SALES RECOVERY 101 SHOW YOUR ABANDONED SHOPPING CARTS SOME LOVE
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SALES RECOVERY 101
SHOW YOUR ABANDONED SHOPPING CARTS SOME LOVE
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Ever added something to your online shopping basket then changed your mind about buying? Well, you’re not the only one.
In fact, you’re one of a growing audience, between 60-70%, of internet users who’re contributing to the rise in the number of abandoned online baskets.
Basket abandonments are on the rise. Internet users are getting more and more savvy with the way they use the tools at their disposal and we’re now open to much more choice than we’ve ever had before. This, coupled with the range of devices now available to purchase on, means more abandons.
WHY DOES IT HAPPEN?It would be great if no one ever abandoned their shopping carts and every purchase was followed through until complete, but unfortunately things don’t always work that smoothly.
Being presented with greater choice and having access to more devices to buy on contribute massively to higher abandonment rates. But there are a number of other reasons consumers will leave their cart at the checkout.
THE TOP 10 MOST COMMON REASONS
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6Being presented with unexpected or hidden costs
The website crashed during the process
Overall price is too expensive
The process was taking too long or was too long-winded
Decided against buying
Excessive payment security checks
The website navigation is too complicated
Concerns about payment security
Unsuitable delivery options
Website timed out
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PREVENTING ABANDONED SHOPPING CARTSWe’ll discuss our sales recovery solution on the next couple of pages, but before you think about how to recover those lost conversions you need to look at how you can minimise the number of abandons you see in the first place. Getting those all-important conversions the first time round is your priority and there are various factors you can consider to keep your abandoners at bay.
There are a number of elements you can optimise within your purchase process to discourage those unwanted drop outs, used alongside your sales recovery cycle to catch the ones who slip through the net.
HINTS & TIPS FOR KEEPING HOLD OF YOUR BUYERS
Use a guest checkout
To make the purchase process as quick and easy as possible for your customer, offer the option of a guest checkout. In an ideal world your new customer will sign-up for an account, but this could be annoying for someone wanting a quick purchase, who can’t have one because they need to set up a username etc.
Signing up for an account should never be compulsory - you can still obtain key information relevant to the order through a guest checkout. You can also use the opportunity to ask for email opt-in from your new customer so that you can request for more details or to set up an account at a later date, when they have more time.
Be upfront
According to Statistia, 56% of online shoppers cite hidden or unexpected costs as the number one reason for abandoning their shopping carts. Be upfront and honest about what you’re going to charge for delivery, credit card fees and anything else you may need to add on at the end. Make sure you state this clearly around your website and that someone browsing can access this information easily, before they get to the final transaction screen. That way, your customer will be fully aware of what to expect as a total cost and there’ll be no nasty surprises, or abandons… win, win!
Make the payment easy
Research from Econsultancy shows us that 58% of online shoppers have concerns regarding payment security when using their cards online. A customer’s preferred payment type being unavailable is also another reason why they’ll abandon. Looking at alternative methods adds extra security to the payment process, with research indicating 83% of online retailers that implemented PayPal on their site saw an increase in sales of up to 18%. Not just Paypal, but using other payment methods, like sending an invoice in with the package, is a great way of encouraging that final push needed at the last stage of a transaction.
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Be mobile friendly
This includes using responsive design and other mobile optimisation tips in your website’s design to ensure the optimum customer journey for someone purchasing on a mobile or tablet device. Badly designed web pages mean a lot of zooming, scrolling and pinching for your buyer to make sense of what’s on their screen, resulting in a lot of frustration and higher abandonment rates.
Website time-out
If your website has a time limit for some items, like concert tickets, then be clear in letting your buyer know that this is the case. Make sure you state that the transaction will be timed and show your countdown in a prominent place on the screen – this will encourage your buyer to go through the process at the speed needed to complete.
Keep it short and sweet
If the purchase process is lengthy and time-taking, that’s another reason your buyer will abandon. Once they’ve clicked to purchase, the following steps should be kept to a minimum. Make your purchase process straight forward and clear in order to keep your buyer focussed on what they’re doing and not to annoy them with an ill thought-out set-up.
WHAT’S SALES RECOVERY?Sales recovery is a series of one or more triggered emails, sent out after a customer or new subscriber has abandoned their online shopping basket, part-way through a transaction.A sales recovery solution works to return that customer back to their transaction in order to complete the purchase, driving conversions and therefore ROI.
NOT A RETAILER? NOT TO WORRY…
Keep in mind that a sales recovery solution isn’t just for ecommerce transactions - the same principles apply to form submissions, obtaining online quotes (such as insurance), data capture forms, demo requests, surveys and so on.
No matter what area of business you’re in, if you have a call to action you want your website visitors to carry out and there’s a chance they could quit part-way through, then you can use this solution to entice them back.
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WHY USE IT?Between 60-70% of all online shopping carts are abandoned part-way through the process. Sales recovery works to return around 3-5%, on average, of what would otherwise have been ‘lost’ revenue – in some cases up to 8% for retail clients, but this is dependent on the sector you’re in.
This type of messaging is specifically designed to target your lost customers whilst your brand and your products are still fresh in their minds, maximising the opportunity of them returning to complete the purchase. Without a solution like this, all you have is the hope they’ll remember about you all on their own!
Fully branded, personalised and in sync with your other campaigns, sales recovery is an inexpensive method to take advantage of… another plus!
HOW DOES SALES RECOVERY WORK?As we’ve already covered on page 3, there are a few different things you can do to prevent losing out, but for those abandons you just can’t pull back, there’s sales recovery.
A sales recovery solution works by using the browser’s email address to send a series of one or more triggered, personalised emails. Each email works to return the customer to their transaction to complete it.
The email address can either be captured from a previous transaction if this customer has bought before, (using cookies to recognise the repeat visit), or you can ask for it early on in the process to secure that key piece of information.
It recognises the abandoned cart if the web page closes and sets off a triggered email encouraging the customer to come back and complete.
IT’S EASY TO IMPLEMENT!
All you’ll have to do is drop a small piece of code into your website to be able to track the browser settings. After that, we’ll get cracking with designing your emails and building the cycle until it’s all ready to go.
The process is entirely automated, meaning that once it’s been set up there’s no manual work needed, other than the odd spruce up!
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THE DO’S AND DON’TS As with any email marketing campaign, it’s really important to test what works for you. Every brand is different, but there are a few fundamentals you should stick to…
THE DO’SDOGet the email address early on. You can’t send your recovery emails to new subscribers without their email address. For browsers who’ve never visited your website before or aren’t logged in, use a light box to capture their email, or ask for it early on in the purchase process before they drop out.
DOTest the number of emails you send. Your individual sales recovery cycle is specific to your audience and what you’re driving them back to complete. That means the optimum number of emails will be relevant to that purpose, so test how many emails works best for your own cycle.
DOPerfect your timing. Test how long after the abandonment you send your first email, then how long after that you send the second and so on. Timing is everything but it’s not a guessing game; test what gets the best response so that you can inform your email cycle with objective, rather than subjective, information.
DOTry upselling. Use browser tracking to include other products the customer looked at whilst on your site and include those in your emails to give a greater enticement back to your website.
DOUse relevant images. Like product images, visuals are an effective way of reminding the customer what’s so great about the product you’re encouraging them to come back to.
DOGo responsive! Over 1/3 of online sales are made on mobiles and tablets, with abandonment on these devices 6% higher than on desktops. Ensuring your emails are designed for mobile devices means the most optimised experience for these users and maximum conversions for you.
THE DONT’SDON’TBe quick to incentivise. Incentivising without being sure it’s effective for you could be detrimental. Your subscribers are savvy and easily pick up on ways to access discounts and free stuff. If you offer an incentive, like 10% off, in your follow-up emails then over time then your subscribers will come to know that’s what they get when they abandon, so they’ll do it more often! If you test this and it works for you, use it for a while then have a break.
DON’TLeave them guessing. Or hunting for the information they need to consider before they purchase. This wouldn’t be about the product, but information like delivery timescales and your returns policy. Your buyer still wants the same information they’d get if they’d purchased in the first place, so use the same landing pages and keep the journeys consistent from the point of returning.
DON’TStop refining. Don’t stop tweaking, testing and refining the emails you send. Your audience changes all the time and so must your emails in order to stay ahead and to stay relevant to your audience and their behaviours.
DON’TAssume all your recipients are the same. Your sales recovery cycle might have a different purpose to the rest of your email campaigns, but they’re still emails and the same principles still apply – send relevant, targeted campaigns, to the right person at the right time. This means using dynamic content and enhanced personalisation to make every email as individual as your recipient.
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SALES RECOVERYSUCCESS
37% of all online revenue attributed to
Sales Recovery & emailWorking to enhance the brand’s
ecommerce offering, the Communicator & John Smedley
teams identified a need for a range of communications,
targeting a variety of customers.
One key audience was the ‘basketabandoners’; those ecommercewebsite visitors who leave the
site part-way through a purchase.In adopting Communicator’s
Sales Recovery solution, a seriesof emails were implemented.Multiple emails work in one
cycle, re-targeting this groupof abandoners and recoupingthis otherwise ‘lost’ revenue.
All campaigns are monitored inrealtime, using Communicator
Conversion Tracking, analytics andEngagement Groups modules.
John Smedley directly attribute37% of all online revenue &
54% of Outlet revenue to thesales recovery & other email
marketing campaigns sent fromCommunicator.
FULL CASE STUDY
THE STATS
1/3 OF ALL ONLINE SALES AREMADE ON MOBILE & TABLETWITH ABANDONS ARE 6%HIGHER ON THESE DEVICES
RETAIL IS THE BEST PERFORMINGSECTOR FOR SALES RECOVERYCONVERSIONS, AT UP TO 8%
RETAIL, WITH FOOD& DRINK COMING IN
MOST ABANDONS SEEN IN
TOP AND ELECTRICAL ITEMS A CLOSE SECOND
60-70%
OF A
LL
ONLINE CARTS ARE ABANDONED
2014 PUTTING ESTIMATED
ONLINE SALES ARE FORECASTAT $1.4 TRILLION FOR
ABANDONS AT $3 TRILLION
77% A BASKET AT SOME POINT DURING 2013...OF SHOPPERS ABANDONED
53% ‘UNACCEPTABLY HIGH DELIVERY COSTS’CITED THE MAIN REASON AS
60-70% OF ALLONLINE SHOPPINGCARTS ARE ABANDONED
1/3 OF ALL ONLINE SALES AREMADE ON MOBILE & TABLETWITH ABANDONS ARE 6%HIGHER ON THESE DEVICES
RETAIL IS THE BEST PERFORMINGSECTOR FOR SALES RECOVERYCONVERSIONS, AT UP TO 8%
RETAIL, WITH FOOD& DRINK COMING IN
MOST ABANDONS SEEN IN
TOP AND ELECTRICAL ITEMS A CLOSE SECOND
60-70%
OF A
LL
ONLINE CARTS ARE ABANDONED
2014 PUTTING ESTIMATED
ONLINE SALES ARE FORECASTAT $1.4 TRILLION FOR
ABANDONS AT $3 TRILLION
77% A BASKET AT SOME POINT DURING 2013...OF SHOPPERS ABANDONED
53% ‘UNACCEPTABLY HIGH DELIVERY COSTS’CITED THE MAIN REASON AS
60-70% OF ALLONLINE SHOPPINGCARTS ARE ABANDONED
1/3 OF ALL ONLINE SALES AREMADE ON MOBILE & TABLETWITH ABANDONS ARE 6%HIGHER ON THESE DEVICES
RETAIL IS THE BEST PERFORMINGSECTOR FOR SALES RECOVERYCONVERSIONS, AT UP TO 8%
RETAIL, WITH FOOD& DRINK COMING IN
MOST ABANDONS SEEN IN
TOP AND ELECTRICAL ITEMS A CLOSE SECOND
60-70%
OF A
LL
ONLINE CARTS ARE ABANDONED
2014 PUTTING ESTIMATED
ONLINE SALES ARE FORECASTAT $1.4 TRILLION FOR
ABANDONS AT $3 TRILLION
77% A BASKET AT SOME POINT DURING 2013...OF SHOPPERS ABANDONED
53% ‘UNACCEPTABLY HIGH DELIVERY COSTS’CITED THE MAIN REASON AS
60-70% OF ALLONLINE SHOPPINGCARTS ARE ABANDONED
1/3 OF ALL ONLINE SALES AREMADE ON MOBILE & TABLETWITH ABANDONS ARE 6%HIGHER ON THESE DEVICES
RETAIL IS THE BEST PERFORMINGSECTOR FOR SALES RECOVERYCONVERSIONS, AT UP TO 8%
RETAIL, WITH FOOD& DRINK COMING IN
MOST ABANDONS SEEN IN
TOP AND ELECTRICAL ITEMS A CLOSE SECOND
60-70%
OF A
LL
ONLINE CARTS ARE ABANDONED
2014 PUTTING ESTIMATED
ONLINE SALES ARE FORECASTAT $1.4 TRILLION FOR
ABANDONS AT $3 TRILLION
77% A BASKET AT SOME POINT DURING 2013...OF SHOPPERS ABANDONED
53% ‘UNACCEPTABLY HIGH DELIVERY COSTS’CITED THE MAIN REASON AS
60-70% OF ALLONLINE SHOPPINGCARTS ARE ABANDONED
1/3 OF ALL ONLINE SALES AREMADE ON MOBILE & TABLETWITH ABANDONS ARE 6%HIGHER ON THESE DEVICES
RETAIL IS THE BEST PERFORMINGSECTOR FOR SALES RECOVERYCONVERSIONS, AT UP TO 8%
RETAIL, WITH FOOD& DRINK COMING IN
MOST ABANDONS SEEN IN
TOP AND ELECTRICAL ITEMS A CLOSE SECOND
60-70%
OF A
LL
ONLINE CARTS ARE ABANDONED
2014 PUTTING ESTIMATED
ONLINE SALES ARE FORECASTAT $1.4 TRILLION FOR
ABANDONS AT $3 TRILLION
77% A BASKET AT SOME POINT DURING 2013...OF SHOPPERS ABANDONED
53% ‘UNACCEPTABLY HIGH DELIVERY COSTS’CITED THE MAIN REASON AS
60-70% OF ALLONLINE SHOPPINGCARTS ARE ABANDONED
1/3 OF ALL ONLINE SALES AREMADE ON MOBILE & TABLETWITH ABANDONS ARE 6%HIGHER ON THESE DEVICES
RETAIL IS THE BEST PERFORMINGSECTOR FOR SALES RECOVERYCONVERSIONS, AT UP TO 8%
RETAIL, WITH FOOD& DRINK COMING IN
MOST ABANDONS SEEN IN
TOP AND ELECTRICAL ITEMS A CLOSE SECOND
60-70%
OF A
LL
ONLINE CARTS ARE ABANDONED2014 PUTTING ESTIMATED
ONLINE SALES ARE FORECASTAT $1.4 TRILLION FOR
ABANDONS AT $3 TRILLION
77% A BASKET AT SOME POINT DURING 2013...OF SHOPPERS ABANDONED
53% ‘UNACCEPTABLY HIGH DELIVERY COSTS’CITED THE MAIN REASON AS
60-70% OF ALLONLINE SHOPPINGCARTS ARE ABANDONED
7
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ANY QUESTIONS?For more help and advice like this and to access our library of free resources, visit the Communicator blog and resources sections at www.communicatorcorp.com.
Alternatively, get in touch with our dedicated sales recovery specialists to discuss how the solution can help you recover your lost conversions…
+44 (0) 844 870 8971
@CommCorp
WHAT’S NEXT?Time to start looking at your sales recovery needs!
We hope you’ve found this guide insightful and now understand what’s on offer with theCommunicator Sales Recovery solution. Done well, your sales recovery emails have the potentialto be not only some of the best performing, but some of the most valuable emails you can sendin terms of ROI.
No one wants to see potential customers leaving items at the checkout, so optimising yourcustomer journey to minimise the number of abandons you see is definitely your first priority,and sales recovery is here to grab those ones that still slip through the net!
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