Your Ultimate Cart Abandonment Recovery Program

Good news, guys! Cart Abandonment comes with a Recovery Program, as well… Here’s how everything started.

Once upon a time, it was a race to the middle line. Yes, you’ve read it. Not the finish, but the middle line. Because nowadays we aim to meet our customers halfway – them willing to share more personal information and us, marketers, growling for making those sales.
But there was a moment in time when a Yoda-like character stopped for a while and meditated on that. And this is what came out of it:

Baby Marketer to Mamma Marketer: But, moooooooom, Facebook Wise Men (actually, it was Reese Witherspoon’s character who said it first in her How Do You Know 2010 movie, but shhh) teach us to

“Don’t do anything halfway unless you’re willing to be half-happy.”

Mamma Marketer: 😐

So, it seems we’d learned our lesson and decided to go all the way – as in meet customers in between stages and still go on towards the end of the funnel bumping into the NOT so boring question “Does that quote applies to our sales, as well?”

Well, judging by your shop’s Cart Abandonment Rate, I’d have to say a wholeheartedly “Yup, mate!” For us (marketers and shop owners), unless we afford to lose 1 out of every 10 clients, we’re going for the big Home Run.

These being said, this article is going to explore the Till-the-End-of-the-Sales-Funnel Journey to its core and back. Along the way, you will:

Be able to make the difference between Browse and Cart Abandonment (easy one) and understand how much you could uplift sales if you’d pay attention to these two indicators.
Acknowledge the differences between online and offline cart abandonment rates
Understand and explain what the Human Factor has to do with everything
Discover the 3 steps to the AYG Cart Abandonment Recovery Program and what do they stand for in detail
Learn of specific activities on How To increase desire and decrease efforts
Download a CheckList with 50 actions to take to increase desire and decrease efforts
Download a SpreadSheet with your Actionable Testings for each of the AYG Cart Abandonment Recovery Program Steps

Browse Abandonment Rate Vs Cart Abandonment Rate

Now, this is a no-brainer.

People bump into your site one way or another. Maybe there is something attractive about what you’re doing, after all. I mean, who knows?! (*laugh). If they spend some time taking a quick look at your products and then, immediately, hit the top-right-x, that’s Browsing Abandonment.
If they spend a bit more time with you, chose a couple of products, put them in your beautifully crafted virtual basket and then check out without finishing the order, that’s Cart Abandonment.

Why is this important for you? Two reasons:

It tells you WHAT to troubleshoot! Both Browse and Cart Abandonment have to do with UX, obviously. But the first one tells you whether you’re attracting poor traffic, being irrelevant to visitors, having poor copy or bad usability, whereas, the second indicator might reveal hints about the quality of your call to actions and your checkout process.

this FreshRelecance article

an 11.5% sales uplift

So, you do get back 1 in 10 sales! Just from retargeting. From insisting just a little bit more. Pretty interesting, isn’t it?

It reminds me of this 9gag post about putting in just a little bit more effort:

Now, if you can do without 11.5% sales uplift, that’s great. Don’t bother reading on.
Further down, I’ll highlight all the important aspects and paint the entire picture that’ll give you the understanding of what you need to craft here.

The Human Factor in Cart Abandonment

There is a lot of great content out there with the reasons and motives for which people abandon their online baskets. I’ll only mention those for the sake of this article’s flow. But only after I briefly go deeper into it towards the core of the Human Factor.
It’s our humanity that makes the difference between the (still) 90% – 10% offline – digital sales ratio. Here’s eMarketer’s chart from their worldwide report on retail E-Commerce sales:

The blue dotted line (this sounds like “The Yellow Brick Road”, only it’s blue; and a line, not a road) clearly shows how Retail E-Commerce still settles at 8.6% (below our generous 10%) in the total retail sales quantum. They only predict double digits after 2018…

You see? Unless quite spiritual, we’re desire led creatures. What does this mean and how does this impact me as a shop owner/e-marketer? Well, it has everything to do with WHY you’re doing all that it is you’re doing.

Desire led means we’re pretty much attached to what we want. Attached means there’s ego involved. Ego-involved usually has to do with comparison. By comparison, we mean both modelling (designing my needs and wants standards in relation to a model – sort of like a lighthouse, a reference system) and crowd spirit (designing my needs and wants in accordance with the group I am part of).

Usually standards – whether we’re talking influencers standards or group norms – are, ultimately, set by media; or marketers. Sadly, for the vast majority of consumers, they define happiness, body proportions, morality milestones, etc. We are social beings. At some point, we’ll look for standards either in our peers or in our communities.

Now, the main distinction we’re making is between on and offline behavior. Cause that’s where it hurts when trying to bust 2 digits, isn’t it? Since we’re more and more socially networked online, that’s where our crowds manifest. This puts tribe behavior on the analytical map. Social networks are there to validate us through likes and other impressions and, at the same time, tap into our need of belonging. Whereas, offline – where we’re more connected to ourselves – puts our individuality under the spotlight and adds more… Self-awareness to the mix.

In stores, we tend to:

Pay more attention to our own wants and needs – we get to try things (on), see how they feel or smell (depending on the product, obviously) for ourselves
Interact with the commercial representative and ask for “technical” features of the products we’re looking for
Stay aware that if we won’t buy it now, it won’t wait for us and we’re quite OK with this
Focus on Price first – after clearing necessities and desires we’re like “Do I afford it now?”
Focus on the value deals – “What I’m getting out of it, is it worth it?”

Online, on the other hand, we tend to:

Pay more attention to the number of likes we get to the picture of our new shoes, for instance; we’re more concerned about our image; that’s what gives us value
Read reviews and testimonials and connect to other people’s experiences
Be aware that whether we’ll buy them or not right this instant, the shoes will still be there and, even more, we’re going to receive reminders about that
Focus on comfort more – the first questions we ask ourselves have more to do with time, as in “How long before I get it?” and trust “Can I trust this store with my personal information?”
Focus on the personal information exchange

But, besides being pretty evident, why is this important to us? Well, remember the (still) 90% – 10% offline – digital sales ratio and our aim to tap into 2 digits online sales? This is how we do it! By factoring humanity into the online.
Two ways, at least:

Web Personalization

Customer service

One way, Web Personalization deals with desires – understanding people’s desires and increasing them. On the other side, though, Customer Service teaches us how to decrease people’s efforts to getting what they want.

See the tandem here – increasing desires while decreasing efforts? This is what we weigh in when considering online shopping. This what makes us decide. This is what drives us to click that checkout button!
Ultimately, THIS is what Cart Abandonment gets down to: increasing DESIRES while decreasing EFFORTS.

The Cart Abandonment Recovery Program

Buying is a function of want and effort. This way, the main scope of a Cart Abandonment Recovery Program is to increase desire and decrease the effort needed to fulfil that desire. But what does that really mean, to be more exact?
Well, I put together the two most popular charts I could find on why people abandon their online baskets and added up the human factor I talked about above, and I got a 3 dimensional scheme of the basics of Cart Abandonment Recovery Programs.

Source: Shopify Article with data from 2012

Source: VWO 2016 Cart Abandonment Report

If you look closely, you’ll find that the reasons why people abandon their online shopping baskets are quite similar. Percentages might differ a little bit, but the main concerns are the same.

According to VWO’s report, in 2016, the first 3 reasons for cart abandonment have to do with hiding overall costs, simplicity, and research. In other words, our visitors are interested in Value Deals, Comfort and Defining Desire more clearly in this order.

Four years ago, though, the classification was just a bit different: Prices and Value Deals were most important, as well, but what we Desired came before Comfort back then. It seems we were willing to hustle more in order to get what we wanted.

What happened in the meanwhile? Intuitive technology has reshaped and increased customer expectations.

But going a bit deeper, I’ve noticed how honesty about shipping costs is still our No. 1 problem. I wonder – how hard is it, really, to add all the costs? I mean, customers abandon the cart anyhow. They might as well do it for the right arguments.

The really interesting part, though, comes from defalcating what customers have to pay for.

Currently, people are more concerned with payment security than with discounts. 4 years ago, prices were way more important than financial safety issues.

See how intuitive technology and the advancement of economic trends (such as mobile banking, for instance) reflect in the simplest act of online shopping?

This is why I love charts and any data representation whatsoever – because they tell an entire story using only shapes and colors. (And sometimes, the story is a lot bigger than the numbers)

Before these charts, I figured Abandonment Recovery Programs are just about desires and efforts. Only after analyzing them and considering the human factor, I realized that efforts minimization counts for more than fulfilling our wants.

Collectively, we’re set to run away from pain rather than going for what we want. I already had an idea of that, but to prove it through online shopping analysis?! Now that’s something.

Thus, efforts qualify and split into their quantity and quality components, respectively value deals and comfort or usability.

Quantifiable efforts refer to what we actually pay, or to be more accurate how much more can we get from what we’re willing to pay. Our consumer mindset is set towards value deals – getting more for less money.

Does that sound familiar? The other way, qualitative efforts relate to what we have to do to get there. Better yet, how much of my comfort am I willing to let go of to get what I want?

I started by saying that Cart Abandonment is about increasing desires and decreasing efforts and ended up splitting efforts into value deals and comfort.

All in all, Cart Abandonment Recovery just became about intensifying customers’ desires or wants, diversifying value deals and increasing comfort. Yes, 3 pillars.

The Basics of the AYG Cart Abandonment Recovery Program

This is how we do it – we put together this strategical Value Deals – Comfort – Wants growth system. First, we make sure to have the clearest understanding of what adding value, increasing comfort and intensifying desires means both to us and to our audience. We put them together, and then, we start brainstorming on actions for each pillars. We test actions and keep implementing the ones with the highest conversion rates. Easy-breezy, isn’t it?

Cart Abandonment Rate drops if we Increase VALUE DEALS

WHY?
When they enter your site, besides the beautiful design and the inviting user experience, visitors are mesmerized by your prices. Because, for most of them, that’s where it hurts the most, isn’t it?

WHAT?
Increasing Value Deals usually refers to:

Shipping Costs Transparency
Free Shipping
Multiple Payment Options
Discounts/Coupons

Possible customers say that pricing is their most sensitive spot, but what they’re really after is getting a return on their investment. They’re actually willing to pay what you ask for it or even a bit more in return for the higher quality and satisfaction degree. We talk more about the satisfaction continuum in this article on how to do delight your customers.

So, lower prices have their own charm, indeed, but be careful as to when lower becomes cheap. That’s not a label you want for your brand, is it, now?
Strategically, value deals are a good hook. Not just because discounts and low prices attract attention, but they also make a statement about how valuable you and your brand are.

Value Deals are about TRUST. They need to be:

Solidly Convincing
Financially Secure
Low Priced (*smile)

HOW?
We solve our value deal challenge with a set of price reducing – value increasing tactics that we’ll explore a bit further.

Cart Abandonment Rate drops if we Increase COMFORT levels

WHY?
As shown above, by the VWO report, comfort is extremely important to factor in. We shop online to make our lives easier.

WHAT?
Strategically, comfort is the anchor – the point where you win or lose them. It’s emotion based. It’s when they figure out how they feel about you. It’s the point where you’ve passed their initial screening, they trust you and now, they can relax.

Increasing Comfort usually refers to:

Shipping and Delivery Times (timing being the keyword here) because we all wanted it yesterday, to be honest
Delivery Options
Solving Technical Issues
Decreasing Checkout Length and adding Clarity to the Process

Comfort is about SPEED & EASINESS. It needs to be:

Timely
Clear
Technically Usable

HOW?
We tackle comfort first by finding out what visitors label as comfortable and then by setting up internal processes to deliver that.

Cart Abandonment Rate drops if we Intensify customers’ WANTS

WHY?
As further down the sales funnel, the scope becomes to increase intensity, personal character, and benefits.

WHAT?
Strategically, intensifying cravings is a loop-or-lose tool that aims to repeat the purchasing behavior.

Intensifying Wants usually refers to:

Compelling to buy at that specific moment (or close to it)
Convincing customers to come back

Intensifying wants usually has to do with:

Using a Friendly, Uniform Voice throughout the entire user experience
Engagement

HOW?
We intensify cravings by customizing and personalizing user experience even more. Content marketing helps a lot in this area. This is your voice, the reflection of your relationship with your visitors.

The Cart Abandonment Rate Checklist (with stats)

Further on, I’ve put together a 50 items list of actions so that, based on the AYG 3Cs, you can make immediate changes in order to reduce your cart abandonment rate. Also, for some of them, you have compelling statistics to highlight reasons once more.

…to increase VALUE DEALS

56% shoppers abandon their carts if presented with unexpected cost (TruConversions)
44% shoppers abandon the shopping cart due to heavy shipping charges (TruConversions)
73% of online shoppers noted unconditional free shipping as “critical” to a purchase (CPCStrategy)
2 out of 3 shoppers said they would buy more online if returns were free (CPCStrategy)
17% customers remain concerned about payment security (TruConversions)
61% of consumers had not purchased something online because trust logos were missing (ActualInisghts)
40% customers would have more confidence in an online shop that has more payment methods
59% shoppers abandon the shopping cart if their preferred payment option isn’t available (TruConversions)
54% of shoppers will purchase products left in shopping carts, if those products are offered at a lower price (KissMetrics Blog)

Be Honest about Shipping Costs
Set up Flat Shipping Rates
Set up Conditional FREE Shipping Rates (free shipping for orders of a certain size)
Set up FREE Shipping Rates
Set up clear and/or free Return Policies
Offer a Money Back Guarantee Return Policy
Show Financial Security Features Everywhere
Offer Multiple Payment Options
Show Local Currency
Set up a Sales, Special & Savings Section
Offer Coupons
Offer Gift Cards for Upselling
Ask for Reviews in Exchange for Coupons or Discounts
Include Gift or Wrapping Messages Options
Set up Loyalty Programs for Future Discounts
Show what Customers Gain, more than just the Sale

…to increase COMFORT

24% shoppers believe same day delivery is important (TruConversions)
50% of all mobile searches are conducted in hopes of finding local results, and 61% of those searches result in a purchase (HubSpot)
57% customers abandon a site if the web page or images take more than 3 second to load (TruConversions)
47% of consumers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less (CPCStrategy)
15% of customers won’t complete a purchase due to items being out of stock (ProvideSupport)
30% of consumers abandon cart because they are comparison shopping (CPCStrategy)
23% of users will abandon their shopping cart if they have to create a new user account (KissMetrics Blog)

Make sure entire website copy is grammatically correct
Ensure that Delivery is Fast
Allow people to Track Delivery Progress
Be Mobile Responsive
Continuously Improve WebSite Speed
Continuously Improve WebSite Navigation
Eliminate Shop Low/Random Traffic
Allow People to Print or Email their Cart Content
Visibly Inform on Stocks Availability
Easy to Find Contact Info
Offer Comparison Shopping
Offer Easy Cart-Store Navigation
Offer Guest Checkout
Add a CheckOut Button both on the Top and the Bottom of the Page
Single Page outperforms Multiple Page Checkout Process (GetElastic)
One Page CheckOut
The majority of people want progress bars (KissMetrics Blog)
Add Progress Indicator on CheckOut Page
Visibly show Errors on CheckOut Page

…to intensify customers’ WANTS

99% passive window-shoppers admit time-bound incentives can encourage them to seriously consider buying a product (VWO Blog)
31% of ECommerce site revenues were generated from personalised product recommendations during Q4 2014 (Barilliance)
85% read online reviews before making a purchase (TruConversions)
55% of shoppers say that online reviews influence their buying decision (KissMetrics Blog)
25% customers leave a site due to inaccurate product details (TruConversions)
3% of shopping carts are abandoned because of confusing product information (ProvideSupport)
58% of shoppers will buy a product they abandoned because an Email/Ad tells them there’s a discount on it (VWO 2016 Cart Abandonment Report)
9% of shoppers will buy an abandoned product because an Email/Ad tells them it’s going out of stock (VWO 2016 Cart Abandonment Report)
7% of shoppers will buy an abandoned product because an Email tells them it’s in high demand (VWO 2016 Cart Abandonment Report)

Make Product Page look Persuasive
Add Thumbnails of Products on Checkout Page
Use Smart C2As
Use Time Limited Offers
Allow to Review & Edit Carts
Allow and Educate on WishList-ing
List Recommendations
Above the fold recommendations are 1.7 times more effective than below the fold
Most engaging recommendation type in their study was ‘what customers ultimately buy’
Add Reviews on Social Proof
Provide Visible Reviews & Testimonials
Provide Friendly Other-Customer-Options
Add 360 Product Reviews, Summaries or Videos
Heat map studies show that when web visitors are in a hurry they will click on the most compelling image or CTA button (TechWorld)
Increase both Number and the Quality of your Images and Videos
Add User Generated Content in your Visual Gallery
Offer Support Live Chat
Set up a “Thank You” Page after CheckOut
Remove ads or other distractions from CheckOut Page
Make sure your Shop Cart is Persistent and it won’t Expire
Send Samples (if possible)
Set Up a Cart Abandonment Recovery Email Marketing Campaign

You can also download the PDF Checklist here: CART ABANDONMENT RECOVERY PROGRAM CHECKLIST

Furthermore, you can download your Actionable Spreadsheet and start tracking your Bounce Rates here.

#NowYouKnow

You don’t just know, but you deeply understand and can rationalize why customers abandon your carts in the middle of the checkout process, or even how come they do it a few seconds after browsing
That cart abandonment is a function depending on desire and effort
That marketers and shop owners need to increase visitors desires and decrease the efforts they need to perform to fulfill them
What tactics to use to increase the added value your customers get
What processes to use to increase their comfort throughout the user experience
What to voice to intensify your customers’ desire to either buy right then or come back for more

And please do me a little favor and share this guide with others, for there’s a good chance that it will help them with their marketing endeavors.