How To Nail Holiday Cart Abandonment Emails And Reclaim Festive Sales?

If you are serious about bringing your shoppers back to complete a purchase this holiday season, which of course you are, this is the read for you. 

Shoppers filling their carts like kids let loose in a candy store only to forget them like forgotten New Year’s resolutions is frustrating. Common? Unfortunately, yes. The average online cart abandonment rate in 2023 was 70.19%. 

With so many customers not seeing the checkout process all the way through, brands are losing considerable potential sales and revenue. 

Where there’s cart abandonment, there’s also an opportunity to recover those abandoned carts. And the holidays are the best time to do this with holiday cart abandonment emails.

Abandoned cart emails are automated emails that prompt shoppers to return to their shopping carts and complete their purchase. Plus, they are your perfect moments to upsell, cross-sell, and offer irresistible incentives. 

Done right, they deliver results that would make even Santa proud, driving the highest average revenue per recipient ($3.65) and a stellar conversion rate of 3.33%, says Klaviyo.

But to see those results, you have to cut through the holiday noise and grab your customers’ attention. 

And while every brand’s approach will differ, we’ve determined these 5 best practices are must-haves to see great results for your holiday email campaigns. 

5 Best Practices for High-Converting Holiday Cart Abandonment Emails

1) Send When The Time Is Right

Timing is everything for email marketing strategies for this holiday season. Sending abandonment cart emails at the right time keeps your brand top of mind when shoppers are primed to engage and buy from you. 

With shoppers spending time with more brands than usual for holiday deals, the basic—Your-cart-is-waiting emails will most likely get ignored. To top it off, the purchase decisions are made faster during the holiday season. 

The logic, therefore, is sound. Let them see your email just at the right moment—before they forget the amazing gifts they’ve left in their carts.

But what time is the right time?

Alexandra Palau Conde, Founder and Email Strategist at All About Email Marketing, asks not to wait too long. The usual window between the cart abandonment and the first email is 30 minutes to an hour. This is when they’re still in “buying mode, ” but not so far that they’ve moved on to something else.

For holiday cart abandonment, shorten that usual window and send your first reminder email within the first hour. That’s because shoppers are in a holiday rush, distracted by competing offers, and more likely to respond to a timely nudge like limited stock or a seasonal promotion.

2) Skip the Grind with Triggered Workflows

If the hectic holiday marketing frenzy is keeping you from using cart abandonment emails to their fullest potential, then triggered email workflows are the life-saver for you. 

These emails are automatically sent based on specific actions, like cart abandonment, saving you time while delivering messages to your shoppers right on time.

And if you can infuse cheerful holiday elements into the triggered emails, nothing can beat that. 

For the holidays, update your triggered emails to include festive messaging. For instance, when a shopper abandons their cart, remind them of the limited-time holiday offer or nearing delivery deadlines. You can also offer a digital product for those who miss the shipping cutoff.

3) Write Subject Lines That Beg to Be Opened

With 33% of users opening emails based on the subject line alone, it can be a deal-maker or a deal-breaker for abandoned cart emails. So, give the subject line the same attention as the email copy. 

Here are some easy-to-apply tips:

Keep it short, between 30 to 50 characters. As 71.5% of consumers use mobile devices to check their emails, you do not want your subject lines to be trimmed off. Use creative holiday-related phrases or wordplay to catch attention. No misleading subject lines. If the subject line creates urgency or promises a deal, the email must deliver exactly what was promised.Add a clear “Redeem By” deadline to spur action. Use iconic holiday song lyrics or references that evoke emotions for the reader.Frame discounts as a special gift for your customers, making it feel personal and thoughtful.Highlight the benefits that address your customers’ pain points. 

Find captivating holiday email subject line examples to inspire you here.

4) Serve Up Deals When They Matter Most

Holiday shoppers are looking for good deals. So, deliver one with your abandoned cart emails. However, you want to do it strategically. Otherwise, you might end up shrinking your profits. 

By perfecting the send times of such emails, you can not only boost clicks and conversions but also protect your profit margins. Here’s how: 

Hold off on discounts till the perfect time. Don’t reveal them too early. Instead, build a sequence of emails with different cadences. Showcase those irresistible discounts in the final email in your series.  

That’s when shoppers are most likely to act, and your sales goals are most at risk. With this trick, you avoid giving away discounts on sales that might have happened anyway.

Slip in reminders, recommendations, and offers in an email sequence. Spread out across multiple messages. So that if one email doesn’t seal the deal, you have another chance to sell—this time with a stronger nudge.

5) Add a Dash of FOMO with Dynamic Elements

Sometimes, a sense of urgency does what even the best-laid strategies can’t. It taps into the fear of missing out (FOMO), encouraging buyers to complete their purchases before time—or stock—runs out.

Nothing says “Hurry up” better than dynamic email elements. Some of the most effective ways to push shoppers to process their orders are: 

Countdown timers: A visual reminder that time is ticking.Scratch-off reveals: An element of surprise to unveil discounts.Interest signals: Highlight popular items that others are eyeing.Live inventory alerts: Show low-stock warnings. 

Wrapping Up 

The holiday season is busy. It’s also the perfect time to win back those almost-there customers who abandon their carts. With a well-planned abandoned cart email strategy, you can recover lost sales and engage your audience effectively—be it before the holidays or even after the new year. 

Combine urgency, personalization, and strategic timing, and your emails can turn abandoned carts into happy customers.