Did you know that nearly 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned? That’s a staggering amount of potential revenue slipping through the fingers of B2B businesses every day. Imagine you’re running a brick-and-mortar store where seven out of every ten customers simply leave their carts full of products in the middle of the aisle and walk out the door—without buying anything. Online, this scenario is happening constantly.
For B2B brands, cart abandonment is one of the most significant challenges to profitability. Shoppers are just a click away from completing their purchase, yet for a variety of reasons—like unexpected costs, complicated checkout processes, or simply getting distracted—they leave their carts behind, and with them, a potential sale.
The good news? These seemingly lost sales don’t have to be lost forever. By using an abandoned cart automation strategy, you can recover a substantial portion of these would-be purchases, turning missed opportunities into actual revenue.
In this blog post, we’ll go over why abandoned cart automation is essential for your B2B store, how it works, and the transformative impact it can have on your business.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to optimise your current setup, understanding and implementing this strategy could be the key to significantly boosting your bottom line.
Why You Should Care About Cart Abandonment
Cart abandonment directly translates into lost revenue. For every abandoned cart, there’s an untapped opportunity to convert a potential sale into actual profit. On a large scale, this can represent a significant portion of an e-commerce store’s potential income, especially considering the high rates of abandonment across the industry.
According to recent studies, the average cart abandonment rate hovers around 70% (Baymard). This means that out of every ten shoppers who add items to their cart, seven will leave without completing the purchase. For B2B businesses, this can equate to thousands or even millions of pounds in lost revenue annually. However, with the right strategies in place—like abandoned cart automation—a significant portion of these lost sales can be recovered.
How Abandoned Cart Automations Recover Lost Sales
Abandoned cart automation is a marketing strategy that uses automated emails to re-engage customers who have left items in their online shopping carts without completing the purchase. These emails are typically triggered after a specific period of inactivity and are designed to remind the customer of the items they left behind, encouraging them to return and complete their purchase.
How It Works: The process is straightforward:
- Cart Abandonment: A customer adds items to their cart but leaves the site without checking out.
- Triggering the Automation: After a set period of time (usually within an hour of abandonment), an automated email sequence is triggered.
- Email Sequence: The customer receives a series of follow-up emails reminding them of the items in their cart. These emails may include product images, personalised messaging, and even special incentives like discounts or free shipping to entice the customer to complete their purchase.
Key Benefits:
- Revenue Recovery: One of the most significant benefits of abandoned cart automation is its ability to recover lost sales. Studies show that well-crafted abandoned cart emails can recover between 10-30% of abandoned carts, which can significantly boost revenue.
- Customer Retention: Beyond just recovering sales, these automated emails also help to re-engage customers. By showing that your brand cares about their shopping experience and offering personalised follow-ups, you build a stronger relationship with your customers, increasing their likelihood of returning in the future.
- Time Efficiency: Automation streamlines the process of following up with customers, saving time for your marketing team. Once the email sequence is set up, it runs automatically, requiring minimal ongoing management while delivering consistent results.
Key Parts of An Effective Abandoned Cart Sequence
Creating an abandoned cart email that effectively converts lost opportunities into completed purchases requires careful attention to several key components. Here’s what you need to include:
Timing: The timing of your abandoned cart emails is critical to their success. The first email should be sent within an hour of cart abandonment when the items are still fresh in the customer’s mind. Delaying this initial email too long decreases the likelihood that the customer will return to complete their purchase.
A typical abandoned cart email sequence might look like this:
- First Email: Sent within an hour of abandonment, serving as a gentle reminder.
- Second Email: Sent 24 hours later, possibly offering an incentive like free shipping or a discount.
- Third Email: Sent 48-72 hours later as a final reminder, emphasising urgency with a subject line like “Your Cart is About to Expire” or “Last Chance to Complete Your Purchase.”
By spacing out your emails in this manner, you maintain a presence in the customer’s inbox without overwhelming them, while keeping the abandoned items top of mind.
Personalisation: Personalisation is a powerful tool in email marketing, and abandoned cart emails are no exception. The more personalised the email, the more likely the customer is to engage with it. Personalisation can include:
- Customer’s Name: Start the email with a friendly greeting that includes the customer’s name, which immediately makes the communication feel more personal.
- Product Details: Include images and details of the specific items the customer left in their cart. This visual reminder can be a strong motivator, especially if the customer was genuinely interested in the product.
- Behaviour-Based Content: If possible, tailor the email content based on the customer’s behaviour. For example, if they’ve browsed certain categories before, you might suggest similar products or offer related recommendations.
Incentives: Sometimes, customers need a little extra push to complete their purchase. Offering an incentive in your abandoned cart emails can significantly increase conversion rates. Some effective incentives include:
- Discount Codes: A small discount, such as 10% off, can be enough to convince a customer to go back and complete their purchase.
- Free Shipping: Many customers abandon their carts because of unexpected shipping costs. Offering free shipping as an incentive can remove this barrier and encourage them to finalise their order.
- Limited-Time Offers: Creating a sense of urgency with a time-sensitive offer can drive quicker decisions. Phrases like “Complete your purchase in the next 24 hours to receive 15% off” can spur customers into action.
However, be cautious with incentives; while they can be highly effective, overuse can train customers to expect discounts every time they abandon a cart, which can erode your profit margins.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
While abandoned cart automation can be a game-changer for your B2B store, it’s essential to implement it correctly to avoid common pitfalls that could hinder its effectiveness.
Overloading Customers: It’s tempting to send multiple emails to try and win back a customer, but too many emails can be overwhelming and lead to annoyance or even unsubscribes. The key is to strike a balance—sending just enough emails to remind the customer without overwhelming them. A typical sequence might include 2-3 emails spaced out over a few days.
Ignoring Mobile Optimisation: Today, a significant portion of emails are opened on mobile devices. While it will vary store to store, recent statistics find that 55% of email are opened on mobile. (Hubspot) If your abandoned cart emails aren’t optimised for mobile, you risk losing out on conversions. Ensure that your emails are responsive, with easy-to-read text, clear images, and a mobile-friendly layout.
Not Testing: Just like any other marketing effort, testing is crucial to optimising your abandoned cart emails. This includes A/B testing subject lines, email content, send times, and CTAs. By analysing the results, you can continuously improve your email performance and increase your recovery rates.
Being Too Generic: Sending a one-size-fits-all email to every customer who abandons their cart can be ineffective. Personalisation is key to making your emails stand out. Include the customer’s name, show the specific items they left behind, and tailor the messaging to their behaviour or preferences.
The ROI of Abandoned Cart Automations
The potential return on investment (ROI) is substantial. For example, if your B2B store experiences a 70% cart abandonment rate, and abandoned cart emails help recover even 10-20% of those sales, the revenue boost can be significant.
For instance, if your average order value is £100 and you manage to recover 20 carts per month, that’s an additional £2,000 in monthly revenue—£24,000 annually—from a single automation strategy.
According to Moosend, more than 40% of cart abandonment emails are opened and half of the recipients who engaged with the content of the email completed their purchase. So you can see how important this can be for recovering sales.
Beyond the immediate revenue gains, abandoned cart automation contributes to long-term business growth. Customers who receive these follow-up emails often feel more valued and are more likely to return for future purchases.
Additionally, the insights gained from analysing the performance of these emails can help you refine other areas of your marketing strategy, leading to overall better customer engagement and increased sales.
Maximise Your B2B Revenue with Abandoned Cart Automations
Cart abandonment is an inevitable challenge in e-commerce, but it doesn’t have to mean lost revenue. With a well-crafted abandoned cart automation strategy, you can turn these lost opportunities into actual sales, boosting your bottom line and improving customer satisfaction.
Using abandoned cart automations isn’t just about reclaiming lost sales—it’s about engaging with your customers in a meaningful way, building trust, and encouraging repeat business. The long-term benefits extend beyond immediate revenue recovery, helping to establish your brand as one that cares about the customer experience. If you haven’t yet implemented an abandoned cart strategy, now is the time to start.
The potential rewards far outweigh the effort involved, making it an essential tool for any e-commerce business looking to thrive in a competitive market.
Are You Doing Enough With Your Email Marketing?
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