Google shows millions of results when you search for abandoned cart emails. It can be overwhelming to try to understand and implement all the tips and tricks out there. That’s why we are slimming it down to the essentials.
Let’s start with the subject line.
Why should abandoned cart email subject lines matter to your wine brand?
Abandoned cart email subjects matter because it is the first thing that people notice, even before they open your email. So, when it comes to recovering carts and club signups, the subject line is your first line of defense. So, what is the best subject line?
Tips for creating the best subject lines for recovering abandoned carts and wine club signups
The best subject lines for abandoned carts follow these basic traits:
- Short
- Customer-focused
- Valuable
- Generate curiosity
- Personalized
Let’s see how each of them works and look at examples.
1. Keep subject lines short
What is the perfect length for a subject line? The bad news is that it does not exist. The best thing you can do is experiment to see what works best for your audience.
A good subject line is short enough to appear in the email preview panel of the user but long enough to communicate the benefit of opening and reading the email. Try not to go over eight words or 60 characters.
Consider how your subject line will appear in mobile email clients.
For example, the Mail app on smaller iPhones truncates subject lines after 47 characters, whereas on larger iPhones the subject line is cut off after 53 characters.
The Email Tool Tester is a great way to check how your emails will look across devices: Check it out here!
Examples of short, classic, but effective subject lines:
For abandoned carts:
- Hey, you forgot something!
- Complete Your Purchase
- Your wine is waiting for you
- Wine abandonment cry for help
For abandoned wine club signups:
- Complete your wine club signup
- Information needed to start membership
- Your members-only benefits
2. Make subject lines customer-centered
Customers are inundated with emails. The majority of them go unread. One of the primary reasons is that the subject lines aren’t particularly appealing. There is no clear benefit to taking the time to open that email.
This, too, requires a lot of trial and error. You know who your customers are and what they want. Make it about them, not about your wine brand. Make an emotional appeal to them. Evoque progress.
Everyone appreciates a good compliment. It feels good, whether it’s for your new haircut or the new pair of jeans you just bought, doesn’t it?
Here are a few examples where the customer is the focus:
For abandoned carts:
- You + {Your Brand} Wines = Perfect Match
- Trust your winestincts.
- You’ve left some amazing wines in your cart!
- You’ve Got an Eye for Good Wine
- You’ve Got Great Taste, Don’t Leave It In Your Cart!
For abandoned wine club signups:
- Impress your friends with a members-only tasting
- Reminder: You are so close to becoming a member
- Next Steps for your Exclusive Membership
- Become an exclusive member and save on wine!
3. Add value to your customers in the subject line
Shopping carts are abandoned for a variety of reasons. Shipping costs and price comparison are two of the most common reasons (41% in one survey).
You can use subject lines that you know will address their reasons for abandoning the sale to persuade these shoppers to make a purchase.
If shipping costs are an issue, you could use your subject line to offer free shipping; for price comparison, try offering discounts to subject shoppers.
In the long run, you may want to conduct some research to determine why users abandon carts and address those issues across your site. If shipping costs are a major factor, perhaps you could work on making those costs more visible before a user reaches the checkout.
Our Commerce7 Abandoned Recovery app allows you to create and include a one-time discount for first-time customers to encourage them to complete the checkout process.
Check ou these incentivized subject lines examples:
For abandoned carts:
- Don’t miss 5% off your entire cart
- Free shipping, just for you
- Enjoy this discount on your next order with {Your Brand}!
For abandoned wine club signups:
- Complimentary {Your Brand} swag if you sign up today!
- Your members-only wine discount is waiting
- Members enjoy free shipping, become one today!
- Can we answer any questions about our memberships?
4. Generate curiosity about opening the email
Curiosity saved the cart. It’s a saying, I believe. In any case, there are several types of curiosity, one of which is particularly appealing to marketers:
Perceptual curiosity.
Consider it an itch that needs to be scratched. You simply have to satisfy your desire.
“Mysterious” subject lines can pique this type of interest. Subject lines that compel the reader to click to learn more. Explore your creative side and inject some personality into your brand.
Here are a few subject lines examples that spark curiosity:
For abandoned carts:
- Your cart is expiring
- Not to sound needy, but…
- Your cart is sobering up
- About that wine you were looking at…
For abandoned wine club signups:
- The one member-benefit everyone raves about…
- Member-exclusive events coming up
- Secret menu for wine club members only
- Only members have access to this…
5. Make email subject lines personalized
If the shopper is logged into your site before abandoning their cart, you may be able to use some clever, personalized touches to boost your open rates.
Personalization can include anything from their first name to the product they had in their cart to your brand’s information. The use of emojis in subject lines is also proving to be an effective strategy.
Here are a few subject lines examples that spark curiosity:
For abandoned carts:
- {First Name}, you forgot something in your cart
- These 🍷s are perfect for your next event, {First Name}
- {Your Brand} + {First Name} = Perfection
For abandoned wine club signups:
- You’ll love becoming a club member, {First Name}
- 3 reasons to complete your signup, {First Name}
- {First Name}, can we answer any questions about our memberships?
BONUS: EXPERIMENT WITH YOUR WINNING SUBJECT LINE IN MULTIPLE WAYS
Perfecting your subject lines takes time. You don’t have to stop once you’ve found one that’s working. You can experiment with small, subtle changes to your most successful subject line to see how they affect performance.
For example, let’s take one subject line — You Forgot Something In Your Cart — and modify it in eight different ways.
To change this subject line you could…
Experiment with capitalization, sentence case and all lower case text:
You forgot something in your cart
You Forgot Something In Your Cart
you forgot something in your cart
Play with emojis before and after your text:
🛒You forgot something in your cart
You forgot something in your cart 🛒
👀You forgot something in your cart 🛒
Use parentheses to add extra details:
You forgot something in your cart (it’s beautiful)
Turn it into a question:
Did you forget something in your cart?
Here’s how each of those subject lines will look within an email inbox:
References
https://getfirepush.com/blog/abandoned-cart-email-subject-lines/
https://www.bolt.com/thinkshop/5-abandoned-cart-email-subject-lines
https://sumo.com/stories/abandoned-cart-email-subject-lines
https://www.drip.com/blog/cart-abandonment-subject-lines
https://www.shopify.com/blog/abandoned-cart-emails#whisky
