Abandoned Carts: What They Are and How to Capture the Sale

Abandoned carts are a common occurrence in eCommerce. It refers to the situation where potential customers show intent to purchase by adding items to their carts but fail to complete the transaction. These abandoned carts represent missed opportunities and lost revenue. Understanding the reasons behind abandoned carts is crucial to addressing the issue effectively.

Common reasons for Abandoned Carts:

High shipping costs: Unexpected or expensive shipping fees can discourage customers from completing their purchases. This is a frequent occurrence with wine shipping, as adult signature required fees, shipping costs, and heavier bottle weights can be costly. 

Complex checkout process: A lengthy or complicated checkout process can confuse customers and lead to frustration, causing them to abandon their carts.

Price comparison: Customers may use their carts to compare prices across different websites, intending to make a final decision later.

Technical issues: Glitches, slow loading times, or website crashes can be major deterrents for customers.

Strategies to Capture Abandoned Sales:

Clear and transparent shipping pricing: Display shipping costs upfront, and consider offering free or discounted shipping thresholds to incentivize customers to complete their purchase.

Simplify the checkout process: Use a winery eCommerce platform that streamlines your checkout process by reducing the number of steps required to complete a purchase. Implement a guest checkout option, allowing customers to buy without creating an account.

Exit-intent pop-ups: Use exit-intent pop-ups to engage customers who are about to leave the website. Offer them a last-minute discount or an exclusive deal to encourage them to reconsider. 

Improve website performance: Optimize your website’s loading speed, ensure mobile responsiveness, and fix any technical issues that may cause frustration for customers.

Retargeting campaigns: Utilize retargeting techniques by implementing tools like email marketing or display ads. Send personalized emails to customers who left their carts behind, reminding them about their selected items and offering incentives like discounts or free shipping to entice them back.

Abandoned cart recovery emails: Automatically send targeted emails to customers who abandon their carts, reminding them of their selected items and offering assistance or incentives to complete the purchase.

🚨 While abandoned carts can be super frustrating, using a wine-centric eCommerce platform with built-in tools capable of all of the strategies we listed above will help reduce the number of abandoned carts. Chat with one of our growth experts about how Corksy can help your winery increase eCommerce cart conversions!