Browse Abandonment Email: Automatic Visit Recovery

The Visit Recovery (aka Browse Abandonment) is a fundamental automation to bring people back on track towards the purchase.

The data speaks for itself: users' Customer Journey is erratic and unpredictable in the Sea of Micro-Moments.

Creating relevant touchpoints to recover the conversation started is the best way to get users back to our site, without boring them, but helping them find what they have shown interest in.

Let's discover one of the most relevant automations for e-commerce: the Visit Recovery.

 

The Browse Abandonment Sequence

Browse abandonment occurs when a visitor lands on a website, views a product page, and leaves without adding any items to the cart.

Target:
Monitored leads visiting BOFU content, customers (in the Wheel) returning to product or sales pages.

Objectives:
Create a relevant touchpoint to guide users back to purchase.

Metrics:
OR & CTR;
% added to cart
% conversions

 

Product Views

The product display is the first sign of interest indicating that the user is entering the Bottom of the Funnel.

It indicates that a lead (or an anonymous user) is starting to show purchase interest and that a customer is beginning to show repurchase interest.

However, this first touchpoint is not necessarily decisive for conversion, quite the opposite.

Many users abandon navigation after viewing a product, without reaching the steps of adding to cart and check-out.

This behavior is a natural part of the Customer Journey, also offline (think about all the people who enter a store to browse and then leave without buying).

If we have collected the user's contact data and we are monitoring it, we have an extra opportunity to guide them back towards making a purchase.

 

Recovery Visits Automation

The Browse Abandonment automation allows recovering interested visits that did not end with a product in the cart.

It is an opportunity for those managing an e-commerce because, by browsing products, buyers show interest in specific products.

Monitoring browsing behavior gives us a huge advantage: we know what interests our users!

The Visit Recovery email is effective because it is extremely relevant: by knowing which products customers have viewed, we invite them to return to the pages of those same products they have shown interest in, at the right moment.

In this way, we create a touchpoint capable of guiding users back on track towards making a purchase, seizing an important opportunity in the battle for attention.

This automation, like the Abandoned Cart, works on both contacts in the BOFU and customers in the Repurchase Wheel.

To set up automation correctly, it is important to prepare the right checks.

• Has the user visited the product page for more than 20 seconds?
  The time spent on the page is an indicator of interest level.
• Has the user added the product to the cart?
  They should not be involved in Visit Recovery, as they will already receive the sequence for Abandoned Cart Recovery.
• Has the user completed the order?
  In this case, they will not receive any recovery email, but a post-purchase sequence (for example, the Onboarding Sequence, if this purchase is their first).
• Has the user already received this email in the last X days?
  Let's pay attention to the frequency of sending these emails so as not to annoy the user (and clog up their inbox).

Below I have collected some useful tips to optimize the performance of the Visit Recovery Automation.

Segment in an advanced way

The dynamic products contained in Browse Abandonment emails are inherently 1-to-1 personalized for each user.

However, segmentation allows us to send even more relevant and targeted emails.

In a basic way, we can segment the email's graphics and layout based on gender.

 

Using the Sand-Mill Model as a strategic framework allows us to take an extra step forward.

We can send different Browse Abandonment emails to contacts in the Funnel (leads who have never purchased) compared to customers in the Reacquisition Wheel.

In this example, existing customers are reminded to complete the upgrade, while leads are encouraged to finish the order.
The relevance of the message also means this.

We can also personalize the email based on the value of viewed items, and then at Value Level on which they should be placed after the purchase.

Customization allows us to recover visits more effectively and therefore generate more conversions.

 

 

Send 1 to 3 messages, through different channels

 

Having a Visit Recovery email is essential, but an automatic sequence could be better!

Different timings, different levers, but also different channels.

Try testing the insertion of the number of reviews and ratings of the products.

Highlight the benefits such as fast/free delivery, return possibility, secure payments and any other incentives, like the presence of  free samples in the package that the potential customer will receive.

 

Don't overdo it with the number of emails and frequency, but experiment to find what works best for your business.

Try including more channels in your Visit Recovery strategy.

First and foremost WhatsApp. Thanks to its APIs, you can integrate it with the Marketing Automation software you already use, to add another highly relevant touchpoint.

Other channels worth testing are SMS (perhaps to be activated only during discount periods, like Black Friday) and Push Notifications.

Also include alternatives

Showcasing products that leads viewed before leaving the site is a must, but suggesting other products can also work well.

A first element to test is alternatives.

In this case, we can consider adding:

• Higher-end similar products to increase the cart value
• Lower-end similar products, to recover potential sales interrupted due to price reasons.

 

 

Another technique could be to include complementary products (often purchased together) with the product viewed by the user.

This way, even if our lead has completed the order from another online or offline retailer, they may find interesting inspiration to come back and buy from us.

Personally, I have had some good results by also testing the inclusion of best sellers in the category viewed by the user.

Having access to the data, always updated, on which products are preferred in a certain category is a godsend, why not take advantage of it in these dynamic emails?

So you should try it too, there must be a reason why that product is a best seller!

 

Conclusion

Here's a little recap, with my final tips:

1. Build a lead generation system at all stages of the Funnel, to have monitored email contacts of leads and make the most of the effectiveness of automation.
2. Highlight factors influencing sales, such as fast and free shipping, gifts, and easy returns.
3. Segment the target, remembering that leads in the Funnel are not the same as customers in the Wheel.
4. Test the timing, the inclusion of alternatives and complementary products to maximize the effectiveness of your Visit Recovery email.
5. Contact me to start optimizing your automated communications.

Segment in an advanced way

The dynamic products contained in Browse Abandonment emails are inherently personalized 1-to-1 for each user.

However, segmentation allows us to send even more relevant and targeted emails.

In a nutshell, we can segment the email's graphics and layout based on gender.

Using the Sand-Mill Model as a strategic framework allows us to take an extra step.

We can send different Browse Abandonment emails to contacts who are in the Funnel (leads who have never purchased) compared to customers who are in the Repurchase Wheel.

We can also customize the email, based on the value of the items viewed, and therefore on the Value Level they would be placed on after purchase.

Personalization allows us to recover visits more effectively and thus generate more conversions.

Head from 1 to 3 messages, on different channels

Having a Visit Recovery email is essential, but an automatic sequence might be better!

Different timings, different triggers, but also different channels.

Try testing the inclusion of the number of reviews and ratings of the products.

Highlight benefits such as fast/free delivery, easy returns, secure payments, and any other incentives like the presence of free samples in the package that the potential customer will receive.

Don't overdo it with the number of emails and frequency, but experiment to find what works best for your business.

Try including more channels in your Visit Recovery strategy, such as SMS (particularly effective with Flash Sales deadlines) and Push Notifications.

Include alternatives too

Showcasing products that leads viewed before leaving the site is a must, but suggesting other products can also work well.

A first element to test are the alternatives.

In this case, we can consider including:

• Higher-end similar products to increase the value of the cart
• Lower-end similar products, to recover potential sales interrupted for price-related reasons.

Another technique could be to include complementary products (often purchased together) with the product viewed by the user.

This way, even if our lead has completed the order from another online or offline retailer, they might find interesting inspiration to come back and buy from us.

Personally, I have had some good results by also testing the insertion of best sellers in the category viewed by the user.

Having access to the data, always updated, on which products are preferred in a certain category is a godsend, why not take advantage of it in these dynamic emails?

So give it a try yourself, there must be a reason why that product is a best seller!

Conclusion

Here is a brief recap, with my final tips:

1. Build a lead generation system at all stages of the Funnel, in order to have monitored email contacts of leads and make the most of automation effectiveness.
2. Highlight factors influencing sales, such as fast and free shipping, gifts, and easy returns.
3. Segment your target audience, remembering that leads in the Funnel are not the same as customers in the Wheel.
4. Test the timing, inclusion of alternatives, and complementary products to maximize the effectiveness of your Visit Recovery email.
5. Contact me to start optimizing your automated communications.

Let's build a complete Sand-Mill together

Do you want to understand how to start building your own automated flows to guide your leads through all stages of the Customer Journey?
Would you like to optimize the performance of your automated sequences?

Schedule a free consultation with me for 30 minutes.

I will help you understand what are the frictions in your customers' journey and what are the key moments where automatic and personalized communication can make a difference.
You can seize this opportunity by scheduling a free call here.