Did you know that almost 7 out of 10 visitors who add items to their shopping carts end up abandoning them?
Watching a potential client add something to their cart only to abandon it at the last second happens all the time. The question is, what can you do about it?
Thankfully, there are strategies for retrieving abandoned carts and winning those potential customers back. In this article, we’ll cover 9 tried-and-tested methods for recovering Shopify abandoned carts, plus take a look at some of the top Shopify apps for recovering abandoned carts.
Ready? Let’s go!
What is an abandoned cart in Shopify?
The term “abandoned cart” refers to a scenario where a potential customer adds products to their online shopping cart but doesn’t proceed with the purchase. This is a common problem for ecommerce businesses and can result in considerable loss of revenue.
The average rate of online shopping cart abandonment is about 66.5%. That’s a substantial amount of untapped revenue!
For Shopify business owners, an abandoned shopping cart may be an annoying and expensive problem. But luckily, with the right strategy and tools, businesses can recover a significant portion of those financial losses and increase overall sales.
Why do shoppers abandon carts?
As an ecommerce business owner, it’s essential to understand why shoppers abandon their carts to develop effective strategies for recovering lost sales. Here are some of the most common reasons:
Unexpected costs: Unexpected costs such as shipping fees, taxes, and other charges are the most common reason shoppers abandon their carts, with 48% of respondents citing this as the main reason for abandoning their cart.
Inconvenience of creating an account: Another common reason shoppers abandon their carts is the inconvenience of being required to create an account. According to the same study, 24% of respondents abandoned their carts because they were asked to create an account.
Slow delivery: Slow delivery is another reason shoppers abandon their carts. In today’s fast-paced world, customers expect their purchases to arrive quickly. 22% of customers surveyed indicated that delivery speed is essential when making an online purchase.
Technical issues: Technical problems such as slow loading times, website errors, or payment processing issues can frustrate customers and cause them to abandon their carts.
Lack of trust: Customers may be hesitant to provide personal and financial information to websites that they don’t trust. Social proof, such as customer reviews and ratings, can help build trust and reduce cart abandonment rates.
Complicated checkout process: A complicated and lengthy checkout process can be overwhelming for customers and cause them to abandon their carts. Simplifying the checkout process and reducing the number of required steps can improve the customer experience and increase conversion rates.
Comparison shopping: Customers may abandon their carts if they find a better deal or more convenient option elsewhere. Competitive pricing and a unique value proposition can help reduce cart abandonment rates and increase customer loyalty.
Unsatisfactory return policy: Customers may abandon their carts if they’re unsure about your return policy or feel uncomfortable with the terms. Offering a clear and easy-to-understand return policy can help build trust and encourage customers to complete their purchases.
Few payment methods: Customers may abandon their carts if you don’t offer their preferred payment method.
9 ideas to fix abandoned carts on Shopify
Now that you know why customers abandon their carts, you’re probably wondering what you need to do to prevent it from happening. Here are nine proven ideas that can help you fix Shopify cart abandonment.
1. Remind visitors that they left something in their cart
One of the simplest and most effective ways to recover abandoned carts is to remind visitors that they left something in their cart. This can be done via an email notification or a popup that’s displayed on your ecommerce site when people try to leave.
This message should be brief and to the point. Striking a balance between being helpful and assertive is crucial if you don’t want to come off as overly aggressive or unpleasant. Consider using a friendly tone and offering help or support if needed.
2. Offer free shipping
As mentioned, shipping costs are a major factor in abandoned checkouts. Offering free shipping can effectively reduce the number of abandoned carts and encourage customers to complete their purchases.
Consider setting a minimum threshold for free shipping to encourage customers to add more items to their cart. This can increase the average order value and improve your revenue.
3. Offer limited-time deals
Offering deals that are only available for a limited time is another effective way to recover abandoned shopping carts. This can include discounts, free gifts, or exclusive offers.
You can persuade clients to finish their purchase before the bargain ends by fostering a sense of urgency.
Adding a visual cue such as a countdown timer can drastically improve results as it offers an additional incentive to act. This can be especially helpful for customers who are unsure about whether to buy.
If you’d like to offer limited-time deals for your visitors, you can get started with these templates:
4. Offer to save the cart contents
Offering to save a user’s cart contents can be a useful technique for customers who aren’t ready to make a purchase yet. By giving customers this choice, you make it simpler for them to return later and finish their transaction.
This can be done through a Shopify abandoned cart app, which can automatically save the contents of the cart and send reminders to the customer.
In some cases, visitors leave for reasons unrelated to your website: maybe something comes up, or they need to check some information or measurements before making a purchase.
Showing a “save cart” option on a popup like in the example below allows visitors to complete their purchases later.
5. Recommend relevant products
When customers add an item to their cart, they indicate an interest in that product type. Use this information to recommend other products that may be relevant to their interests.
This can be done on the cart page with embedded content, through targeted email campaigns, or in an exit-intent popup (like in the example below).
You can boost the possibility that the consumer will purchase by offering customized recommendations. Consider using Shopify apps like OptiMonk to automate this process and improve the effectiveness of your campaigns.
6. Personalize offers based on a cart value
Personalizing offers based on the value of the cart can be a powerful way to incentivize customers to complete their purchases.
For example, you could offer a larger discount or free shipping for high-value carts. This may improve the likelihood that the customer will buy something by making them feel valued and appreciated.
In the example below, cart abandoners with cart values between £25-79 are offered a 10% discount:
But someone with a cart value greater than £79 will get the opportunity to save 20%:
7. Send abandoned cart emails
Sending abandoned cart emails is one of the most effective ways to recover lost sales. These emails should include a reminder about the items in the cart, a call-to-action to complete the checkout process, and possibly a discount or other incentive to encourage the customer to complete the purchase.
You can use a third-party app like Klaviyo to create customized abandoned cart email templates with attention-grabbing subject lines. Alternatively, you can use Shopify’s built-in abandoned cart email feature to automate this process.
8. Run remarketing ads
Remarketing ads can be directed toward users who’ve been to your website, placed things in their carts, and then abandoned them.
To develop customized ads that remind customers about the things they left behind and nudge them to finish their purchase, consider utilizing Shopify’s built-in remarketing tool or third-party platforms like Google Advertising or Facebook Ads to target visitors with your ads while they’re checking their newsfeed, reading their email, or browsing other websites.
When creating remarketing ads, it’s important to use eye-catching visuals, clear and concise copy, and a strong call-to-action. Consider creating a sense of urgency or scarcity to encourage customers to take action, perhaps by including a limited-time offer or mentioning that the product is in high demand.
9. Collect feedback from abandoning visitors
Some of your visitors may be abandoning their carts because of a bad user experience. But you’ll never know what to change if you don’t ask! So why not start collecting feedback from your customers?
Surveying abandoning visitors may not stop cart abandonment in the short term, but it will help prevent abandonment in the future.
Check out these ready-to-use templates to get started in just a few minutes:
What's the best Shopify abandoned cart app?
When it comes to choosing the best Shopify abandoned cart app, there are several options available. Each app has its own unique features that cater to different needs.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the top options for the best Shopify abandoned cart apps:
1. OptiMonk
OptiMonk is a comprehensive website personalization platform that offers powerful abandoned cart recovery features.
Key feature 1: Advanced segmenting
OptiMonk allows you to segment your visitors based on many criteria. For example, you can create custom rules based on cart value and the number of items added to the cart. Or you can differentiate between new and returning customers and craft personalized offers.
Key feature 2: Personalized discount codes
Generate unique discount codes automatically from OptiMonk to capitalize on FOMO. You can give each code an expiration date and add a countdown timer to maximize the effect.
Key feature 3: Personalized product recommendations
Using OptiMonk’s product recommendation feature, you can always display the most relevant products to your car abandoners. You can display recently viewed, most popular, or similar products from a specific product category.
Other key features:
- Dynamic Content: Create a hyper-personalized shopping experience for each visitor.
- Smart Headline Generator: Have our AI-powered headline generator come up with catchy headlines.
- Countdown: Capitalize on the FOMO effect of limited-time offers by including a countdown timer in your campaigns.
- A/B testing: Test copy, images, and various opt-in formulas to learn (and use) what works best for your audience.
- Drag & drop editor: Create popups and other campaign types from scratch or modify pre-built templates in the blink of an eye.
- User experience protector: Use a smart cap on how many campaigns your visitors see without compromising on conversions.
Pricing: OptiMonk offers a free plan that covers just one domain with up to 15,000 pageviews. Paid pricing starts at $39 monthly for two domains with up to 30,000 pageviews.
2. Klaviyo
Klaviyo is a popular email marketing platform that offers abandoned cart recovery tools. With Klaviyo, you can create targeted email campaigns and automate the process of sending follow-up emails to customers who abandon their carts.
Key features:
- Automated email campaigns: Klaviyo’s abandoned cart recovery feature allows you to set up automated email campaigns to remind customers of the items they left in their cart. You can customize the emails with your own branding and messaging.
- Personalization: Klaviyo allows you to personalize the emails with dynamic content, such as the customer’s name, the items they left in their cart, and even recommended products based on their browsing history.
- Real-time analytics: Klaviyo provides real-time analytics, so you can track the performance of your abandoned cart recovery campaigns and make data-driven decisions.
- Segmentation: Klaviyo’s advanced segmentation features allow you to target specific groups of customers with customized messaging, increasing the effectiveness of your abandoned cart recovery campaigns.
Pricing: Klaviyo offers a free plan for up to 250 email contacts. Paid plans start at $20 per month.
3. Carti
Carti is an abandoned cart recovery app that offers email & SMS campaigns, push notifications, and Viber reminders to help recover lost sales.
Key features:
- Automated email campaigns: Carti allows you to set up automated email campaigns to remind customers of the items they left in their cart. You can customize the emails with your own branding and messaging.
- Abandoned cart recovery popup: Carti’s abandoned cart recovery popup allows you to display a customized message to customers who are about to leave your site without completing their purchase. You can offer discounts or other incentives to encourage them to complete their purchase.
- SMS Recovery: With Carti, you can send SMS messages to customers who have abandoned their carts. This is an effective way to reach customers who may not check their email regularly.
- Advanced Analytics: Carti provides detailed analytics, so you can track your recovered revenue and see which campaigns are performing the best.
- Discount codes: Offer personalized discount codes to incentivize customers to complete their purchase.
Pricing: Carti offers a 30-day free trial, and then pricing depends on the amount of extra sales the tool generates for you ($9.99 per month when you make an extra $500 in sales, for example).
4. Privy
Privy is a powerful marketing automation platform that includes abandoned cart recovery features. It allows you to create email campaigns, popups, and other messaging to help recover lost sales.
Key features:
- Advanced targeting: Privy’s advanced targeting features allow you to target specific groups of customers with customized messaging, increasing the effectiveness of your abandoned cart recovery campaigns.
- A/B testing: Test different email content and strategies to optimize your abandoned cart recovery performance.
- SMS reminders: Send SMS reminders to customers who have abandoned their cart.
- Discount codes: Offer personalized discount codes to incentivize customers to complete their purchases.
- Abandoned cart sequence builder: Create custom email sequences that follow up with customers who abandoned their carts.
- Analytics: Track your email performance and revenue with detailed analytics.
Pricing: Privy offers a free plan for up to 100 email contacts, and then pricing starts at $30 per month.
Ultimately, the best app for your Shopify store will depend on your specific needs and preferences. Consider each app’s features and pricing to determine which is the best fit for your store.
Wrapping up
Recovering abandoned carts is a critical aspect of any successful ecommerce store. With the right techniques and tools, you can win back a significant portion of those lost sales and improve your overall conversion rates. Having a tried-and-true strategy in place can help a lot. The key is to stay persistent and continue testing and refining your approach.
Additionally, utilizing the right Shopify abandoned cart apps can make a big difference in your ability to recover abandoned carts. From automated email sequences to exit-intent popups, apps like OptiMonk or Klaviyo offer powerful features to help you recover lost sales and optimize your online store’s performance.
Remember, cart abandonment is a common challenge all online merchants face, but with the right mindset and tools, you can turn those abandoned carts into successful sales.
