Ecommerce businesses know the frustration of abandoned online shopping carts. Customers browse, add items to their carts, and leave without completing the purchase. This all-too-common problem leaves significant revenue on the table. However, there are strategies online retailers can take to improve their cart abandonment rates.
Today, we’ll discuss the power of abandoned cart SMS, 30 abandoned cart text message examples and tips to help you create effective SMS campaigns.
Jump right to:
- The power of abandoned cart SMS
- Abandoned cart SMS templates
- 10 tips for creating strong abandoned cart SMS campaigns
<h2 id="Power">The power of abandoned cart SMS</h2>
In the world of e-commerce, the battle for abandoned cart recovery is fierce. Research shows that the average online shopping cart abandonment rate is 70 percent, and the global value of abandoned carts is about $4.6 trillion annually. That's a lot of revenue left on the table.
In recent years, ecommerce businesses have turned to SMS for cart recovery. Let’s look at a few reasons SMS works:
- SMS messages are read. Text messages have an impressive 98 percent open rate, ensuring your cart abandonment reminder is seen.
- Texts are delivered instantly. Most texts are read within the first five minutes of receipt.
- Texts are personal. Text messaging can be highly personalized to increase engagement.
- Texts link directly to the cart. With text messaging, you can link to abandoned carts to make it easier for customers to complete a purchase.
Let’s look at some comparisons between SMS, email, and push notifications.
SMS vs. email for cart recovery
Many businesses send abandoned cart emails – but are they effective? Let’s look at a comparison between email and SMS for abandoned cart recovery.
Read SMS marketing vs. email marketing: The ultimate comparison
SMS vs. push notifications for cart recovery
Another common cart recovery method is sending push notifications. Let’s look at some comparisons between SMS and push notifications.
Learn more about push notifications and other types of mobile messaging.
<h2 id="Templates">30 abandoned cart text message examples and templates</h2>
Here are 30 abandoned cart SMS templates that work. You can customize these templates with just a few tweaks to ensure they fit your brand voice.
- General cart abandonment templates
- Free shipping templates
- Discount templates
- Encourage urgency templates
- Follow-up cart abandonment templates
<h3 id="General">General cart abandonment templates</h3>
Here are a handful of templates you can use to recover abandoned carts. Use one of these to remind customers about an item in their carts without offering an incentive.
[Company]: Hi [Name]! We noticed there were some items left in your shopping cart. Complete your order now: [Link]
[Company]: Ready to check out, [Name]? Keep shopping: [Link].
[Company]: Hi [Name]. The items in your cart miss you! 🛒😉 Finish checking out now: [Link]
Hi [Name]! It looks like you left something in your cart. The [Product] is still available. Head back to checkout now: [Link]
Hey, [Name]. We noticed you left something behind. Ready to order? Complete your checkout here: [Link]
Hi [Name]. Still thinking about [Product]? Grab it while it’s still in stock. Finish checking out now: [Link]
Hi [Name]. We found a lost [Product]. Complete your order now: [Link]
[Company]: We noticed you found some items you liked. Pick up where you left off: [Link]
[Company]: Hmm, you haven’t checked out yet 🤔 If you’re ready now, access your cart here: [Link]
<h3 id="Free">Free shipping templates</h3>
Use an incentive like free shipping to encourage customers to return to their carts to finish a purchase.
Hi [Name]! Get free shipping on your next order with [Code]. Return to check out now: [Link]
Hi [Name]. Ready to complete your purchase? We’re holding the items in your cart. Complete your order now. P.S.: You’ve unlocked free shipping! [Link]
Did you forget something, [Name]? Complete your order now and unlock free shipping: [Link]
[Company]: [Name,} you left something behind! Get free shipping for the next 24 hours with code [X]. Back to cart: [Link]
Hey, [Name]. Did you leave something behind? Checkout now with FREE shipping: [Link]
<h3 id="Discount">Discount templates</h3>
Use one of these templates to encourage customers to buy with a discount code or coupon.
Hi [Name]! You’ve got good taste - and you’ve unlocked an exclusive [X%] discount. Continue to your cart now: [Link]
Hi [Name]. Did you see something you liked? Get [X%] off with code [X]. Return to cart: [Link]
Hi [Name]! It looks like you left something behind. Return to check out now: [Link]. PS: Use this discount code to sweeten your day [code].
You left some items in your cart! Use code [X] at checkout to get [X%] off your order. Return to checkout: [Link]
Don’t leave [Product] behind. Score [X%] off your order with code [X]. Check out now: [Link]
<h3 id="Urgency">Encourage urgency</h3>
Use one of these abandoned cart text templates to encourage customers to buy quickly. You could share that the product in their cart is almost out of stock soon or emphasize that their cart will expire.
Hi [Name]. It looks like you didn’t complete your purchase! Get the [Product] before it’s gone: [Link]
Hi [Name]. Going, going, (nearly) gone! Get the [Product] before it sells out. Back to checkout: [Link]
The [Product] is [X%] off for a limited time. Get yours at this new price: [Link]
Oh no! Your cart is expiring. Return now to complete your purchase: [Link]
Your cart is about to expire, and so is your chance for free shipping. Finish purchasing now: [Link]
[Company]: Our [Product] is selling out fast. Secure yours today: [Link]
<h3 id="Follow">Follow-up cart abandonment</h3>
Don’t be afraid to follow up after your initial cart abandonment reminder. Use a second text to touch base, connect a customer to your support team, or remind them to purchase again.
[Company]: Are you ready to purchase? Pick up where you left off: [Link]
[Company]: Don’t be afraid to try it! All products can be returned at no cost for 30 days. Back to check out: [Link]
[Name,] we noticed you haven’t purchased yet. Contact our customer service team at [Phone Number] with any questions!
[Name]: The goodies in your cart await you but won’t last much longer. Complete your purchase now: [Link]
Your cart is reserved for 48 hours. After that, it will be gone. Finish checkout now: [Link]
<h2 id="Tips">10 tips for creating successful abandoned cart SMS campaigns</h2>
The most successful abandoned cart SMS campaigns are timely, personal, and compelling. Here are a few tips to help you create effective campaigns to recover more online shopping carts.
Offer incentives
Forty-seven percent of online shoppers said they abandoned a cart because of extra costs like tax and shipping. Entice customers to complete a purchase by providing discounts, free shipping, or other exclusive deals. This dollar-off discount or shipping reduction can help improve conversion rates.
Personalize your message
Abandoned cart SMS messages should be personalized. This goes a long way in convincing customers to finish the purchase. Personalize your messages by including the customer’s name and mentioning the product left in their cart.
Add a CTA
Your abandoned cart text message should include a strong call to action (CTA) that encourages customers to complete the purchase. Creating a CTA that takes them directly back to the cart and the checkout process makes it easier. Here are a few CTAs to consider:
- Resume shopping
- Return to cart
- Check out now
- Finish your order
- Head back to checkout
- Head back to your cart
- Complete your purchase
- Keep messages concise yet compelling
- Foster a sense of urgency
- Proofread and test your message
- Analyze and optimize
Include a mobile-friendly link
The best abandoned cart messages make it easy for customers to return to their cart and complete a purchase. Make sure to include an SMS link directly in your text messages.
You also want to ensure the website you link to is optimized for mobile devices to ensure a seamless checkout experience.
Don’t be afraid to follow up
If a customer doesn’t act on your first abandoned cart reminder, don’t hesitate to send a follow-up message. Sometimes customers aren’t ready to buy immediately but may be inclined to finish the purchase after a few days.
Use these reminder messages strategically, considering time zones and the nature of your product.
Leverage automation
Timely abandoned cart messages perform better. Set up texts to automatically trigger your campaigns to get the timing right. Many businesses send an initial cart recovery message about an hour or two after customers leave their carts.
You should also implement automated SMS workflows to send follow-up messages and reminders at strategic intervals.
Keep messages concise yet compelling
Text messaging is inherently short. For best results, keep your messages short yet compelling. Good messages will get straight to the point but convince customers to buy. You can do this by writing concise, snappy, and on-brand messages.
Foster a sense of urgency
Create urgency to complete the purchase process by highlighting limited-time offers, stock availability, or special promotions. Use language like:
- This offer is for today only
- Checkout now to claim your discount
- Your cart is expiring
- Get yours before it’s gone
Proofread and test your message
Don’t let misspellings or poor formatting cost you cart recovery revenue. Send yourself a test message to double-check spelling, grammar, and formatting on your mobile device. You should also test your URL links to ensure they open properly on a mobile device. This ensures the message or a non-working link isn’t why customers won’t complete a purchase.
Analyze and optimize
Monitor the performance of your abandoned cart campaigns by tracking conversion rates, cart recovery rates, and revenue generated. This can help you optimize your campaigns further. You should also A/B test your messages to refine your content, CTAs, and timing.
Looking for more SMS marketing tips? Get 17 that will set you up for success.
Recover more abandoned carts with Textline’s SMS platform
Reduce the headache of abandoned carts by partnering with a reliable SMS platform like Textline. Our SMS platform is top-rated in the industry thanks to robust automation, integrations like HubSpot, and features that simplify SMS marketing.
But don’t just take our word for it. Try Textline free for 14 days and see how we can recover more lost carts together.
