E-shopping Online Business Promotion Shopaholic Concept
For one reason or the other, some shoppers send a product to their cart and leave it there. Most times they even forget that they sent anything there. Statistics have it that as much as 80 percent of online purchases are abandoned. All e-commerce businesses aim to make a profit, and that will not happen if the customers fail to proceed to the checklist. Different e-commerce businesses are looking for ways to solve this problem, and one of them is abandoned cart SMS. This guide will tell you what it is and how to set one up.
Contents
Is an abandoned cart a problem or an opportunity?
The vast majority of online retailers see an abandoned cart as a problem. However, it may be consoling to know that most e-commerce websites share this pain. It is just like seeing a stash of cash on the table that you can’t touch. The good news is, most of the people that place items in their cart do so intending to come back to them. Unfortunately, some of them forget they did and would need a reminder.
So, is an abandoned cart a problem or an opportunity? The answer will depend on how you decide to handle it. More e-commerce companies are realizing the hidden potential in the abandoned cart and looking for ways to tap into it. Abandoned cart SMS is one of the best ways to solve this problem, and the reason is that most SMS are read in the first 3 minutes. Other purposes why sending out abandoned cart SMS works better than other techniques are:
- The open rate of SMS messages is as high as 98%. It is not surprising because our phones are always in our hands.
- Abandoned cart SMS can initiate a conversation that gives you a better insight into why the cart was abandoned in the first place. This feedback can help you to improve your customer experience.
- SMS are concise and timely. Not every shopper takes their time to read through long annoying emails—especially when they are flagged as spam—but can spare a few seconds to scan through their SMS.
The seven blocks of a perfect abandoned cart SMS
Putting in a lot of thought when creating an abandoned cart SMS can boost your return on investment (ROI). The SMS campaign of many online retailers fails for several reasons. However, it is mostly because two or more vital blocks are missing. Below are the seven blocks every SMS campaign for abandoned cart should have.
1. GIFs
There is a saying that a picture can speak a thousand words. Pictures or GIFs are particularly useful for boosting engagements. The right image can draw in the prospective client to pay closer attention to the message.
2. Brand name
Starting off your message with your store name is suitable for brand recognition. It immediately gives the customer an idea of where the news is coming from as well as cement the name of your brand in their subconscious. In the e-commerce world where the competition is high, you will want your store to be the first that will come up in the minds of new and old customers.
3. Name of recipient
Adding the name of the customer to your message makes it personal. Nobody wants to be a statistic. Addressing people by their name is one of the ways you can win them over as friends—and most shoppers have a bias for shopping from their friends.
4. Discount codes
Freebies and discounts always draw shoppers. Adding a personal discount code to your message can prompt the customer to take action.
5. Call to action
A sense of urgency or scarcity is an emotional trigger that works well for call-to-action. It invites the shopper to take action before the expiration of the discount or whatever freebie you choose to offer.
6. Branded URLs
Embedding branded links to your messages makes it easier for the customer to proceed immediately to take action if your offer moves them. Casual surfers who may have picked interest on a particular product and moved them to cart often fail to bookmark the website. The link helps them to find their way back.
7. Unsubscribe
Give customers an option to opt-out of your marketing SMS. There is a thing line between genuine marketing and spamming—and you don’t want to be on the latter list.
Conclusion
While most online retailers use abandoned cart SMS as a reminder to draw a prospective shopper’s mind back to the item they left in the cart, it can be more than that. Leveraging on the right platform, such messages can become a tool for customer support. For example, some customers abandon items in the cart when they don’t know the next step to follow. An SMS guide will quickly solve a lot of cart abandonment.
