Online businesses are peaking right now—about 25% of all business conducted in the United States is online. That said, a large number of people shopping online will fill a cart full of products and then abandon it. Approximately 69% of online shopping carts are abandoned and never revisited. These carts will sit untouched because shoppers will lose interest in the products or company. The amount of revenue lost due to cart abandonment can be astronomical. Even if half of abandoned carts were re-evaluated and purchased, monthly revenue would sky rocket. A way to entice shoppers to revisit their carts is by emailing and reminding them of products they almost bought.

There are many reasons for abandoning online carts. Most are abandoned because the purchase did not seem cost or time effective to the customer. A customer might have felt that shipping and handling costs were too high or that shipment would take too long. Another reason that a customer might leave the business without purchasing anything is a general distrust of the website. If a customer feels that their bank information is in jeopardy, they are less likely to purchase an item. Customers might have also been deterred from a purchase if the checkout portal seemed too lengthy or complicated. 

A more technical reason behind losing an online purchase might be website difficulty or the device used by the customer. Data shows that the rate of abandoned carts by customers using their mobile devices is 85%. On the other hand, people at their desktops only leave a site without purchasing items 69.75% of the time. Shoppers are likely to make purchases when they are comfortably sitting at their computers rather than on their phones. All of the issues above can be addressed in abandoned cart emails.

Email has grown to be one of the largest forms of online messaging. A whopping 92% of digitally active individuals use email as their primary source for online communication.The easiest way to communicate with shoppers online is by emailing and notifying them of the products they missed out on. Data has shown that about 45% of abandoned cart emails have been opened. Of those opened, about 11% of them have resulted in a purchase. Within these abandoned cart emails, you can address some of the customer’s initial concerns that deterred them from a purchase.

Additionally, you can reinforce your shipping and handling fees or the approximate time of delivery. Furthermore, you could offer discounts or advertise sales that could also push the customer back onto your site. By being clear and restating these details, you could secure a purchase.

The first email should be sent about 30 minutes to an hour after the final item was added to the customers cart. When sending this email, you don’t want to seem too eager to point a finger at the customer. However, you don’t want to wait long because the customer might not remain in the mood to make a purchase. There is a sweet spot after a customer has left your site when your business is still on their mind. As a company, you should aim to send the first email while they are still in the deliberation phase.

The second email reminding the customer of their cart should be sent about a day after the first email. You want to put about a day between the two emails because you don’t want to seem abrasive. Customers might be bothered if you email them multiple times in one day about products they don’t want to buy. There is a fine line between reminding the customer and bothering them about their unmade purchases. As a company, you want to tiptoe that line by emailing them often but not too much. 

Any additional emails should be spaced about two days apart. As mentioned above, if you email the customer too much, you are likely to irritate them. Sending around five abandoned cart emails is recommended, but after that, you are less likely to get a sale.

The first email sent to the customer should consist of troubleshooting for technical difficulties. In this email, you should operate under the assumption that something went wrong during the transaction. Offer suggestions, and simply ask if there was something wrong with their experience.

The second email is an opportunity to offer promotional deals or information on shipping and handling. This email is where you could provide photos or a list of the items left in the cart. These pictures might entice the customer to revisit your site, and it could convince them to make a purchase. Offering clear details on your return policy might also make the customer more comfortable with spending their money. 

Any messages that are sent after the second email should consist of general promotions and sales as well as some information on the items left behind. At this point, a sale is unlikely, so it is best to start promoting new items. Now that this customer has filled a cart once, they are more likely to make a purchase in the future. So, it is good practice to remind the customer of your online presence. 

Overall, emails about abandoned carts will likely result in more revenue and a larger customer base. Within these emails, remember to prioritize customer service and company policy. You cannot go wrong in connecting with customers and promoting your business. If you don’t know where to start in creating an abandoned cart email flow, reach out to Root & Roam Integrated Marketing Agency. We’d be happy to help!

A marketing funnel is a tool that demonstrates the journey of a potential customer from first hearing about your brand to eventually making a purchase.

There are many versions of marketing funnels; some have many stages, while others have only a few, with different names and business activities performed for each.

Before we get into the specifics of how the marketing funnel works, let’s discuss the basics.

The marketing funnel depicts the customer journey as they transition from leads to customers, as seen from a marketing strategy and sales viewpoint.

The funnel-like structure demonstrates how qualified leads are captured and nurtured through each stage until they reach the point of purchase and become customers.

Below, we have provided a diagram with the most common and relevant marketing funnel stages, terms, and actions to make this valuable for the widest variety of businesses and brands.

In the awareness stage, consumers first become aware of a problem or need that they want to resolve. They may not be actively searching for a solution yet, but they are examining their options.

In this stage, marketers need to create informative and engaging content so that consumers will want to learn more about the product or service.

Awareness can be generated through various marketing channels, including paid advertising, brand advocates, social media campaigns, blogs and other forms of content marketing, public relations, and events.

It’s important to note that consumers may not yet be searching for your product or service, so easy-to-find and digest content helps to inform and lead to interest.

The second stage of the marketing funnel is interest. Here, members of your target audience are interested in what you have to offer and may be considering doing business with you.

It’s essential to keep consumers in this stage updated on your products and services, as well as any special offers or deals you may be running. You can do this through emails, newsletters, social media, and other marketing campaigns.

By staying in touch with potential customers and keeping your business on their radar, you continue to build their interest and place yourself in the position of providing the product or service they seek as they journey through the buying process.

The third stage of the marketing funnel is consideration. Qualified leads who have expressed interest in your products or services are now prospective customers.

Providing more information about your products or services and their benefits helps move potential customers further down the funnel. Automated follow-up email campaigns, testimonials, and free trials or demos can be helpful.

It’s also essential to address any objections the prospective customer may have. Doing so builds rapport and trust, making it more likely that you will make a sale.

The fourth stage of the marketing funnel is intent. Prospects have demonstrated interest in purchasing your product or service and are now considering becoming customers.

Consumers at this stage may have placed a product in their cart, made calls to inquire about pricing or other information, commented on your social media, or completed an online form requesting more information.

Now more than ever, providing a clear and compelling call to action is crucial. This could be an offer for a free consultation, a discount on the buyer’s first purchase, or something else that entices them to take the next step.

Make it easy for prospects to contact you and learn more about your product or service. Ensure that your website is up-to-date, easy to navigate, and that your contact information is always prominently displayed.

Helping prospects take the next step increases their likelihood of becoming customers.

The fifth stage of the marketing funnel is evaluation—where potential customers make a final decision on whether or not to purchase.

The main factors influencing this decision depend on how well you have proven that your product or service meets their wants or needs and other incentives you’ve provided.

Customers will compare your offerings with other companies’ before making their final decision. At this point, marketing and sales should join forces to solidify your product, service, or brand as the best option.

The final stage in the marketing funnel is the purchase stage. This is where the potential customer has decided to purchase your product or service. They have gone through all the marketing funnel steps and decided they want what you offer.

Once they have made the purchase, they are now your customer. Continue nurturing and building a relationship to ensure customer satisfaction. Existing customers can lead to referrals and help refill the top of your funnel.

Marketing funnels represent the journey from consumer awareness to lead development to the purchasing process. By providing information, outlining benefits, and addressing possible roadblocks at each stage, you increase the likelihood that potential customers become actual customers.

At Root & Roam, we can help you fill your funnel and nurture each stage so that you experience success. So whether you’re just getting started or are ready to take it to the next level, we’re here for you.

Instagram reels are just another tool to invite a user to your product or service. Short videos make content palatable for the fast-paced user interface of social media. Algorithms on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest are beginning to favor these short videos. Whether the goal is to increase engagement, showcase your product/service in a new fashion, or simply go viral, reels can only help.

Whether you are a small or large business, Instagram reels are a great way to increase your reach and create content in a way that viewers are loving right now. This idea of short videos started with an app called Vine. Each video was six seconds long. The concept of quick, to-the-point videos went viral. Many apps have tried to capitalize on this idea; for example, the app called Musically gained popularity utilizing this idea, but added the idea of sounds as it was mostly used for lip-singing. A while later, “Tik Tok” emerged and combined the concept of Vine’s short videos and Musically’s ability to add music/sounds over videos. Tik Tok has gone viral and has over 1 billion monthly active users. To keep with this trend, Instagram created Reels, which follow this idea of a short video with music/sound.

Your audience craves honesty and openness. It makes them feel like they are part of the team and that there are people behind the product or service. Introduce your team, your process, or a funny moment shared. Along with the idea of sharing, viewers love to follow a storyline. Creating a short series for the viewers to keep up with is a great starter.
Here’s a quick side note about scheduling reels: as much as having a schedule is helpful, you need to be flexible. Sometimes a random post will go viral, so for a short time, you might want to follow that choice of content and slowly make your way back to your own scheduled content.

Understanding sounds is extremely important. Functionally, sounds are hashtags. The same way a “hashtag” can trend, a “sound” can trend. Trending sounds are a huge part of reach, and, if used appropriately, are a great way to boost your views. However, be mindful that choosing a sound that is suitable for the video and your product/service is always better than randomly selecting a trending sound that does not match.

Like any other form of media outreach, consistency is a crucial part of growing an audience. Some find that picking a day to produce their reels for the whole month is a way to consistently have content ready. This is a great first step. However this could put you at a disadvantage. With trends being popular one week and not the next, it can be better to make reels throughout the month. Choose whichever schedule works best, but be consistent.

Creating an Istagram reel is super simple, once you get the hang of the interface. Breaking it down into five simple steps might help the process:

1) Know the content you want to capture or have already captured.
2) Pick a sound that works for your content.
3) Edit the photos or videos to match the sound.
4) Pick the “Edit Cover” and add a caption.
5) Hit “share”.

Watching a video might make it easier to understand, so follow along as I create a simple and funny post about the team at Root & Roam.