Someone reads and browses your campaign and potentially clicks your products religiously – until the last moment decides to move on without purchasing anything. What is more anti-climactic than that?
This is when a browse abandonment email comes to play.
What is a browse abandonment email?
When you have a customer that left your website without purchasing anything, it’s important to re-engage them. You can do this with a browse abandonment email. The idea is that you want to let them know what has just happened. At the same time, provide some value for their time.
Abandonment email is also a form of remarketing strategy.
Why send them in automation?
The most common mistake people make with their abandonment emails is thinking they need to be personal.
This is not necessarily the case. Many people feel they need to include a personal touch in their email automation because that’s what human beings do. We’re creatures of habit, and we like to stick with what we know.
But this is a mistake. You can set up an automated email for an abandoned page without having to send it from your account or even your email address.
You can use an abandoned page checker on any website and then send them a message from that tool once you’ve determined that they have left the site and that you want them back on your site.
Why do your brands need a browse abandonment email?
If you’re running a successful eCommerce store, you probably know that the more products and services you have listed online, the more likely people will abandon their shopping carts or go through products without actually checking out. Search and browse abandonment emails are one of the best ways to keep your customers engaged and avoid being tempted by alternative options.
According to a Google study, 53% of shoppers always research before purchasing to make the best decision. However, the more products you see online, the more likely you lose track of all your options. That is where browse abandonment emails enter the conversation.
Browse abandonment emails to help your customers revisit their product interests and ensure they’re selecting the correct product for their needs. This can prevent them from leaving your website without making a purchase and losing out on potential sales opportunities.
Five tips for sending browse abandonment email
Here are five ways that you can use browse abandonment emails to increase sales:
1. Gently prod your customers using images.
Use specific and relevant visuals to remind your customers of the items they are browsing.
Text-based content will always be an important part of marketing, but to truly stand out in the digital age, visual content must play a central role in your efforts. When you consider that 65% of people are visual learners, 90% of information that enters the brain is visual, and visual-aided presentations are 43% more persuasive, it makes sense to use content types that people have an innate psychological resonance with.
Remember that due to the advancement of technology and the creation of mobile phone browsing, attention spans are shorter than usual. This makes images critical since they draw the eyes more compared to big chunks of text. Most of the time, too many words are the culprit as to why potential clients won’t read your email.
2. Provide alternatives
If users do not add items to the cart, they may be only window shopping. However, you can use this opportunity to encourage users to add items to their carts and checkout.
Use cross-sell or up-sell campaigns, for example, to provide customers with ideas about your offerings.
Cross-Selling
Cross-selling occurs when you sell customers products that complement or supplement previous purchases. For example, if you sell a customer a laptop and purchase an additional keyboard and mouse, you could offer them the keyboard and mouse for free or at a discount. This will help boost your customers’ loyalty because they’ve received something extra with their original purchase.
Upselling
Upselling occurs when you increase a customer’s value by encouraging them to purchase additional services or a more expensive model. For example, if you sell a customer a laptop and install Skype on it, you could offer them the ability to make calls over Wi-Fi for free or at a discount. This will help boost your customers’ loyalty because they’ve received something extra with their original purchase.
3. Use calls-to-action (CTAs) that people can’t ignore.
If you want people to complete certain tasks, make sure your CTA is easy for them to recognize and understand. For example, if you’re asking them to sign up for a newsletter or download an eBook, make sure there’s nothing else in the email — no other links or text — except the call-to-action button itself! Otherwise, they might find another way around it and never click on it!
You’ve set up your CTA with a clear message and button colour that stands out. Now, are you ready to test it?
The best way to know if your click-to-call action works is to ask visitors to try it out for themselves. Here’s how:
- Make sure the call-to-action button is big enough that most people can see it from a distance. You don’t want them clicking on something too small!
- Check what happens when someone clicks on your link. Does it take them somewhere else? Are they redirected? If so, you might need to make some changes so they land on your page instead of another one entirely.
- Test the link on different devices, too — desktop versus mobile, tablet versus phone — and see what works best for them.
4. Use links for landing pages
Include links in your email that allow users to visit landing pages with more information about the product or service being promoted, including pictures and videos of real people using these products or services in action (if available).
Landing pages are becoming more and more important. They’re integral to the success of any business, whether you’re selling a product or providing a service. While many landing pages look different and employ various exciting strategies to entice visitors, they all serve the same major purpose: to convert to the next stage of the buyer’s journey.
The goal of every landing page is to drive visitors to take action on your offer. The most successful landing pages use call-to-action buttons, form fields, or other elements that encourage visitors to complete an action like filling out a contact form or downloading your e-book.
5. Use a pop-up window for promotion
Consider using a pop-up window when promoting an item that involves additional steps—for example, if multiple steps are involved in purchasing an item. Pop-up windows allow you to collect information about the customer and present them with the desired information at the right time.
An email popup is a small window that appears on the screen of a website visitor and requests their email address in exchange for a freebie.
You can also use pop-ups to encourage customers to complete their purchases by offering them something in return for their information. For example, if you’re selling a product and have just asked them to provide some information (name, email address), but they haven’t yet completed the purchase, you might want to offer them a coupon for another product or discount on their next order.
Conclusion
Remember that your customers have inboxes full of emails from other companies and businesses, so don’t send out anything too promotional or sounding in the first line of copy. Trust us: these prospects have already seen promotions from many companies (including yours), so if yours sounds like any of those others then chances are it won’t get read anyway.
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