During the holiday season, we clicked through the promotional emails sent by more than 90 major online retailers and filled our shopping carts with more than $100 of merchandise. Then we walked away, closing our browser after each shopping session. This infographic slidedeck details retailers’ email response to our shopping cart abandonment and offers tips to make these important triggered emails more effective.

1. Shopping Cart Abandonment
Email Trends
Adoption, Timing, Content, Series, and Tactics during the 2014 and 2013 Holiday Seasons
@chadswhite

2. During Cyber Week, one of the most
important shopping weeks of the year,
the Salesforce Marketing Cloud clicked
through the promotional emails of more
than 90 major online retailers and we
filled our shopping baskets with more
than $100 of merchandise.

3. Then we walked away, closing our
browser after each shopping session.
Here’s what happened next and how it
compares to our results when we did this
same experiment during the 2013 holiday
season…

4. 23%
77%
2014
1 or more None
The Response to Abandoned Carts
20%
80%
2013
1 or more None
Percentage of retailers sending a triggered email in response

5. What’s Different: Adoption increased slightly,
but there’s much more opportunity for retailers
to react to this strong buying signal with a
triggered email that serves subscribers and
generates revenue.
Seventy-two percent of marketers say cart
abandonment emails are very effective or
effective, according to Salesforce’s 2015
State of Marketing Report.

6. 50%
32%
18%
2014
Within 24 hrs Within 24-72 hrs
After 72 hrs
The Delay in Response
48%
48%
5%
2013
Within 24 hrs Within 24-72 hrs
After 72 hrs
How many hours until the sender’s first response arrives

7. What’s Different: Surprisingly, retailers’
response time got worse. Cart abandonment
emails perform best when delivered within the
first 24 hours of abandonment, according to
Salesforce’s Predictive Intelligence
Benchmark Report.
Waiting days during the fast-moving holiday
season surely meant emails arrived way too
late to impact the purchase decision.

8. 68%
32%
2014
Showed item(s) Did not
Email Content: Product Details
38%
62%
2013
Showed item(s) Did not
Percentage of senders listing the item(s) abandoned in their emails

9. What’s Different: Rather than forcing
subscribers to click through to see what they
left behind, nearly twice as many retailers
included a picture and description of the
item(s) in the cart.
Pulling this valuable information forward from
the landing page into the email surely aided
conversions by reducing unnecessary friction
in the process.

10. 41%
59%
2014
Recommended other products Did not
Email Content: Recommendations
19%
81%
2013
Recommended other products Did not
Percentage of senders suggesting alternative products in their emails

11. What’s Different: More than twice as many
retailers seized the opportunity to present
alternative products during the 2014 holiday
season vs. 2013.
Abandoned cart emails using predictive
intelligence for product recommendations
generate $36.02 per click on average,
according to Salesforce’s Predictive
Intelligence Benchmark Report.

12. 18%
82%
2014
Included seasonal messaging Did not
Email Content: Seasonal Context
5%
95%
2013
Included seasonal messaging Did not
Percentage of senders including seasonal messaging in their emails

13. What’s Different: Adding seasonal imagery,
holiday sales promos, shipping deadlines, or
a gift services footer make cart abandonment
emails more urgent, relevant, and effective.
This past holiday season more than triple the
number of retailers included seasonal
elements in these emails, wisely placing the
potential purchase within the context of the
holiday season.

14. 50%50%
2014
Sent a series Did not
Cart Abandonment Email Series
19%
81%
2013
Sent a series Did not
Percentage of senders sending 2+ emails in response to abandoned carts

15. What’s Different: Sending a series of cart
abandonment emails significantly boosts
effectiveness, so it was great to see such a
huge jump in the adoption of shopping cart
abandonment email series.
Series ranged from two to four emails, with
each one focused on one potential customer
need, such as help with questions or
suggestions of alternative products.

16. The Engagement Tactics
• A straightforward “You left this in your cart” notification
• Reassurances that the customer’s cart will be saved
• Creating urgency around the products selling out
• Highlighting existing sales and free shipping offers
• Offering a discount or incentive to complete the purchase
• Recommending alternative and related products
• Reminding shopper about shipping and return details
Messaging tactics used by senders to get cart abandoners to convert

17. The Engagement Tactics (Cont.)
• Presenting payment and financing options, and private
label credit card offers
• Pointing out price-matching and price-assurance policies
• Stressing that customer service reps are available to
answer questions
• Sending information about the product category of the
product abandoned
• Sharing reviews for the product
Messaging tactics used by senders to get cart abandoners to convert

18. What’s Different: The increase in cart
abandonment series meant that senders were
able to use more engagement tactics than in
the previous year, increasing their chances of
addressing the reason for the abandonment.
Testing tactics and their order in a series is
advised.

19. Adoption of shopping cart abandonment
emails is still low, which gives brands that
have them a distinct competitive
advantage over those that don’t.
For those brands that don’t have one or
have a simple one, we recommend that
you…

20. Grow the sophistication of your cart
abandonment emails over time by:
• adding product information from the cart
• adding product recommendations
• adding season context
• expanding to a triggered email series
• testing various messaging tactics

21. Did you enjoy our Shopping Cart Abandonment Email Trends?
If so, please tell a friend or colleague about it.
Start now so you’re ready for the
holiday season. Good luck!
CLICK TO TWEET: Great stats and advice in @Salesforce’s
Shopping Cart Abandonment Email Trends #infographic
http://sforce.co/1B6ft5v

22. SOURCES
Unless otherwise stated, all data based on observational research
performed by Salesforce Marketing Cloud during early December
2014 involving 94 major U.S. online retailers and during December
2013 involving 103 major U.S. online retailers using anonymous
email accounts.

23. Thank you