Guide to abandoned cart remarketing

An abandoned cart refers to when someone is adding things to their online trolley and then leaving before going through with the payment. This is the abandoned card. It's estimated that around 70% of online shoppers abandon their carts, leaving a trail of unclaimed merchandise and lost revenue behind.

This is where abandoned cart remarketing steps in. It's a strategic approach to reconnect with shoppers who didn't complete their purchase, gently reminding them of what they left behind and encouraging them to revisit their carts. By employing smart tactics and leveraging technology, businesses can recover lost sales and convert hesitant shoppers into conversions.

What is an abandoned cart?

An abandoned cart could mean a pair of shoes in the online shopping cart having yet to be paid for, or perhaps a hotel booking bagged but not paid for. Or, a restaurant table with the desired time sitting idly in the cart but not yet booked and confirmed. Once you leave the page and avoid payment, this is referred to as an abandoned cart.

What is abandoned cart remarketing?

Simply, abandoned cart remarketing is the strategy to get back in front of the user who has left something in their cart, prompting them to complete their purchase. These forms of remarketing can be in the form of targeted emails, ads, or even text messages, reminding the customer of their abandoned items and prompting them to return to their purchase.

The process typically looks like this:

1. A customer adds items to their cart but doesn't complete the purchase.
2. Based on settings, a timer starts after cart abandonment and once it elapses, the remarketing campaign kicks in.
3. After the time has passed, emails or ads are sent, featuring targeted messaging, the products that were left behind, or perhaps an incentive to book.
4. The aim is that the customer will click on the email or ad, return to their cart, and complete the purchase.

Effective remarketing involves a series of messages, spaced strategically to keep the abandoned cart top-of-mind without becoming spammy. You can tailor the content of each message, offering increasing incentives or addressing potential purchase roadblocks to provide the best chance at the customer converting.

For example, you can set up emails with the prompt that you noticed they left something behind and are they still interested? In the case of a hotel stay or restaurant booking, you can follow up quite quickly with general messaging surrounding “Did you forget something?”. Alternatively, you can also offer discounts to encourage booking. At this stage, messaging, copy and tone are crucial to engage with the user and prompt them gently to complete their purchase. Boring, pushy or flat messaging will not entice the consumer.

Alternatively, you can prompt people with more broad reminders. For example, if someone has made it to the end of their booking process for a table at a restaurant, you can send messaging such as “On your date, there are only 3 tables left within 2 hours of your specified time. Don’t miss your chance to secure your table!”. A gentle nudge about availability can prompt people to not want to miss out and complete their booking. Alternatively, if this still doesn’t work, you could offer a discount as a last resort. However, be careful with offering discounts as this can inform people that if they abandon their cart, they will receive a discount if they wait long enough.

Why set up abandoned cart remarketing?

This type of remarketing can be crucial for establishing a relationship with your customers. It’s a chance to show some personality, capture their attention with clever copy and provide them with a helpful nudge (if they have forgotten their booking), a discount, or a reason to return to their booking.

The benefits of abandoned cart remarketing include:

Boost Sales and Revenue

Recover lost revenue: The most obvious benefit is reclaiming those abandoned purchases. Studies show that effective remarketing campaigns can recover up to 30% of abandoned carts, turning lost sales into real profit.

Increase conversion rates: Remarketing keeps your brand and products fresh in the customer's mind, even after they leave your site. This gentle reminder often leads to higher conversion rates, as they're already familiar with your offerings and potentially more receptive to completing the purchase.

Drive repeat purchases: Remarketing allows you to nurture leads and build rapport with potential customers. By showcasing relevant products and offers, you can encourage them to return to your store and make further purchases, fostering increased customer loyalty and building valuable long-term relationships.

Enhance Customer Experience

Personalised touch: Remarketing allows for highly targeted campaigns, showcasing the exact items the customer left behind. This personalised approach makes them feel valued and understood, improving the overall customer experience.

Address abandonment reasons: Often, cart abandonment is due to hesitation or uncertainty. Remarketing provides an opportunity to address these concerns through tailored messaging. Offer helpful information, answer potential questions, and provide additional incentives to overcome purchase roadblocks.

Build brand awareness: Even if they don't immediately return to complete the purchase, seeing your ads across the web, in their emails or via SMS keeps your brand in their memory. This consistent exposure contributes to increased brand awareness, making your name more recognisable and trustworthy.

Optimise Marketing Efforts

Cost-effective solution: Compared to other marketing strategies, remarketing can be relatively cost-effective. You're targeting users who have already shown interest in your products making them more likely to convert, leading to a higher return on investment.

Data-driven insights: Platforms often provide valuable data on campaign performance, allowing you to track user behaviour and analyse ad effectiveness. This data can be used to refine your targeting, personalise your messages, and optimise your campaigns for even greater success.

Scalable and automated: With readily available tools and automation options, you can set up and manage remarketing campaigns efficiently, regardless of your business size or resources. This frees up your time for other marketing activities while still ensuring targeted communication with your audience.

How to set up abandoned cart remarketing

If you’re looking for ways to set up abandoned cart remarketing, you can get in touch with us directly for a more personalised approach. However, for a general overview of how the campaign works, we’ve detailed below.

Step 1: Define Your Triggers and Segments

• Trigger the right moment: Determine how long to wait after cart abandonment before triggering the remarketing sequence. Consider average purchase timelines and user behaviour to avoid being too pushy or overly delayed.
• Segment your audience: Group users based on cart value, abandonment reason (e.g. technical issues, high shipping costs), or product categories. This allows for targeted messaging and personalised offers with a higher chance of converting.

Step 2: Craft Compelling Messages

• Personalised touch: Address customers by name and showcase the exact items they left behind.
• Highlight benefits: Remind them of product features and address potential purchase concerns.
• Offer incentives: Sweeten the deal with discounts, free shipping, free add ons or exclusive discount codes.
• Create a sense of urgency: Limited-time offers or countdown timers can encourage immediate action. I.e if you book within the next 24 hours, we’ll throw in a free starter.

Step 3: Choose Your Channels

• Email: An effective channel, allowing for detailed messages and personalised offers.
• Social media ads: Retarget users across platforms like Facebook and Instagram with visually appealing ads featuring abandoned items or deals.
• Website retargeting: Display pop-up banners or product recommendations on your website to remind users of their forgotten carts.
• Google Display: Show display ads across other websites that are part of the Google Display Network.

Step 4: Automate and Track

• Utilise marketing automation tools: Streamline campaign management by setting up automated email sequences and ad triggers.
• Track and analyse data: Monitor campaign performance metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to identify what's working and what needs improvement. This will help you to adjust your campaigns in future and invest time and money into the tools that work best for you.
• Continuously optimise: Based on data insights, refine your targeting, personalise messages and adjust offers to maximise campaign effectiveness.

We can help

Did you know:

• Retargeting ads bring back up to 26% of abandoners to your website.
• Mobile users who are retargeted with abandoned cart ads have a 16% higher purchase rate compared to non-retargeted users.
• Personalising your remarketing messages further increases their effectiveness, with conversion rates rising by 49% compared to generic messages.

With stats like the above, it’s impossible to ignore the benefits of abandoned cart remarketing. The remarketing campaign provides the opportunity to engage with existing audiences, reach out with personalised messaging, further your brand identity and capture conversions that may have otherwise fallen through the cracks. If you’re keen to implement an abandoned cart strategy to improve conversion rates and engage with your audiences, the Cab Hospitality team can assist.

With over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, we understand what it takes to create and implement a strategy that works. From SEO to PPC, email marketing, website development and design and abandoned cart remarketing, our team are experts in all things hospitality marketing. Get in touch to discuss your unique needs and a member of the team can assist in finding the right solution for you.