Probably the biggest thorn in the flesh for E-Commerce merchants is the fact that most customers simply don’t checkout. All you are left with is a lonely cart filled with products that could have been sent to your customer.

I can give you all the numbers like 69% of all online shoppers abandoning their carts after adding items, or that the global average conversion rate for E-Commerce websites is about 4-5%.

But you’re not too concerned about that - all you want is to get those customers to start hitting the Checkout button more often.

This post is created to solve that.

There was another article where I showed how to make your abandoned cart emails work. It had a lot of examples and a few tips on how to execute your email marketing campaign so it gets your lost customers back.

This time around, I’ll give you a few more inspiring examples of how different brands are defeating cart abandonment. You will also learn how to do that for your OpenCart store’s customers.

Bonobos

1. First, we notice a short message saying “We noticed you haven’t checked out. Just let us know.” This is the reason for the email and it’s good to have so people know why the brand has wrote to the customer in the first place.

2. A perfect humorous connection between visual and written content. There’s a picture of a guy in a chicken suit awkwardly sitting in the middle of a team that is focused on working. Obviously he’s in the wrong room. The text says “Distracted? Confused?”, probably what the chicken is feeling right now.

This makes it effortless for the reader to grasp the email and quickly understand exactly what you have to say.

3. A gentle reminder that the customer has forgotten something. They also offer the assistance of a customer service ninja, which is a refreshing humorous touch to a marketing message. Also, you can reply directly to the email, which is not seen every day.

4. Finally, the tempting call to action named “Finish the Job”. How can you resist?

Brooklinen

1. This email starts with a nice compliment - “You have great taste…” Once your attention is caught, they reel you in with a large “FREE SHIPPING” sign. According to studies, this is the number one incentive for online customers to make more purchases.

2. Email marketing is all about being close and personal. In the second part, they suggest they have made a selection of products for you. This creates the feeling that the brand is trying to establish a personal connection with the users, which is key to making a customer feel special.

An important thing here is each call-to-action button below the categories “Check availability”. This suggests that their stock levels might not be always abundant, which creates a sense of urgency for customers - “It may be over soon, so I better get it while it lasts!”

3. The fact that Brooklinen shares they have been featured in such authoritative publications like Vogue and Business Insider, demonstrates that their brand is an influencer for their industry and helps build confidence and customer trust.

4. The final part of the email gives you an alternative choice if you want to take a look at their classic and luxe collections.

Casper

1. A seductive message at the beginning asks you to return to your cart and see what you left there.

2. A clear and simple call-to-action button without too much clutter and distractions.

3. Social proof from a real customer leaving an awesome review and a true story about the brand and how their product affected the person’s life. One thing that could further enhance this email is probably including a real picture of the customer as it helps with the authenticity of the testimonial.

Overall, a very clean and minimalistic email that has you focused on the most important stuff - your abandoned cart and real user-generated content that strengthens the chance you will feel more confident about the brand and their products.

Dollar Shave Club

1. The attention hook here is a guarantee that the reader is going to “love” the brand. So the only thing left is to engage with them.

2. Below that we have a call-to-action that invites us to join the club, accompanied by a list of benefits such as free shipping and a convenient razor subscription. This helps build confidence in customers and acts as an additional incentive to click the link.

3. The product itself and its beautiful packaging stamped with clever messages that give a premium feel to the item. Obviously, gentle humor makes it all worthwhile.

4. The finishing touch is a short paragraph that highlights how cool it actually is to be part of the club. Since the reader only came close to joining, this message brings the impression that they have missed out on something great. The “Learn more” link is perfectly placed below for users who have been convinced by the email.

Dot & Bo

1. $20 if we invite a friend? That’s something you don’t see everyday in a marketing email. Also, it serves as a nice hook to catch your eye. It’s also a great incentive for users to convert.

2. A clear and concise message that your product is still in the cart, waiting to be purchased. To make it even more convenient, the message is accompanied by two call-to-action buttons to view the item or shop the sales.

3. In case you are interested in anything else, there’s the option to view additional products, which is a popular cross-selling technique to increase the average order size. It’s important to always give an alternative because you increase the chances that a customer will find something they like or prefer more.

4. Below, Dot & Bo have created attractive promotional banners for their latest collections and given them intriguing subtitles to spark interest in readers.

5. The last part is a reminder that you can get a $20 credit when you invite a friend to make a purchase. This offer is accompanied by a banner saying “Invite your friends to the modern lifestyle” which inspires you to take action.

Gilt

1. Ah, the good old urgency approach. The first thing that grabs the reader’s eye is a large sign that the items in cart are expiring soon. That’s an excellent incentive for customers to check back with their cart and decide whether they actually want to checkout with those products or not.

2. Another example of cross-selling items that customers might find related to the products that are currently in cart. Clean and simple, just the products and their prices. Good enough. Buttons are missing, but it’s likely they didn’t want to move the main focus away.

3. Something else you might have missed out on. Gilt have been running sales campaigns with up to 80% off on their cookware, furniture, accessories and designer clothing. That’s definitely a big discount and is sure to lure some interested customers in.

4. To top it off, the brand is inviting you to download their app, like them on Facebook and take advantage of their international shipping. A store that has an app earns extra points because they are obviously dedicated to their users who are on the go.

As for the invitation to Facebook, a title like Friends with Benefits coming from a brand is quite seductive because it suggests fancy stuff like gifts, discounts and other preferable treatment. A classy touch all around.

Huckberry

1. Huckberry also know how to write a compelling hook. They remind readers that there are a few things left in their cart with a large “Heads up!” sign that is easy to see and grasp immediately. What’s more important is the small paragraph below, noting that their inventory is often limited, which is the scarcity principle in action.

2. A nice, big call-to-action button leads customers back to the checkout without any unnecessary distractions. You can see the item that has been left behind underneath the button so there is no reason for confusion about what happens next.

3. A very important detail! Some customers might leave the cart if there’s something they are not sure about or have run into trouble. It’s crucial to offer help to anyone who might be experiencing issues with checking out, which is what exactly Huckberry have done at the end of their email.

“Trouble checking out? We’re here to help”. A brilliant way to give customers the chance to ask if there’s something wrong and give them confidence that you will be available for assistance.

Ralph Lauren

1. A classic approach to an abandoned cart email - “Forget something?” People don’t like forgetting things, so it always works well. Below the large sign, there’s a provocative message that suggests the customer is missing out on some great items.

2. The section with the abandoned cart is present, and this is something essential that you should not forget for your emails. After the initial hook in the headline, readers should immediately see their cart and the exact products you are talking about. Also, notice the second call-to-action button below the cart. If someone doesn’t click on the first, here’s a second one - bam bam!

3. A part showing related products that is very clean and non-intrusive. A greater chance to increase the products in the customer’s cart.

4. Finally, the most important part - a free shipping incentive. Note that this is not accented in the email, whereas you will usually see it front and center with big colored letters. In this case, the free shipping code only works when the order is above a certain price point, which is something the brand is using to optimize their costs and revenue. Well played, Ralph Lauren.

WORX

1. In my opinion, not exactly the best choice for an attention grabber, but it still works to set the tone for the email.

2. Unlike the other emails, there’s no abandoned cart here. This is an email for a product that the customer has just viewed. But a gentle reminder doesn’t hurt anyone, right?

Something they could have added is a product image of the exact item the customer has viewed and a call-to-action button, but not all rules have to be applied to every case.

3. WORX is taking an intelligent guess here. Supposing that the customer has just viewed a product, they probably didn’t like it or wasn’t the right fit. Then why not take a look at some of their other suggested items, maybe there’ll be something interesting there?

4. Another thing that you don’t see with every email is the invitation to stay connected over social media. However the difference here is that they actually tell you what you’re getting when you follow them - learn about products, watch videos, enter contests and more! This works a bit better than just a link to a business profile, don’t you think?

Madewell

1. Now this is an attention grabber I like. It sounds friendly, personal and enticing. What’s even more awesome about it is that they complement you on the products you picked as well! That’s how it’s done.

2. Madewell obviously wanted to spark interest in the readers with a call-to-action button written to make you curious about what’s in there. Another good thing is how they divided the content into sections.

3. The product in the bag is there, and it’s accompanied with a nice image of a model wearing it. Nothing too excessive, just exactly what a reader needs to see.

4. The final section is about New Arrivals, Looks We Love and Sale. Each of these will sound interesting to anyone who’s keen on fashion. First, new is always exciting. The “Looks We Love” is a perfect chance to see what the experts behind the brand think are currently suggesting.

The credit to all of the images goes to Really Good Emails. An awesome source for email marketing inspiration, check them out!

Key takeaways…

So, what did we learn from these examples? First, high quality images and visual effects are a must-have in modern email marketing. The competition is just too big to think that you’ll get away with sloppy pictures. Also, never forget:

• A captivating message at the beginning of the email to grasp the reader’s attention immediately. It should be clear why you are emailing someone and what they should do.

• The products in cart that the customer has abandoned so they can remember right away and consider purchasing once more.

• Related products and other collections that might actually be more interesting to customers if they were too hesitant to check out with the items they initially saw. Don’t just include random products. Make sure they are relevant to your customer.

• Call-To-Action buttons on key spots powered by snappy and enticing writing that will spark curiosity in the readers.

• Incentives such as discounts, coupon codes and free shipping are the most powerful way to give a customer the gentle push to checking out with something they came so close to buying.

All in all make sure the customer feels unique, special and always offer something extra.

Important information for OpenCart users:

To save a huge chunk of your time, email marketing is made simple in OpenCart with the AbandonedCarts extension. You can use it to send emails automatically to any customer that leaves products in their cart.