Nothing is harder for online retailers to swallow than abandoned carts. Unfortunately, they are a fact of the business: According to research from Baymard Institute, almost 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned. For a situation that arises so frequently, strategies to convert a full cart into a completed transaction abound. Pushing customers to finish their business isn’t the only way, however, to get value from an abandoned cart.

In addition to unpurchased products, customers leave behind a lot of valuable information. Knowing when they shop and product preferences can help refocus communications. Evolve from “buy now” exhortations to more personalized messages that connect and engage.

Rent the Runway has a solid strategy. As it should — 40% of abandoned carts are filled with clothes, according to eMarketer. To re-engage abandoners, Rent the Runway reinforces its brand promise through tone and design and the customer’s individuality through personalization. Does that abandoned cart belongs to someone who wants to be your customer? Chances are good you’ll win them over.

Shifting Cart Abandonment Strategies to Customer-Centric Messages

Our guide to Increasing Revenue from Email offers a set of tactics for shifting your cart abandonment strategy from a product focus to customer-centric messaging. These tactics, provided in more detail in the guide, include a mix of foundational and sophisticated tactics for abandoned cart messaging. 

Foundational examples include a drip series, rather than a one-and-done cart abandonment email. You can also create a varied messaging stream rather than sending a basic reminder of the product abandoned.

Looking to go more sophisticated? Personalize cart abandonment messages to individuals and recommend products that the customer may like. Be sure to test the cadence. Some customers may respond best just an hour after they’ve abandoned a cart. Others may engage a day or two later.

Our guide includes other strategies and tactics for growing sales and revenue, such as welcome and post-purchase messaging. Download it today.