Over the past few weeks, we’ve highlighted many of the benefits of abandoned cart emails. Once an online seller has connected their Shopify, Magento, or WooCommerce store to MailChimp, they can easily reach out to customers who leave their carts and encourage them to come back and complete their purchase. Now, with the holidays fast approaching and your site traffic increasing, abandoned cart emails are more important than ever. They’ll help you sell even more stuff and generate more revenue during the busiest time of the year for your store—especially if you combine them with product recommendations.
If you’ve perused our holiday tips microsite, you’ve already seen quite a few helpful tips that will help you make the most of your holiday marketing. But keep in mind that abandoned cart emails are an extension of your email marketing, so many of the same best practices, ideas, and tips apply. Today, we’re going to explore a few of the different ways that you can spruce up your abandoned cart workflows this holiday season.
Stay on brand
No matter what type of stuff you sell, it’s important for your email campaigns to be consistent with the other elements of your brand, like your website and social channels. But as you’re planning out your marketing emails for the upcoming season, don’t forget to align your abandoned cart messaging, too.
In the coming months, your online store will likely see an increase in traffic, and many of those shoppers could be new customers or folks who haven’t made a purchase in a while. Make a good impression on them. As you’re building an abandoned cart workflow, be sure to incorporate elements of your brand that are familiar to your customers. Use the same voice and tone, and be sure to include fonts, logos, images, or any other elements that are recognizable as yours. Create a seamless experience for your customers, and make your abandoned cart emails feel like an extension of your email marketing—an extension of your brand.
Spread holiday cheer
Your abandoned cart emails have one core purpose—to encourage customers to return to your store and complete their purchase. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t be informative and fun, too. This holiday season, consider adding a special greeting or a note of gratitude in your abandoned cart emails to delight your customers and let them know that you appreciate their patronage. Be sure to include festive holiday images or colors too, just as you would with your regular holiday marketing emails. If quantities of certain items are limited, add a note to your abandoned cart emails to alert customers that they need to act fast so they can get the product they want before it goes out of stock. And don’t forget to include your ordering deadlines and shipping details, so customers know exactly how much time they have left to order if they want to receive their products in time for the holidays.
Think outside the box
Recently, Colorado-based retailer Topo Designs told us how they’ve tinkered with their abandoned cart emails, experimenting with different incentives to learn what would resonate with their customers. This holiday season, try something similar with your own abandoned cart campaigns. Experiment with different promotions to see what is most successful in bringing customers back to your store. Maybe, like Topo Designs, a percentage-off discount will prove to be most successful. Or, perhaps you’ll find success when you suggest some of your store’s newest and most popular items. And since MailChimp’s abandoned cart workflows are completely customizable, you might even find a brand new way to engage your customers. Use your abandoned cart emails to promote upcoming events, pop-up shops, and more. Include customer reviews from other folks who have had a positive experience with your store and products. Be creative!
