10 Abandoned Cart Email Examples To Use

The best way to boost your ecommerce store’s revenue is to increase your conversion rate. But, abandoned carts damage your conversion rate. New research from Bolt shows 74% of those who abandon carts can be persuaded to purchase with the right nudge, like an abandoned cart email. 

Let’s go over some abandoned cart email examples your store can use to boost sales. 

What are abandoned cart emails? 

Abandoned cart emails are messages that are sent to customers who have added items to their online shopping cart, but have not completed their purchase. These emails typically include a reminder of the items that were left behind, as well as a special offer or discount to encourage customers to finish their purchase.

 Shoppers abandon their online shopping carts for many reasons including: 

• a lengthy checkout process
• indecisiveness
• better deals found elsewhere
• forced account creation
• high additional costs (ie, shipping, taxes, etc.)
• and more. 

Unfortunately, this means fewer conversions and sales for your store.

Why are abandoned cart emails important? 

Abandoned cart or cart recovery emails are important because it’s a second chance for you to convert a potential customer into a paying one. Also, these emails help build brand loyalty and improve customer retention rates if done effectively. 

Since  74% of customers are still open to purchasing after abandoning a cart, an abandoned cart email can be that extra push that shoppers need to complete their purchase. An abandoned cart email might be the difference between a shopper purchasing from your store or from your competitors. 

In fact, results from research show that businesses with average order values of $100- $500 recover on average around 4-5% of abandoned carts with cart recovery emails. It can also serve as a friendly reminder for customers and bring your brand back to the forefront of shopper’s minds. 

Elements of a great abandoned cart email 

Here are some factors that differentiate an effective abandoned cart email from a regular one. An effective abandoned cart email includes these key elements:

Relevant, compelling subject lines

Be specific in your subject line by calling out that the shopper has abandoned cart or has left something behind. Create a sense of longing and missing out along with some brand elements and a sense of humor to capture their attention.
 

Incentive for shoppers to complete their purchases 

Offering exclusive, time-bound discounts or deals like free shipping can convince shoppers to complete their purchase as soon as possible or within the discount period.
 

Concise and creative copy

Abandoned cart emails serve as another opportunity to market your product to customers. Leave a lasting impression by using compelling copy that entices shoppers to return and complete the purchase. If done effectively, compelling copy can leave a lasting impression in shoppers minds… enough to want them to purchase your products.
 

A personalized message

Including personal details like the shopper’s name and the specific items they’ve left behind are great ways to create a connection with your shopper and use personalization to bring them back.
 

Timing of emails 

Don’t be afraid to send more than one abandoned cart email to bring back shoppers. Rather, opting to send out an email drip campaign might be more convincing to shoppers. Get the timing right by sending out a reminder email within a couple hours of cart abandonment. Doing so leaves the item fresh in shoppers’ minds.
 

Customer testimonials/reviews 

Adding social proofs and customer reviews to abandoned cart emails increases credibility of both the company and the product.
 

Additional value (ie. easy returns/secure checkout, customer service)

Include additional value that your brand offers shoppers whether that’s free shipping, secure checkout, alternative payment methods, or even product page checkout where shoppers can checkout directly from the abandoned cart email. 

Not only that, but these emails should also be well-designed and mobile-friendly, as many customers will open these emails on their smartphones.

10 Abandoned Cart Email Examples To Use 

Example 1: Forever 21

What’s good about it: Forever 21 offers exclusive discounts of 20% off if shoppers return to the online store and complete their purchase. Incentive your shoppers with discounts and increase your conversions. 

Example 2: Away luggage

What’s good about it: Away uses compelling copy to align the abandoned cart email with their brand messaging around travel and luggages. Use humor in your copy to leave a lasting impression on your shoppers who are on the fence about purchasing your products. 

Example 3: Society6

What’s good about it: Society 6 offers time-bound discounts, especially 30% off if a shopper completes their purchases within the next 48 hours. This method brings a sense of urgency and creates a fear of missing out within shoppers, which can compel them to convert.

Example 4: Cotopaxi 

What’s good about it: Cotopaxi uses compelling copy to create a sense of urgency around the items that were left behind. Using phrases like “in demand” or “running out” can convince your shoppers of the popularity of items and compel them to complete their purchases. 

Example 5: Alex Mill 

What’s good about it: Alex Mill is another brand that uses exclusive discounts for return shoppers in their abandoned cart emails. Deals and discounts compel shoppers to return to their abandoned carts and purchase something at a better price.

Example 6: Alo Yoga 

What’s good about it: Alo Yoga with their compelling copy creates a sense of urgency by stating that items are selling out fast. This convinces shoppers to make up their mind and purchase before their desired products are out of stock. 

Example 7: Nutrafol 

What’s good about it: Nutrafol incorporates social proof by including their customer reviews in the abandoned cart emails. This adds another layer of credibility to Nutrafol’s claims of being a popular and effective hair-growth supplement.  

Example 8: PacSun 

What's good about it: PacSun reminds shoppers of the specific items that they left behind in their online cart. Not only that, but offering free shipping for orders over $50 is an extra incentive for shoppers to complete their purchases. 

Example 9: Spiceology

What’s good about it: Spiceology addresses customers by their name. They also remind shoppers of the specific product that was left behind. Doing so creates an easy way for shoppers to remember what they’re missing out on. Not only that, but Spiceology goes one step further by providing a quick link to shoppers to complete their order via link. This option reduces friction, increasing the likelihood of checking out. 

Example 10: Adidas 

What’s good about it: Adidas incorporates humor and social proof to draw shoppers back to their abandoned cart. Use compelling copy in the abandoned cart emails to effectively grab shopper’s attention, reminding them to complete the purchase. Leverage customer reviews to add another element of credibility to your products. 

Prevent problems at the start 

Merchants can prevent abandoned carts from occurring in the first place by eliminating the problem at the start – clunky, long checkout or browsing experiences. With frictionless, one-click checkout, shoppers can checkout in mere seconds, without having to fill out lengthy forms or remember account info. Also, Bolt’s One Click checkout results in 40% more conversions which means more sales and more satisfied customers.