check how to ensure the right conversion on your website.
Suitable delivery options
As we already know, the main reason for cart abandonment is the high cost of delivery. The lack of a convenient delivery option may also be a problem. Try to have several delivery options available in your store at different prices. When choosing suppliers, also pay attention to the delivery time. Nowadays, the user expects everything to be done efficiently and quickly.
Don't force an account
Nobody likes being forced to do anything. As research shows, this also applies to setting up an account in an online store. Leave it easy for users to create an account when they place an order, but make sure they can just as easily complete the transaction by skipping this step.
Make your store trustworthy
Make sure you remain transparent to your users. An appropriate return policy, clearly visible contact details, no unexpected additional costs or user reviews in the store will certainly make the potential customer have no major doubts as to whether it is worth leaving money in your store.
Get rid of any technical problems
Sometimes even a small mistake, e.g. when displaying a photo or price correctly, can cause the user to abandon the basket. Check with The Dedicated SEO Dashboard that your website is fully operational and fix any errors found.
Summary
Although abandoned carts in online stores are commonplace, they have great potential to increase sales. Remember that every abandoned cart is an undecided customer who may need gentle encouragement. All it takes is a bit of optimization in the store and properly planned marketing activities, and your store can enjoy a lower number of abandoned carts.