7 ways to recover abandoned carts

by Moises Hamui January 1, 2024

Abandoned carts are one of the major problems faced by online retailers. The average cart abandonment rate is estimated at 69.57%, meaning that almost 7 out of 10 potential buyers leave their products without completing the purchase.

This represents a huge loss of revenue and opportunities for online businesses, which must seek effective strategies to recover those customers and increase their conversions.

In this article, we will show you 7 ways to recover abandoned carts, based on best practices and success stories from other merchants. These are:

Send recovery emails
Offer incentives and discounts
Display urgency and scarcity messages
Simplify the payment process
Offer multiple payment and shipping options
Provide customer service and support
Perform A/B testing and optimize user experience

What are recovery emails and how do they work?

Recovery emails are one of the most popular and effective ways to recover abandoned carts. They consist of sending a personalized and timely message to the customer who abandoned their cart, reminding them of the products they left behind and encouraging them to complete the purchase.

Recovery emails must meet a few requirements to be successful:

They should be sent at the right time, not too early and not too late. Ideally, the first email should be sent between 1 and 4 hours after the abandonment, and then follow up with other emails in 24 and 48 hours.
They should have an attractive and clear subject line that captures the customer's attention and tells them the purpose of the email. For example: "Did you forget something?", "Your cart is waiting for you", "Don't miss this opportunity."
They should display abandoned products with images, names, prices and links to facilitate returning to the cart. Additional information such as reviews , testimonials or guarantees can also be included to generate trust and credibility.
They should have a button or a visible and eye-catching link that invites the customer to return to the cart and complete the purchase . For example: “Return to cart”, “Complete order”, “Take advantage of offer”.

What types of incentives and discounts can be offered to recover abandoned carts?

Another way to recover abandoned carts is to offer incentives and discounts to customers who abandoned their products, to encourage them to come back and buy.

Incentives and discounts can be of different types, depending on the merchant's objective and budget. Some examples are:

Offer a percentage or fixed discount on the total order or on a specific product. For example: “10% off your purchase”, “Save $10 on this product”.
Offer free shipping or a discount on the order. For example: “Free shipping on your purchase”, “Half-price shipping”.
Offer a free gift or product upon completing the purchase. For example: “Get this free ebook”, “Get a free sample of this product”.
Offer a coupon or promotional code to use on a future purchase. For example: “Get a $5 coupon for your next purchase,” “Use this code and get 15% off your next purchase.”

Incentives and discounts can be offered in recovery emails, in urgency and scarcity messages, or on checkout pages. The important thing is to make them relevant, attractive, and time-limited, to create a sense of exclusivity and opportunity.

What are urgency and scarcity messages and how do they work?

Urgency and scarcity messages are another way to recover abandoned carts, which are based on the psychological principle of loss aversion.

This principle states that people value what they can lose more than what they can gain, and that they act faster when there is a risk of losing an opportunity.

Urgency and scarcity messages can be displayed in different parts of the purchase process, such as on product pages, in the cart, at checkout, or in recovery emails.

These messages are intended to create a sense of urgency and scarcity in the customer, so that they feel motivated to buy before time or stock runs out.

Urgency and scarcity messages can be of different types, depending on the type of product or service being offered . Some examples are:

Show the time remaining to take advantage of an offer or discount. For example: “Offer valid for 24 hours only”, “There are 2 hours left to complete your purchase”.
Display the remaining stock of a product or service. For example: “Only 3 units available”, “Last places available”.
Show the number of people viewing or purchasing the same product or service. For example: “20 people are viewing this product”, “5 people have purchased this product in the last few hours”.
Show the number of people who have left a positive review or testimonial about the product or service. For example: “This product has 4.5 stars out of 5”, “Over 1000 satisfied customers with this service”.

How to simplify the checkout process to recover abandoned carts?

Another way to recover abandoned carts is to simplify the checkout process, making it as easy and quick as possible for the customer.

A complicated, lengthy or confusing checkout process can be one of the main causes of cart abandonment, as it can generate frustration, distrust or distraction in the customer.

To simplify the payment process, you can follow some recommendations:

Reduce the number of steps and fields required to complete the purchase . Ideally, the checkout process can be done on a single page, or in a maximum of two or three steps. You can also offer the option to purchase as a guest, without having to register or log in.
Display order progress and information at all times , so the customer knows what step they are on, how much is left to complete, and what products and prices they are paying. You can also display a progress bar, an order summary, or a back button.
Offer multiple payment and shipping options , so that the customer can choose the one that best suits them and feel safe and comfortable. Options such as credit or debit cards, PayPal, bank transfer, cash on delivery, standard or express shipping, in-store pickup, etc. can be offered.
Provide security and confidence , so that the customer has no doubts or fears when entering their personal and banking data. Security seals, certificates, privacy policies, returns and guarantees, etc. can be displayed.

How to provide customer service and support to recover abandoned carts?

Another way to recover abandoned carts is to offer customer service and support to resolve any questions, problems or concerns that customers may have during the purchasing process.

Good customer service and support can build customer trust, satisfaction and loyalty, and prevent customers from abandoning their carts due to lack of information or help.

Different channels and tools can be used to provide customer service and support, depending on the preferences and needs of customers. Some examples are:

Offer a live chat or chatbot , so that the customer can communicate with an agent or virtual assistant in real time, and get fast and personalized answers to their queries. The live chat or chatbot can be displayed on product pages, in the cart, at checkout, or in recovery emails.
Offer a contact phone number or email address, so that the customer can call or write to customer service or support, and get more direct and human attention. The contact phone number or email address can be displayed in the header or footer of the website, or in recovery emails.
Offer a FAQ section or knowledge base, so that the customer can consult the most common questions or problems that may arise during the purchasing process. The FAQ section or knowledge base can be displayed in the main or secondary menu of the website, or in recovery emails.

How to perform A/B testing and optimize user experience to recover abandoned carts?

The last way to recover abandoned carts that we will show you is to perform A/B testing and optimize the user experience, to improve the performance and conversion of your website.

A/B testing involves creating two or more versions of an element or page on your website and comparing the results they get with the same visitors. This way, you can identify which version works best and make any necessary changes.

A/B testing can be performed on different elements or pages of your website, such as titles, colors, images, buttons, forms, offers, messages, etc. The important thing is that you have a clear hypothesis, a sufficient sample, and an appropriate tool to perform the tests.

By performing A/B testing and optimizing user experience, you can achieve several benefits, such as:

Increase conversion rate and average order value by providing a more attractive and relevant offer to the customer.
Reduce bounce rates and cart abandonment by improving your website's navigation, design, and usability.
Improve customer satisfaction and loyalty by providing a more positive and personalized experience.

Written by Moises Hamui Abadi : I am an entrepreneur, founding partner of Viceversa and SoyMacho. After leading several digital businesses and advising several other businesses, I decided to form MHA Consulting, a digital marketing consultancy dedicated to growing and empowering digital businesses in more than 7 countries and generating more than 1,500 million pesos.