10 Best Abandoned Cart Emails Examples

Does this ring a bell?

You open up your favorite online store. You pick out some awesome products you want and add them to your cart. You’re about to checkout, but you aren’t 100% sure if you can justify the purchase, or perhaps you aren’t sure which one of two products you should buy.

So, you close the website with the best intentions of coming back and making a decision. But life gets on top of you and you forget all about it.

This is a common occurrence. When someone adds items to a cart but doesn’t check out, this is what we call an abandoned cart.

For an online store, this is a huge opportunity. An abandoned cart sends a clear signal that:

1. The customer wants those products
2. They have, at least to some extent, considered buying them

So, rather than sitting back and hoping the customer will come back and complete the purchase, proactive online store owners can send an “abandoned cart” email to encourage them to come back and buy.

Before you can send abandoned cart emails you need two things:

1. The email address of the potential customer
2. To be able to connect the customer and their email to the abandoned cart

Doing this manually can be tricky. Luckily there are a host of tools out there that can help you streamline the abandoned cart email process.

For example, Shopify has built-in functionality which can help you review abandoned carts, send manual abandoned cart emails or set up automated emails when a cart is abandoned. Platforms such as Wix and Square Online also have similar tools built into their premium ecommerce functionality.

Other platforms such as WooCommerce require external plugins to help you deal with abandoned cart emails – some of these include ShopMagic, Abandoned Cart Lite, and Abandoned Cart Pro.

The Adidas abandoned cart email is hailed as one of the best.

Why?

Because it keeps things simple.

Adidas kicks off its email with a little humor. After all, there must be something wrong with your wifi if you didn’t make a purchase from their store – “Is your wifi okay?”. This statement also shows customers quickly that this isn’t a usual marketing email.

The headline is followed by a simple message, the main points of why you should buy followed by two clear calls to action.

If Adidas’ abandoned cart email can be considered simple, then this one by Google Store can only be described as ‘minimalist.” Even so, there are four clear things in this email that make it high impact:

1. Creating urgency with its headline
2. Highlighting one key selling point (free shipping)
3. Showing the customer the item they’re interested in
4. A clear call to action

Humor is the key element in the Dollar Shave Club’s abandoned cart email – and it really catches your attention. This is in keeping with the brand’s tone of voice as it generally targets men who want a high-quality, but no-nonsense approach to shaving.

As Dollar Shave Club typically targets customers that will subscribe, trust is crucial to sales success. This is why the testimonials included in its abandoned cart email are a smart element that will help visitors convert.

Lego’s abandoned cart emails are similar in many ways to that of Google Store. Employing four crucial elements (urgency, key selling point, product of interest, and desired product).

However, Lego also includes strong brand imagery to catch the reader’s attention and compliment its headline.

Casper is direct in its approach, telling customers to return to their cart and complete their order. The combination of simple design and a clear call to action make this email impactful.

You will start to notice that the majority of these abandoned cart emails have one thing in common – simplicity.

Keeping things simple is crucial for two main reasons:

1. Long emails are off putting and don’t get read
2. It is likely that the customer is already most of the way sold on the product, so overloading them with information is needless

Dyson also uses this simple approach. It starts by letting you know it has saved the item for you. It then creates urgency by highlighting that the offer is only available for a limited time.

Finally, it recognizes that you may not have checked out because you have questions – so, it takes a customer service approach, providing you with a direct link to talk to a Dyson Expert.

At first glance, the Virgin Atlantic abandoned cart email seems a little….well, sparse.

However, it’s also important to remember that an abandoned cart email isn’t like other marketing emails where you’re trying to sell to the recipient – after all, the likelihood is that the recipient is already near the end of the buyer’s journey.

Sometimes all it takes is a little reminder or nudge to get that sale. The subject line, “You’re nearly there” perfectly sums this up, reminding the recipient that they were interested in booking a flight.

Target really hit the nail on the head with its abandoned cart email. Sure, it might not be the most attractive email out there (although it is in keeping with its brand’s colors). But it’s clearly aware of the position of the recipient when they receive the email…

…most people who abandon a cart are close to buying. So, what better way to get them to finally make a purchase than by letting them know they can now buy that item at a discount!

Whisky Loot appeals to the fun-loving nature of their potential customers with this funny, but also practical, abandoned cart email. By mixing humor with real suggestions it keeps the reader’s attention while communicating important messages such as the fact that you get to try new whiskies every month.

Another great, yet simple, abandoned cart email. This email acts as a simple reminder by using the line “You added these items to your bag.” Like other emails, it also uses humor to grab the attention of the recipient.

Above we’ve provided you with some top examples of abandoned cart emails along with a lesson you can learn from each. But we aren’t done with helping you improve your abandoned cart emails yet…

…here are our top 11 ways to improve abandoned cart email conversions:

1. Use the recipient’s name and order information to personalize your email, and make it all about them
2. Use brand-relevant images which compliment your messaging and grab attention
3. Cross-sell other, relevant products in the email
4. Make it super easy for the recipient to ask any questions they may have
5. Include only the most important selling points
6. Keep all content simple
7. Add a clear call to action
8. Use humor in your writing
9. Add an incentive to come back and buy
10. Make it easy for your customer to buy by linking them back to their basket
11. Get your timing right, don’t leave it too long after the potential customer has left the website

Abandoned cart emails are a smart way to tap into the attention of an already highly engaged audience. When a brand uses great abandoned cart emails it can drastically increase conversions and drive greater profit through ecommerce activities.

In this article, we’ve offered you some great examples of abandoned cart emails and provided you with everything you need to know to make your own abandoned cart emails just as good.