Why are Abandoned Cart Subject Lines Important?
More than 40% of cart abandonment emails are opened. Of these, about half are clicked on, and of those clicked on, half of the users who clicked made a purchase.
This ultimately translates to tremendous potential for businesses to capture lost revenue. Post purchase email automation is made of multiple moving parts, engaging subject lines are the first way to draw customers in. Here are some suggestions to make your subject lines intriguing and captivating.
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Abandoned Cart Subject Line Ideas
- Buy it now and get free shipping”
- Your cart misses you! Get 15% off what you left behind.
- Buy in the next 24 hours and get 15% off
- Your[Product Name] is waiting...
- Still shopping?
- Where’d you go?
- Want to make a deal?
- Gift included inside
- Your cart is about to expire
- Can we help with your order?
- Did you forget something?
- Did you forget this, [Name]?
- You’re so close/li>
1. Free Shipping
“Buy it now and get free shipping”
If you don't currently offer free shipping, these additional costs can cause friction during the checkout process and result in abandoned carts. Advertising free shipping and incentives in email subject lines is an extremely effective tactic to encourage customers to revisit their carts.
However, we caution you to save this type of promotion for later emails your abandoned cart workflow. Including incentives in your first email can train customers to wait for discounts instead of making full-price purchases.
2. Discount
“Your cart misses you! Get 15% off what you left behind.”
Similar to free shipping, a discount can prove to be the nudge your customer needs to complete their purchase. Our recommendations to delay this approach until later in your email workflow still apply in this situation. We outline this recommendation and more in our related blog that discusses abandoned cart email strategy.
Discounts help sweeten the deal and provide an extra incentive that many users need to purchase. Including specific promotion details in your subject line can increase open and click-through rates. Ultimately, this translates to more revenue for your business.
3. Urgency
“Buy in the next 24 hours and get 15% off”
This example combines an incentive with a time-bound sense of urgency. We encourage you to get specific with your timeline and promotion to give users details before they even open.
Being transparent about your deadlines can increase anxiety about missing out and increase email open rates as a result. Overall, creating urgency with a limited time offer is a proven tactic to encourage customers to complete their purchases.
4. Product
“Your [Product Name] is waiting...”
Life is busy. Your customer may have gotten distracted and totally forgotten about the products they were interested in.
Including the product name in the subject line creates an immediate connection with your users and triggers memories of their previous shopping experience. As a result, they may be more likely to open your email to explore content you've sent them to help with their purchase decision. This will ultimate help you improve your shopping cart abandonment rate.
5. Polite Reminder
“Still shopping?”
Questions call out for responses. As a result, including a short and sweet question in your email subject line can encourage your users to explore more information.
If you haven't used an abandoned cart workflow before, this email subject line can be a fantastic place to start. It's simple, to the point and relevant to a wide variety of shopping experience.
6. Reasonable Question
“Where’d you go?”
Sometimes, a simple question can be enough to remind your customer they left something behind.
Keeping things conversational is often the best approach to cutting through a crowded inbox. In many cases, your customers are still interested in your products and only need a small reminder to continue their transaction.
As a seller, we encourage your to explore this and other related questions in your abandoned cart subject lines to increase open rates and conversions.
7. Negotiation
“Want to make a deal?”
Although your abandoned cart email workflows shouldn't encourage one-on-one negotiation, this email subject line offers an intriguing message for your customers.
By demonstrating a level of give and take, you allow your users to meet you in the middle to reconsider their purchases. If you take this approach, we recommend including a discount or incentive in the body of your email.
8. Curiosity
“Gift included inside”
Sometimes withholding the right information can be enough to peak your users' interest. In this example, announcing that a customer will receive a gift but not sharing what it is creates an internal question: "what is the gift?"
Instead of offering a discount or incentive upfront in the subject line, try being a bit coy. When properly implemented, this approach can increase open rates and email engagement.
9. Expiration
“Your cart is about to expire”
All good things must come to an end. Customers who add items to their carts often expect that inventory will be held based on their interest. However, this isn't the case.
Additionally, keeping shopping carts fresh over time can help shopping experiences remain relevant. Sending notifications that their carts will expire can add a sense of urgency and encourage your customers to make purchase decisions.
10. Customer Service
“Can we help with your order?"
Remember to lend a helping hand. In this example, your email subject line addresses a need for assistance. Offering a personalized feel can help you relate to your customers and make them feel that there needs are a priority.
Writing this abandoned cart subject line as a question also encourages an internal response from your users. The compulsive need to respond can help increase email open rates and engagement.
11. Common Reminder
“Did you forget something?”
This is probably the most common and straightforward subject line. Although it's simple, the direct message cuts through email inbox clutter.
We recommend trying this type of email subject line at the beginning of your abandoned cart workflow. It serves as an ideal conversation starter and clearly positions your follow-up outreach with a helpful tone.
12. Personalization
“Did you forget this, [Name]?”
As we've mentioned before in our blog about email subject line best practices, personalizing emails can have a significant impact on engagement.
Including a first name can add just enough context to your email subject line to encourage engagement. This tactic also helps demonstrated to your customer that they are more than just a number on their accounting sheet. As with any form of personalization, always include a fallback for your token to account for missing contact properties.
13. Gentle Nudge
“You’re so close”
This method tends to be a little more subtle than some of the other ideas discussed. It also can be an opportunity to stress the ease of the potential checkout.
We're also fans of this subject line because it's only three words. The brevity translates to a clear message that can resonate with users. It also communicates steps in a process, which can appeal to goal-oriented customers.
Conclusion
Although we've included many email subject line ideas above, it's always important to test. Use A/B testing to fine tune your email subject lines and find which version works best for you.
Still need help creating your abandoned cart email subject lines? Drop us a line through the form below and we'll be happy to help!
