Christmas is upon us and retailers have geared up for the Golden Quarter. While Amazon is hiring an extra 15,000 Christmas staff across its distribution team, Ebay has teamed up with Argos to offer in-store collection of Ebay products at Argos stores.

This preparation comes as no surprise as, according to a survey by Verdict, retail revenue during the Christmas period is expected to rise 2.2% from last year when it hit £88.4 billion – the biggest rise since 2007. The survey also predicts a surge in online spend as, with Christmas Day falling on a Wednesday, shoppers can choose to ‘click and collect’ presents ordered as late as Monday the 23rd.

All of this is undoubtedly great news, however retailers must ensure that their ecommerce site is not only prepared to handle a jump in visitors, but is geared towards recovering the increased amount of abandoned online shopping carts during this busy period.

According to Foolproof, 25% of shoppers admit to comparing prices at other retailers whilst Christmas shopping. By making use of simple technology, retailers can watch customers as they move through the sales process and retarget any who abandon part-way through a purchase.

To help other retailers take advantage of the Golden Quarter and boost revenue from abandoned carts, we’ve put together our best practice top tips:

1. Timing is key

Sending a trigger email within an hour of abandonment might be enough to push the sale over the payment line. A reassuring email the following day showing that the products are still available in the customer’s cart gives the customer an opportunity to go back, modify their cart and hopefully make a purchase.

2. Clear simple design

Emails should be short and compact, with strong but not over-powering branding. Calls to action must be clearly highlighted. A clear and attractive product image is subtle yet strong enough to encourage customers to return and buy.

3. Personalise

Don’t underestimate the positive results of including the customer’s name in all retargeting efforts. This simple action increases trust and develops the customer relationship, making customers more likely to want to buy the product and return to the site in the future.

4. Focus on Customer Service

Retailers should place a real importance on customer service and, without being pushy, make sure that their customer service buttons and features are prominent in any retargeting materials. By including returns policy information and a contact number retailers can win customer confidence and increase sales. Research has shown that 88% of shoppers don’t mind being retargeted after abandoning a sale, a third actually welcome it, so retailers need to make sure they are doing everything in their power to communicate with their customers.

Cart recovery tools are quick and easy to implement and the revenue opportunities they present are extensive. One retailer who has already seen the benefits of cart recovery tools is outdoor clothing specialists SealSkinz as Head of ecommerce, Jez Wilson explains, “10-25% of our total revenue comes from the sales made from abandoned carts. It’s one of the simplest things we’ve done to increase sales.”

 

By James Critchley, CEO of cloud.IQ.

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