Why online shoppers leave their carts full, and how text messaging could be your secret weapon to re-engage with them
We’ve all been there: we browse online, add items we’re interested in to our cart, and for whatever reason, navigate from the page or close our browser without making our purchase. Maybe we plan to come back and purchase these items later, but odds are, we’ll forget about them if not reminded.
Online cart abandonment has become a serious problem for online retailers. According to Statista, 74.2% of consumers on e-commerce websites abandon a cart prior to purchasing, equating to well over $4 trillion in lost transactions each year in the US.
Abandoned online shopping carts represent lost revenue that heavily impacts the bottom line of retailers. However, there’s a new strategy even more effective than email marketing that retailers can use to turn abandoned carts into sales: mobile messaging.
Why online shoppers abandon their carts
It’s important to understand why shoppers abandon their carts in the first place. There are a multitude of factors that vary by retailer and website, but top reasons include:
- High shipping costs: Oftentimes customers abandon a cart after seeing how much their order costs with shipping. A Deloitte study found 69% of shoppers are more likely to shop with online retailers who offer free shipping. Additionally, extra fees or taxes may dissuade shoppers from completing their purchase.
- Complex checkout: Shoppers expect seamless experiences, so if a checkout flow is too time-consuming or complex (like requiring them to create an account to checkout instead of making that step optional), they will likely abandon their cart.
- Website problems: If a site takes too long to load, doesn’t load at all, or crashes, don’t expect a customer to complete their purchase. 47% of shoppers want your site pages to load in two seconds or less, and 64% of shoppers won’t return to your site if it takes too long to load.
Other common abandoned cart reasons include slow delivery, unsatisfactory return policies, or not enough payment options.
Re-engage with a well-timed cart abandonment text
Sending a well-timed cart reminder message is an effective way to re-engage with high-intent shoppers. E-commerce marketers need to get their message seen as soon as possible, and many marketers rely on email to send an abandoned cart message. However, considering 95% of all text messages are opened within 3 minutes, mobile messaging offers a distinct advantage over email when it comes to visibility and timeliness.
One example of a retailer who is doing this exceptionally well is WinkyLux, a cruelty-free & non-toxic cosmetics retailer. The beauty company uses Attentive’s mobile messaging platform to share personalized marketing updates with their subscribers, but also to win back shoppers who abandoned their carts.
Fulya Uygun, Head of e-Commerce & Digital Marketing at Winky Lux said, “The immediacy and visibility of text messaging is what makes it so effective for us. We rely on Attentive to directly reach our audience about new products, to promote limited-time offers, and to remind shoppers about items in their carts.”
Unlike email, mobile messaging allows e-commerce and retail marketers to immediately and effectively reach their shoppers where they spend the most time on their phone: texting.
Given the economic impact of abandoned online shopping carts, it’s important for marketers to remember the value of following up on potential sales that otherwise might be lost. Text messaging offers a new opportunity for e-commerce marketers to reach their shoppers where they want to be reached in a way that converts.
