On the days surrounding Black Friday last year, online cart abandonment rates hovered at around 80%. This means the majority of customers who added items to their cart never actually bought those items. With 80 of every 100 site visitors not converting, think of all the business you missed out on this Black Friday and Cyber Monday!
Cart and checkout abandonment rates tend to be higher during peak season. As virtually every business runs promotions and offers big discounts, consumers shop around in quest of the best deals. And with so many products vying for their attention, they often forget to come back to their abandoned carts.
Even though Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over, your business is still busy trying to attract and convert those last-minute holiday shoppers out there. In addition to your current marketing efforts, it’s worth taking time to think about the Black Friday and Cyber Monday customers who abandoned their carts. With these two tried-and-true strategies, you can win back customers and recover lost revenue.
Retargeting Campaigns
Retargeting campaigns use cookies—data collected by websites based on user actions—to show ads to consumers who’ve visited your site (and in this case, abandoned their carts). For example, if a customer added a specific product to their Black Friday or Cyber Monday cart but didn't complete the purchase, retargeting ads can display that exact product. They might also feature best-selling, recommended, or highly-reviewed items similar to what’s in the cart.
Retargeting ads are more effective than normal ones because the person seeing the ad has already shown interest in your brand or products. In fact, retargeted customers have a 180.6% higher clickthrough rate and 291.7% higher conversion rate than those who aren’t retargeted.
To make sure your abandoned cart retargeting ads are as effective as possible, follow the best practices below.
Choose the Right Platform
The web and social media are powerful channels for retargeting ads, and you should take advantage of both. Google Ads and Facebook have proven to be the most popular options—over three-quarters of marketers rely on each one—but you can also advertise on Instagram, TikTok, and many other platforms.
Craft Compelling CTAs and Offer Incentives
Every ad you run should have a clear call to action, or CTA, telling the user what they should do next (you can find some examples in the templates below). When someone has abandoned their cart, it also helps to offer an incentive, such as free shipping or the chance to take advantage of Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals for a limited time.
Create a Sense of Urgency
Many people experience FOMO (fear of missing out) on a regular basis. By creating a sense of urgency or scarcity, you can use FOMO to your advantage to motivate consumers to complete their purchases quickly. You might include a countdown on ads, mention that stock is limited, or go with a simple “Sale ends soon” message.
Send Cart Abandonment Messages (Email and SMS)
While retargeting ads are a great way to reach people, you may have an even better tool up your sleeve: email or SMS drip campaigns. If someone has already opted into email or SMS communication, take the opportunity to send them abandoned cart reminders. For the best results, send several messages over the course of a few days.
- Immediate. Schedule a message to send soon after someone abandons their cart. It should remind them about the product(s) and encourage them to complete the checkout process.
- Incentive. Within a day or two, sweeten the deal with an incentive. You could offer a discount, free shipping, or a free sample if the customer makes a purchase.
- Last chance. Finally, about three days later, give the customer a final reminder. Mention that this is their last chance to receive the promised incentive, and provide a hard deadline.
As you craft abandoned cart emails and texts, keep the following tips in mind.
Use Attention-Grabbing Subject Lines in Emails
Most people’s inboxes are flooded with marketing messages, newsletters, and more. To avoid getting lost in the crowd, grab the reader’s attention with unique subject lines. For a personal touch, customize subject lines with the customer’s name and/or the product in their cart.
- Forget something? Your Black Friday picks await, [Name]
- Did [Product] catch your eye? Finish your purchase now!
- Exclusive savings inside! Your Cyber Monday cart is calling, [Name]
Remind of the Products in the Cart
One reason people abandon carts so frequently during peak season is that they’ve simply forgotten about the products they were considering buying. To help recapture their interest, remind them what they’ve left behind.
Keep Messages Brief and to the Point
If abandoned cart messages are too lengthy, nobody will bother to read them. Keep them concise, including only the necessary information. Ideally, they shouldn’t be more than a few sentences long.
Create a Sense of Urgency (Don’t Be Pushy)
As mentioned earlier, a sense of urgency can help motivate people to buy. If you offer a discount or other incentive, set clear expiration dates. You can also communicate scarcity by mentioning that the item has limited availability. Just remember not to come off too strong—no one wants to feel pressured into making a purchase.
Include a Strong CTA
Like ads, emails should have a strong CTA that encourages consumers to visit their cart and complete their purchase. After the CTA, include a link directly to the online cart so customers can go straight there.
Black Friday Cart Abandonment Email Templates
The suggestions above will help you create persuasive cart abandonment emails to win back Black Friday and Cyber Monday shoppers. But why should you start from scratch? If you need a starting point, feel free to use one of the templates below. Just fill in the blanks, adapt as necessary, and you’ll be ready to roll.
Template #1: Friendly Reminder With Exclusive Offer
Subject: Your Black Friday picks miss you!
Hi [Customer],
We noticed you left some fantastic Black Friday finds in your cart, and we wanted to give you a friendly nudge to complete your purchase.
We're offering an extra 15% off your entire order if you complete your purchase within the next 48 hours. Just click the link below to reclaim your Black Friday treasures.
[Link]
Template #2: Limited-Time Discount Reminder
Subject: Time is running out! Complete your Cyber Monday order, [Customer]
[Customer],
We hope you had a fantastic Cyber Monday! It looks like you left something behind in your cart, and we wanted to make sure you don’t miss out on our limited-time discounts.
For the next 24 hours, we're offering an extra 20% off on the items in your cart. Click the link below to secure your savings before time runs out!
[Link]
Template #3: Personalized Product Recommendation
Subject: [Customer], discover more Black Friday deals just for you!
Hello [Customer],
We noticed you were interested in our Black Friday deals but didn't complete your purchase. We've curated a personalized list of similar items we think you'll love!
Check them out now and enjoy a 10% discount on your entire order. Your savings are just a click away!
[Link]
Black Friday Cart Abandonment SMS Templates
SMS is a great way to connect with customers who spend lots of time on their phones. And let’s be honest, that’s most people! Use these templates as a starting point and modify as necessary.
- Hey [Customer]! Your Black Friday deal is slipping away. Snag [Product] now with a special 20% discount. Tap to shop: [Link]
- Last chance, [Customer]! Your Cyber Monday must-have is waiting. Enjoy an extra 25% off. Shop now: [Link]
- Time's running out, [Customer]! Unlock free shipping on your Black Friday picks, including [Product]. Click here to complete your order: [Link]
Reduce Abandoned Carts All Year Round With Norton Shopping Guarantee
While cart abandonment is particularly frustrating during peak season, it’s an all-year-round problem for ecommerce stores. As a first step toward decreasing abandoned carts, try building trust with a shopping guarantee. Our data shows that shopping guarantees boost conversion rates by 3 to 12%.
Norton Shopping Guarantee helps give potential customers the confidence to buy with a $1,000 purchase guarantee, $100 lowest price guarantee, and $10,000 identity theft protection. Shopify merchants can download Norton Shopping Guarantee with Package Protection by EasyPost for free, unlocking all three guarantees plus the option for shoppers to add shipping insurance at checkout.
Start your 14-day free trial of Norton Shopping Guarantee or get Norton Shopping Guarantee with Package Protection by EasyPost set up on your Shopify store for free.
