The recovery of the abandoned cart is one of the first automations considered by an ecommerce. It is useful, but it only works if event, message and purchase are configured correctly.
Sending three emails with a discount does not fix a checkout that does not accept payment, a revealed shipment too late or a product card that leaves doubt. Before writing the sequence you have to distinguish what happened.
Trolley and checkout indicate different intentions
In the cart a person has added at least one product. It can be interested, compare alternatives or use the cart as a reminder.
In checkout he began to enter information necessary for the order. The intention is generally higher, but may have stopped for payment, shipping, trust or distraction.
This difference influences:
- times of the first message;
- content;
- level of assistance;
- any incentive;
- excluded from the sequence;
- metric to evaluate recovery.
Treating the two events as identical makes messages less relevant.
First check that events work
A sequence may seem active and not receive correct data. Run real tests from different devices and browsers.
Check:
- identification of the user in compliance with the consent;
- product, variant, quantity and price;
- Product URL and image;
- cart value;
- checkout event;
- purchase event;
- immediate exclusion after order;
- update when changing the cart;
- management of exhausted products.
A customer who has already purchased should not receive a reminder for the same order.
Analyzes why people stop
The most common reasons include:
- unexpected shipping costs;
- unclear delivery times;
- payment refused;
- obligation to create an account;
- doubts about size, compatibility or return;
- slow mobile site;
- absence of the desired payment method;
- simple interruption.
Watch recordings, assistance, errors and completion rate by device. The email must respond to real problems, not to the imagined ones.
An essential sequence for the cart
The first message can start after a sufficient interval has passed to distinguish a break from an abandonment. It must remember what remained and offer a direct path to continue.
The second can address frequent doubts: shipping, returns, materials, assistance or reviews. The third can only add urgency when it is real, for example limited availability or expiry of an existing condition.
The structure can be:
- Simple reminder and left products.
- Answers to doubts and confidence.
- Last call or direct assistance.
Not every brand needs three emails. Quick purchase products and expensive products have different cycles.
A checkout sequence
Those who started checkout may need more specific reassurance. The message should facilitate return, clarify assistance and remember essential conditions.
If integration allows it, separate:
- failed payment;
- checkout started without order;
- delivery method not completed;
- new customer or already acquired;
- order over a certain threshold.
For a failed payment it is more useful to explain how to try again or contact assistance than to propose a discount.
When to use a discount
The discount should not be automatic for everyone. It can reduce margins and teach customers to wait.
First try to recover with:
- clarity;
- reviews;
- assistance;
- made explained;
- product advantages;
- already planned shipment;
- alternative payment.
If you use an incentive, you define eligibility, duration and impact on the margin. Exclude customers who already have better conditions or unsustainable orders.
Write recognizable messages
Subject and text must be consistent with the tone of the store. Avoid artificial pressures and phrases that make your purchase seem already completed.
The message must contain:
- clear reason for the email;
- correct products;
- button to the right point;
- contact for questions;
- essential information;
- possibility of unsubscribing for promotional communications.
From mobile the main content and button must be immediately visible.
Segment without creating unnecessary complexity
At first, a few high impact differences are sufficient:
- new visitor and customer;
- cart and checkout;
- low and high value;
- country or shipping rule;
- category with specific doubts;
- product available or sold out.
Do not create dozens of branches without traffic enough to evaluate them.
The metrics to be observed
Opens and clicks help diagnose, but the end result concerns orders and margin.
Check:
- people entering the flow;
- deliveries and delivery problems;
- click;
- return to checkout;
- assigned orders;
- recovered value and margin;
- use of discounts;
- disiscriptions and reports;
- differences between devices and segments.
Platform allocation is an estimate. Compare it with total orders and with similar periods.
The flow does not replace site control
If many people leave at the same point, correct that point first. Reduce an unexpected cost or payment error can be worth more than a new email.
E-ROE works onemail marketing for ecommerceby connecting messages, data and purchase path. You can also estimate opportunities with therecoverable revenue calculator.