Email marketing tips from TriggMine”>
We’ve all heard it before: acquiring a new customer is usually more costly than getting an already-acquired customer to repurchase. But given that we all know how valuable repeat customers are, it’s surprising how little effort many online retailers put into re-activating customers that have dropped off the radar, especially those who have been great customers in the past. Losing a few customers here and there is part of running an online store, but by not putting some work to win back lapsed customers, online retailers are missing out on an important revenue-making opportunity.
The problem of bringing the potential customers back to a website is becoming more and more important. According to the 500 largest US online stores, the number of the abandoned shopping carts was 74% in 2014, which is 1.3% more than it was in 2013.
That is why the trigger campaigns are gaining their momentum and are constantly improving.
So how can you bring back a shopping cart drop off, or win back you customer? Here are some of the last year’s most important trends for reclaiming lost customers with email.
• Make your Emails personalized.
Simply sending an email that compels your customer to come back and make a purchase is not enough. In today’s email marketing, you are competing for your consumers’ attention within a limitless amount of personal, highly targeted communication. And to make your message stand out, you need to connect emotionally. Selling is still about the human touch, no matter how much technology we’re using to reach each other. You need to show how well you understand your customers, and how your product or service is best suited to solve their problems.
It really is essential that the potential client feels special. Highly personalized and personal emails thus are a must when following up.
Use personalized emails that for instance include your recipient’s name, but also details about the last purchase. Of course aiming to keep it personal and touch on the consumer’s own interests. For example, this can be done if you include in an email additional products they may be interested in (based on their past behavior).
• Increase the number of emails in series
“Hooking” your users via a single email is a tough task. Depending on the sophistication of your shopping cart integration, you can start a drip campaign when you receive a notice of abandoned shopping carts. When customers put an item in their cart — but never finish the transaction for whatever reason — they’ll be sent a series of emails reminding them of the purchase they can still complete. So your next step is designing tailored email series.
In this case, the thought-out campaign of 3-4 hits is going to be much more effective. According to the company Listrak, the number of retailers who send 4 or more emails grew by 169%. In 2014, only 7% of the largest online retailers sent 4 emails and more.
So, use the first email to remind them. Tell them that they left something in their cart. Show them a picture of it. Add some benefits and include a simple link to complete their checkout. Done.
• Give gifts instead of the discounts
Previously the leading marketing experts believed that discounts did really well in the matters of attracting customers. But then in 2014, they started giving up on the idea. The number of offer emails which had a discount enclosed within dropped by 40% for the first email also got 22% less common within the second, and 38.8% less likely to be included in the third email. Multiple tests indicate that gifts work better and generate greater results.
And here’s why: most companies throw out discounts immediately, and people know this. Some people will abandon the cart just to see if you’ll send them a discount. So if your go-to strategy is throwing out discounts whenever someone shows slight disinterest in your products, you’re throwing margin into the wind.
So here, write it down: a gift is always better than a discount and helps build customer loyalty and gain new customers.
In general, the conversion of the win-back trigger emails amounted to over 20%, which is the best index for the whole industry of the e-mail marketing. But even so, the experts still come up with the new methods of improving your campaign performance. Let us dwell on the advice from the leading experts in the field of remarketing from the company Listrak.
Engage your client: six more ways to improve your trigger emails
1. Do not take long sending your emails
It is essential to “catch” the customer before he forgets of his intention to complete the purchase. 66.7% of the 500 leading US online stores send the first reminder for the abandoned shopping carts within 24 hours after the customer is gone, and 24% of them are sent within the first hour.
TriggMine company’s experts recommend sending the first email within the first hour, as it’s the time when the chances of the client’s return and the completing the order checkout process are at highest.
The email from the ‘StarShop’ online store. Sent within 1 minute after the shopping cart entered the status of “the abandoned”.
2. Send emails more often
Experts advice going on with the email series until the conversion rates are double-digit.
The case study of domestic stores indicates that the highest conversion is reached by a chain of 3 emails.
So don’t lose the sale and set up a three-part email campaign to retarget lost customers in their shopping cart process.
‘IzoLna’ Online Store. The first email is sent within 1 minute after the shopping cart had changes its status to “the abandoned”.
The second letter is sent after 23 hours, that is, one day after the client has left without having completed the order.
The third letter is sent 6 days later. This is the last attempt to regain the customer for the purchase.
3. Make your communication more personal
Make sure you include the pictures of the goods which your potential customer was going to purchase, as well as feedbacks on those products by other customers. You can also add some titles which may interest your potential customer.
Additionally, write your email body to create a friendly, personal tone. Use pronouns like “you”, “me” and “us” to deepen your connection and trust. Treat your recipients like an individual walk-in customer – even if you are sending the email to 10,000 people or more.
Keep building your personal, personalized relationship. Show that you understand a customers’ needs and that you are willing to do what it takes to ease their problems – that lost customer is more likely to return.
An email concerning the abandoned shopping cart from the ‘Hadley Bags’ store.
4. Do not lose your profits to discounts
The timely sent personalized email will cope with the task of regaining customers by itself. Therefore, it is not necessary to offer your client a discount as an incentive to return in the first email.
‘Do not attack the client with the discount proposals! Instead, give him the opportunity to come back by himself,’ – says Kristina Pototskaya, CMO at TriggMine. – ‘If the entreaties take no effect and the client still expects you to offer a better deal, then go ahead and make an offer which none can refuse!’
A gift to customers from the email sent by the ‘Hadley Bags’ store.
5. Offer more options
People are most likely to leave the cart when they are still thinking about completing the purchase, and are looking for the most convenient and advantageous options. Give your customers a juicy deal to encourage them to get back to buying. You could also give them the non-monetary incentives. For example, you can offer your customers to collect the items at the point of issue in their city, or tell them that the delivery is available. Perhaps that becomes a crucial argument in favor of purchasing.
The store ‘IzoLna’ added payment methods, guarantees, information on exchange and returns, as well as the information about a company.
Online Store ‘Hadley Bags’ tells about the free fitting option
The ‘ANDERO’ store offers free shipping as a gift.
6. Come up with the way to get more email user addresses.
For example, you can use the mobile lightboxes. The more contacts you collect, the more effective your win-back campaign will be.
Another great way of getting the clients’ contact info is to motivate them to register.
To do this, simply describe the advantages the customers will get when they leave their data, and show them the benefits and the value.
The advantages of the sign-up in the ‘Sokol.ua’ online store
The main thing to keep in mind is, fortune favors the brave! In order to adapt painlessly to the constant market and customer behavior changes, you should always be in the know.
Personally, we wish you to sell as much as it is possible, and as often as it is possible!
