Key Elements of an Effective Abandoned Cart Email
Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2025 4:35 am
People will abandon their shopping carts no matter how perfectly you design your site. It's just part of eCommerce marketing . But that doesn't mean they can't be brought back.
Email marketing for eCommerce isn't just about reaching out to subscribers before they make a purchase. It's also an effective way to re-engage consumers who have interacted with at&t email list your site, such as adding items to their shopping cart, but haven't completed their purchase.
To write an effective and personalized abandoned cart email, make sure you follow email marketing best practices by including the following features.
1. Compelling subject line
The first hurdle is to convince the customer to open the email . Use persuasive, persistent language, but not too pushy.
Consider these calls to action:
Have you forgotten something?
Are you still interested in [product name]?
You have left [product name] in your cart!
Hello, [Name], come visit us again!
They are friendly but not too promotional.
2. Visualization of abandoned objects
Remember the saying , “Show, don’t tell”? This applies when creating fantastic abandoned cart emails. You want your prospects to see what they’re missing out on.
Including high-quality images or videos of the product item in your online shopping cart can help improve conversion rates. You engage your potential customer visually, which can lead to an increased desire to purchase the product in question.
If there are multiple items in the cart, you can highlight only one or show images of all. Make sure you include an attractive product description with image(s).
3. A strong call to action
We talk a lot about calls to action here on the Hello Bar blog — and for good reason. They're one of the most important factors influencing conversions today.
YOUR call to action needs to tell your readers exactly what you want them to do. You get bonus points if the CTA includes colorful or engaging language that draws the reader in.
Consider having your call to action reflect the subject line of the email, such as in the examples we listed above. “Grab your items” or “Don’t miss your chance” work well. A/B test your calls to action to see what works best in your abandoned cart email.
19 Best Practices and Tips for Sending Abandoned Cart Emails
Writing an abandoned cart email is all about psychology. You want your online shoppers to do something that will make you money, so you have to think like a consumer.
What will convince your target audience to return and complete the checkout process? What words, phrases or images will be persuasive enough to overcome all objections and questions?
These are tough questions to answer, but we're sharing our 19 best practices for abandoned cart emails . Use them in your ecommerce email marketing campaign to drive more conversions.
1. Make your abandoned cart emails as specific as possible
Never waste your reader's time, especially when you want to convert them into customers . Get straight to the point by asking the reader to return to the checkout page.
Include a short headline, an image of the product(s), a short description, and a call to action. That’s all you need. If you add too much text, you’ll overwhelm the reader—and probably ruin your chances of converting them.
2. Use compelling visuals in abandoned cart emails
Visuals help the reader process your message more effectively. For example, you could use a stock image of a “sad” shopping cart. Just keep it small so it doesn’t overwhelm the page.
2. Use compelling visuals in abandoned cart emails
Images allow you to touch your readers' emotions. No, they don't really care about the sad, lonely basket, but images evoke emotions like loss and disappointment.
Again, use product images as well. You want your readers to see what they're missing. Copy alone won't necessarily send your prospects running back to the virtual checkout.
3. Use "Left Behind" at the beginning of the letter
A good way to prime the reader is to place an image of the dropped item and its description at the very top of the email. You can get into the details and call to action later.
Your reader will recognize the product. After all, they put it in their cart in the first place. This moment of recognition can inspire your reader to want the item again.
That doesn't mean the headline can't work, either. Test both strategies by sending abandoned cart emails to see which gets the most conversions.
Email marketing for eCommerce isn't just about reaching out to subscribers before they make a purchase. It's also an effective way to re-engage consumers who have interacted with at&t email list your site, such as adding items to their shopping cart, but haven't completed their purchase.
To write an effective and personalized abandoned cart email, make sure you follow email marketing best practices by including the following features.
1. Compelling subject line
The first hurdle is to convince the customer to open the email . Use persuasive, persistent language, but not too pushy.
Consider these calls to action:
Have you forgotten something?
Are you still interested in [product name]?
You have left [product name] in your cart!
Hello, [Name], come visit us again!
They are friendly but not too promotional.
2. Visualization of abandoned objects
Remember the saying , “Show, don’t tell”? This applies when creating fantastic abandoned cart emails. You want your prospects to see what they’re missing out on.
Including high-quality images or videos of the product item in your online shopping cart can help improve conversion rates. You engage your potential customer visually, which can lead to an increased desire to purchase the product in question.
If there are multiple items in the cart, you can highlight only one or show images of all. Make sure you include an attractive product description with image(s).
3. A strong call to action
We talk a lot about calls to action here on the Hello Bar blog — and for good reason. They're one of the most important factors influencing conversions today.
YOUR call to action needs to tell your readers exactly what you want them to do. You get bonus points if the CTA includes colorful or engaging language that draws the reader in.
Consider having your call to action reflect the subject line of the email, such as in the examples we listed above. “Grab your items” or “Don’t miss your chance” work well. A/B test your calls to action to see what works best in your abandoned cart email.
19 Best Practices and Tips for Sending Abandoned Cart Emails
Writing an abandoned cart email is all about psychology. You want your online shoppers to do something that will make you money, so you have to think like a consumer.
What will convince your target audience to return and complete the checkout process? What words, phrases or images will be persuasive enough to overcome all objections and questions?
These are tough questions to answer, but we're sharing our 19 best practices for abandoned cart emails . Use them in your ecommerce email marketing campaign to drive more conversions.
1. Make your abandoned cart emails as specific as possible
Never waste your reader's time, especially when you want to convert them into customers . Get straight to the point by asking the reader to return to the checkout page.
Include a short headline, an image of the product(s), a short description, and a call to action. That’s all you need. If you add too much text, you’ll overwhelm the reader—and probably ruin your chances of converting them.
2. Use compelling visuals in abandoned cart emails
Visuals help the reader process your message more effectively. For example, you could use a stock image of a “sad” shopping cart. Just keep it small so it doesn’t overwhelm the page.
2. Use compelling visuals in abandoned cart emails
Images allow you to touch your readers' emotions. No, they don't really care about the sad, lonely basket, but images evoke emotions like loss and disappointment.
Again, use product images as well. You want your readers to see what they're missing. Copy alone won't necessarily send your prospects running back to the virtual checkout.
3. Use "Left Behind" at the beginning of the letter
A good way to prime the reader is to place an image of the dropped item and its description at the very top of the email. You can get into the details and call to action later.
Your reader will recognize the product. After all, they put it in their cart in the first place. This moment of recognition can inspire your reader to want the item again.
That doesn't mean the headline can't work, either. Test both strategies by sending abandoned cart emails to see which gets the most conversions.