How to Use WhatsApp for Abandoned Cart Recovery

Learn why you should use WhatsApp cart recovery to win lost sales. 

Cart abandonment is a common phenomenon across all eCommerce industries. 

Statistics show that the average cart abandonment rate is 69.57%, almost 80% for some industries. This means that seven out of every ten online shoppers abandon their shopping carts - no matter how good your products, deals, and offers are. 

While most eCommerce businesses have automated emails set up to remind these shoppers about abandoned carts, most can only recover 8% of them. 

That's why it's time for businesses to use WhatsApp cart recovery. 

How to Use WhatsApp for Cart Recovery

WhatsApp delivers a high open rate and click-through rate across campaigns. Owing to how frequently mobile users use it, WhatsApp makes for an excellent channel to personalise messages to bring back cart abandoners - when strategized well. 

Let's see how. 

1. Send a simple WhatsApp abandoned cart reminder 

Recovering abandoned carts will not always require you to go out of your way to bring back buyers. Sometimes customers forget about their carts and might need only a simple reminder to get them back into completing the action.

The first and most obvious step for abandoned cart recovery is to send a simple reminder to customers with items left behind in their shopping carts. 

You need to be timely and quick to react here. 

This reminder should ideally be sent within one hour after the cart is abandoned. This WhatsApp cart recovery notification aims to remind customers about the items they left behind and allow them to complete their purchases.

This little nudge would be all you will need for customers on the verge of buying. Here is a message template you can use for your WhatsApp cart recovery for Shopify: 

Hi [NAME]! 

We are writing to remind you about the items left in your shopping cart. 

Don't miss out on these [products]! 

Also, feel free to reach out to us with any queries. 

[BUSINESS NAME]

2. Follow up and offer shopping assistance

When the customer isn't responding to your first reminder, the next step is to follow up with a message offering shopping assistance. This message is best sent 24 hours after you send out the first reminder. 

Customers might be hesitant to buy a product due to doubts or confusion related to the product or the purchase decision. Or they may need help discovering other variants, finding the right sizing, finding their fit, etc. 

In this WhatsApp cart recovery message, you can help customers with any questions or queries they might have in relation to the product or assist them in finding the right products that fit their needs. Have a look at this WhatsApp cart recovery notification example.

Hi [NAME]! 

You have left something in your shopping cart. 

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need help with your shopping. 

Our team is here to assist you with anything you need. Happy Shopping!

3. Share social proof 

There is nothing buyers trust as much as reviews and opinions of other consumers like them. This is why social proof of products is an excellent tool in various aspects of marketing. 

Share social proof as a next step if customers haven't replied to your earlier messages. It's a great way to influence their purchase! 

You can share customer reviews, ratings, testimonials, product images taken by other customers, etc., highlighting the quality of your products and the satisfaction of different customers. 

Utilise your past customer's opinions about your product to flex how good your product is. 

Here is a good example of using social proof for your WhatsApp abandoned cart notification: 

Hey [NAME], 

Look at what other buyers say about the product in your cart. 

Don't miss out on it. 

Get back to your cart right away!

4. Offer a discount on the cart

When everything fails, bait your buyers by offering a juicy discount in your WhatsApp cart recovery message. 

Discounts have been shown to motivate consumers to make online purchases. They can give consumers a financial incentive to finish their transactions and help you build long-lasting relationships with them. 

But it's crucial to achieve the ideal mix between providing a sizable discount and continuing to be profitable.

Here's an example of this WhatsApp cart recovery message: 

Hey there! 

You have left some products behind in your shopping cart. 

Get back to them now for a 25% discount on checkout! 

5. Create FOMO

According to statistics, 60% of people make purchases because of FOMO, primarily within 24 hours. 

The fear of missing out can significantly aid in recovering abandoned carts. You can compel an online shopper to return to your site by simply crafting the right WhatsApp cart recovery message. 

You can do this in two ways - show them how popular the product is or how fast it sells to create a sense of scarcity. 

Here's an example of this WhatsApp cart recovery notification: 

Hi, there! 

We are informing you that the product in your cart is so popular that they are selling out like hotcakes. 

Complete the purchase before we run out! 

6. Offer a time-sensitive discount

Customers may be strongly motivated to complete their purchase with a larger discount available for a very brief period. This tactic combines the potency of a discount with the sensation of impending doom brought on by FOMO. 

Combining discounts with time sensitivity is a great way to pull back your buyers to their shopping carts. 

Here's an example you can use for WhatsApp cart recovery: 

Hey [NAME], 

Here is some excellent news to start your morning. 

Get back to your cart and complete your purchase within 24 hours to get a 35% Off! 

What are you waiting for?

7. Offer personalised product recommendations

Employing personalised recommendations can do wonders in recovering abandoned carts on WhatsApp. 

If a consumer hasn't converted yet, there is a chance that they have either bought the product from another store or have lost interest in the item they added to the cart. 

Re-engaging them by sending product recommendations similar to or related to the abandoned product increases your chances of returning them to the site in case either of the instances has occurred. 

Here's an example of this WhatsApp cart recovery message: 

Hey there! 

Don't like the item in your cart anymore? 

Here are some similar products from our best-selling collection, just for you! 

Check them out now.  

8. Ask for customer feedback 

If nothing works, it’s time to go back to the whiteboard. 

Set up an automated WhatsApp message that is targeted at seeking customer feedback instead of nudging the purchase. 

The idea is to identify loopholes and the reason why you have been experiencing high cart abandonment rates on your store. This could include insights around the information you provide on the product pages, your return policy, misunderstood sizing guides, and so on. 

Hey [name], 

We see that you still haven’t made a purchase yet. 

Looks like you don’t like the product anymore, and we’d love to make it better for you! 

Is there any feedback you’d like to share with us?

Effectively Recover Abandoned Cart with WhatsApp Business!

There is no doubt that WhatsApp is an excellent channel for online stores to recover abandoned carts. 

But WhatsApp abandoned cart notifications are only effective when you send them out promptly and strategically - before the consumer loses interest or intent. 

This is where eCommerce businesses should focus on leveraging automations with the help of a WhatsApp Business API solution provider that also allows you to take into account different consumer actions and triggers. 

Ready to automate your WhatsApp cart recovery notifications?

Book a demo of LimeChat today!