News

Abandoned shopping carts need love, too

May 9, 2012

Findings from the e-tailing group Annual Merchant Survey and the 14th Annual Mystery Shopping Study revealed mixed findings but agreed that abandoned carts need a second chance.

MediaPost reported that the Annual Merchant Survey shopping cart abandonment rates held steady, while Mystery Shopping results showed a decline in the number of abandonment emails that were triggered; 20 percent for 2011 versus 23 percent for 2010.

The e-tailing group provides an abandonment checklist for use in developing a plan:

• Establish a strategy for saving items in the cart.
• Understand current technology's ability to trigger abandonment email.
• Message cart strategy to ensure customers know when and if their cart will be cleared.
• Include an urgent call to action.
• Utilize HTML and photos to visually enhance abandonment emails.
• Review abandonment opportunities from branding to customer service.
• Include merchandising tactics to foster the customer relationship and encourage purchasing beyond the abandoned item.
• Provide a link to the abandoned cart and direct to cart links for additional product recommendations.
• Integrate cross-channel elements and social engagers to elevate the brand.
• Use promotional incentives to save the sale if important for your brand and strategy.
• Establish a strategy for saving items in the cart.