Abandoned Carts - Recover Them Creating A Sense Of Urgency

The “abandoned cart” is an issue for many online businesses. For those who don’t know, the abandoned cart occurs when a potential customer goes through the process of logging onto a business’s website, choosing a product, adding it to their purchase basket, but doesn’t end up finishing the checkout purchase.

This can be particularly frustrating for businesses as it means at least part of their marketing campaign is working, and many don’t know how to fix their abandoned cart issues.

Over the years, many marketers and business owners have noticed that the best way to deal with their abandoned cart problems is by creating a sense of urgency. Over the remainder of this article, we will go over some effective ways online shopping platforms can increase urgency.

1. Offer Quick Shipping Options

One thing that researchers found was that long shipping periods are likely to have customers clicking off or thinking twice about making a purchase. “Choosing shipping and payment options is usually the last step in the buying process. When a potential customer gets to that step and sees they are going to have to wait 10 - 15 business days for shipping, many begin to think twice about their purchase”, writes Jame Keen, a conversion expert at Liahelp and Bigassignments.

Although not always possible depending on the product or location, one of the best ways to combat this is by offering fast shipping options. An even more effective method would be to offer free fast shipping over a certain price. An example of this and how successful it can be is Amazon. Now of course, not every business is able to offer the type of free shipping that Amazon does, but it is a good case study.

Depending on the country or region, Amazon offers free three-day shipping for all purchases over a certain amount. Not only does this prompt users to checkout, but in many cases it also makes them look for another item to add to their cart if they find themselves under the free shipping amount.

2. Remind Customers Of A Limited Time Sale

The appearance of scarcity is another great way to stop customers from having second thoughts. Marketers and psychologists have found that consumers are much more likely to purchase something if they think they are getting a limited-time deal, especially if it is close to expiring. In this case, the buyer doesn’t want to feel like they have missed out and end up going through with their purchase before they have any time for second doubts.

One important aspect to consider when doing this is the placing of the sale reminder. Many sites are successful in making the customer aware that there is a limited-time sale going on but they don’t remind them once they are actually at the checkout phase. This is a major mistake and one that highly reduces the effectiveness of this technique.

When running sales, it is important to inform the customer that the sale is on for a limited time at every step of the checkout process.

3. Show Stock Scarcity

Another way businesses can take advantage of scarcity is by displaying low stock levels on their website. An industry that is known for doing this is the airline ticket sales industry, which will often have “only two tickets left at this price” at the top of the most desired search results. “When dealing with scarcity it is important to operate with some ethics. Many business owners feel it is bad practice to lie outright, and most people would agree with this. However, when a certain item's stock does become low, there is nothing wrong with informing would-be buyers of this fact”, writes Susan Veril, a tech writer at Eliteassignmenthelp and Essayroo.

One thing to keep in mind is if a website lists products as always low in stock, repeat customers, or those thinking about making another purchase, will see right through this ploy and may make people hesitant to make another purchase. Because of this, it makes good business sense to be honest and only say a product is low in stock when it is.

4. Offer A Checkout Discount

Another excellent tactic to increase urgency is by offering a small discount upon or close to check out. Typically, this works by having a pop-up or banner come across the screen advertising a further discount for those who act fast. Most of the time, the discount offers a further 5 - 10 percent off the current price but only for a limited amount of time.

This method has proven to be quick effective, especially when combined with fast shipping options. How much of a discount to give will depend on the business and product, but it doesn’t have to be much. Some studies have shown that a limited time discount of even just 5% is enough to persuade many would-be buyers who might have second thoughts about completing their purchase.

5. Let Customers Know Other People Are Shopping For The Product

Sometimes scarcity can be pushed by letting a potential buyer know that other people are interested in the same product, especially if that product has limited stock. Using the airline ticket industry as an example again, when searching for tickets, these booking agencies will usually inform people how many other people are searching for the same ticket with the same dates.

When combined with limited stock or a minor sale, this tactic can be very effective as it creates a sense of urgency by letting the individual know there are other people interested and if they don’t move quickly they may lose their opportunity.

6. Offer Cross-Sells

A cross-sell is when another related item is bundled with the current item and the customer is offered a slight discount. Amazon is really good at this. For example, if a customer is searching for a book in particular series, right before checkout Amazon will offer them a bundle of another book in the same series for slightly less than what it would cost to buy the two individually.

When this is done, it gets the individual thinking about whether the deal is worth it or not and takes them away from having second doubts about their purchase. Even if the customer doesn’t decide on purchasing the bundle, they may still feel like they have been responsible and saved some money by not making the larger purchase, a belief which ends up justifying their initial purchase even more.

7. Have Flash Sales

Flash sales are quick, seemingly random, sales that take a decent chunk off of a product's price. These types of sales may not be realistic for all types of products but can work very well in high-volume businesses. A great example of this is Shein, a large clothing retailer out of China. Anyone who has gone to their site knows that they have flash sales all the time, which can cut an extra 15-35% off the price of an item.

It should be understood that flash sales are not random, and are usually programmed to occur with stock the business is trying to get rid of. The trigger for a flash sale is the amount of time spent on the website with items in their checkout basket. If the individual has spent a significant amount of time on the site without checking out, they are a good target for a flash sale.

8. Offer Presale For New Products

The idea of scarcity, and the urgency it rates, can be tapped into by offering a presale on a new product for which there will be a limited initial supply.

This only works for products that are in high demand and a good example of this are Playstation or Xbox consoles. Every few years, a new iteration in the line of video game consoles is released. The initial release supply is limited and customers are able to pre-order their products, often at a slight increase in price. This works because the products are so heavily sought people are willing to pay a little extra upfront to have it when it's released.

9. Offer A Sign-Up Bonus With A Deadline

Mailing lists are very useful for marketing purposes, it allows a business to stay in communication for customers and inform them of new products and promotions. A great way to make use of this mailing list is by offering a time-sensitive sign-up bonus. For example, an offer can read “Sign up for our mailing list and receive 10% off your first purchase valid for 24 hours”.

These types of deals are really enticing for people because not only does it create a sense of urgency, but it also positively reinforces their desire to make a purchase.

10. Display Countdown Timer For Sales

When there is a sale, displaying a countdown timer at the top of the screen is a good way to instill a sense of urgency in customers. This works particularly well for flash sales.