Using Consumer Psychology in Whatsapp Abandoned Cart Recovery Messages

While debating and scheming about marketing mediums, the reflex approach is usually  to use channels like Facebook and Instagram when you’re selling D2C - which makes sense. They obviously have a very large user base, catering to different target segments on the same platform.

However, once you drill through the numbers, and we mean numbers of assured daily activity, you will find an otherwise disregarded competitor taking the center stage - Whatsapp.

Whatsapp boasts of over 70% of active users everyday, as compared to Facebook’s 62%. So while we’re all still making use of social media every day, the chat app is almost a part of our every hour.

Added to the numbers is the fact that Whatsapp is a more personal mode of communication than the rest. Think about how you make use of the chat app on a day to day basis!

That’s exactly why your Shopify store needs to be using WhatsApp marketing.

Over 50 Million businesses are already utilizing these benefits. These businesses have realized you can leverage this large user pool with simple and timely texts. All it takes is being able to get permission to do so.

Especially for the one thing that the consumer is less likely to say no to - updates about products they’re interested in. And what’s more indicative of them having added that product to cart in the first place!

Whatsapp is also gradually making room for tactical abandoned cart recovery.

But remember how we said there are 50 million businesses already using the chat app?

Well, it is one thing about sending Whatsapp messages for cart recovery and another about making sure these messages in fact get noticed, read and interacted with.

So we did some digging to understand what it is that really makes a consumer convert on an abandoned cart reminder sent on WhatsApp.

The Psychology Of Cart Abandoners

Remember purchase decisions are usually way more psychological than one realizes. Every time you make a purchase, there is a subtle motive behind the same. Be it a little self-indulgence or sometimes an impulse buy triggered by a celebrity trend. This is why brands that focus on understanding consumer behaviour are the ones that stick for a longer period. For instance, Zara, H&M or even Target. It’s not like they don’t have competitors; it’s just that they are sticky.

Although they too face high cart abandonment rates.

In March 2020 alone, 88.05 percent of online orders were abandoned before making it to order confirmation. And there were several reasons identified for the same:

- Retail therapy without having to blow up one’s bills
- Additional costs like delivery hiked up the total payable amount
- Unable to use discount codes/coupons
- Longer delivery time than expected
- Plainly a means to shortlist an item for future purchase
- Got distracted by the ongoings of the environment

These are just some of the many things that can be the cause of cart abandonment. The question is, how can you turn this around?

Using consumer psychology for WhatsApp cart recovery messages

1. Win their trust

Trust. You need to make your customers trust in you right from the beginning - through your website, your presentation, your brand story. Everything. Take it a step further and do it through custom whatsapp messages as well.

Distrust means consumers see a potential loss or risk in making that particular purchase. Help them through this by sharing reviews, ratings, media mentions, customer testimonials with cart abandoners around the product they left behind.

Your consumer’s trust in you is directly proportional to your probability of gain.

Also, if the customer trusts you, they're not just going to make this one purchase, but will return back in the future too. They will also suggest your brand to family and friends. Thus resulting in a bigger customer base for you.

2. Create FOMO

One might let go of many purchases. But no one wants to miss out on great deals. Ever. If the price is a steal, people will buy anything!

Set a sense of urgency around the purchase and you just made the deal unmissable. Add a time bracket to your great deals and maximise the ‘itch’ to make the purchase.  

When you send a message that reads “Get xyz item free with a minimum purchase of $199”, top it off with “Valid only for the next 24 hours!” to create a sense of FOMO that will nudge them to take action right away.

Hey Elle,

Your purchase of 10% Niacinamide Face Serum is still incomplete. If you’re still interested, you can get a completely free delivery for the next 5 hours only! You do not want to miss out on this! Use code FREEDEV10. Hurry! Buy now!

Kindly pay and confirm for 10% Niacinamide Face Serum now.

3. Create scarcity

“Behaviorally, the scarcity effect influences people’s tendency to attempt acquisition of resources that are scarce or becoming scarcer.” says Cialdini.

This is exactly how the diamond market thrives. The world is not drastically running out of diamonds. Not now. Not ever. DeBeers was just simply a marketing genius :)

Use this same strategy while framing your Whatsapp messages. Let the customer know that there are so many other shoppers looking at the same product and it is going to be out of stock soon.

Hey Elle,

Your purchase of 10% Niacinamide Face Serum is still incomplete. We are selling out faster than ever. Only 10 more in stock! If you’re still interested, we urge you to order soon.

Kindly pay and confirm for 10% Niacinamide Face Serum now.

4. Loss aversion

Contrary to the above mentioned points, consumers are also more receptive to a price increase than to a decrease. This is because loss aversion is a strong human emotion. This obviously is also a very subjective response based on the item at stake.

In your messages, make the customer believe that if they don’t make the purchase now, the price will shoot up for instance, and they will lose this ‘opportunity’ if they don't make an immediate choice.

However, ensure to not overuse this approach as well.

Hey Elle,

Your purchase of 10% Niacinamide Face Serum is still incomplete. You wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to get your fav product at this steal! <link>

5. The paradox of choices

In businesses, the prime instinct is to offer as many options and variations as possible to ensure individual customer satisfaction. However, sometimes this very thing can push the customer away from making an actual purchase.

In the book, The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz, the writer, proposes that offering more choice creates a psychological burden that can actually put consumers in a dilemma.

We live in a world of abundant choices today. Picking one item out of the gazillion available choices is not as easy as it may seem. You should try and make the process of ‘choosing’ easier for your customers to eliminate at least one of the many causes of Purchasing Anxiety.

While reaching out to a customer regarding cart abandonment, focus on one product out of let’s say, 5 others that were also in the cart. Direct your consumer’s attention towards that particular product, thereby reducing their confusion.

PS. We know you want to use the opportunity to upsell and cross-sell, but let’s focus on getting them to buy one thing first!

6. Show you care

Make the customer feel like you're going to great lengths to make their shopping process a smooth one because they matter to you.

Instead of just throwing around words to complete the purchase, ask them why they did not complete the purchase. Let the consumer know their opinions matter to you.

Showing you care they get the right product, will help you get them back to the store.

Ask them what you can do to make their experience better. Provide them with assistance if they have any queries regarding the item that made them doubtful of the purchase. Suggest other item options, if available. To know more, read the next point.

7. Personalization

80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase from a brand that provides personalized experiences and 72% of consumers say they only engage with personalized messaging while dealing with communication with e-commerce businesses.

In continuation with the previous point, make the most of these numbers and customize the type of content used in each message to each customer.

1. Enquire about the cause of cart abandonment

Ask the customer what caused them to abandon their cart. There could be several reasons for abandonment. Figure it out. Provide them with a two-way communication medium.

2. Customize a solution based on the issue identified

- Are they a first-time buyer and so unsure about the purchase? Offer them an introductory discount! Let them know you don’t want them to not try out your products.

- Did they find the shipping cost too high? Offer discounted or free shipping to them. Tell them you’d go to any extent to serve them.

- Did they want an item that is now out of stock? Suggest sending them a ‘back in stock’ email/message. Let them know you’re putting in extreme efforts to get them what they want.

- Or were they just consumed with confusion? Offer help with their process. For instance, if it is a skincare brand, suggest a morning and night skincare routine with products from your range the user should consider incorporating in theri regime after enquiring about their skin type, skin issues and so on.

- Was their concern the mode of payment? Lack of desirable payment options can drive a lot of your customers away. Assure them about the safety or if certain modes like PayPal are not yet integrated with your website, let them know you are working on it and it will be added soon.

8. Follow-ups

Most of us tend to forget the messages we read since most of these aren’t necessarily information/memories that we will have to recollect. Added to that, Whatsapp is usually flooded with personal messages which obviously take higher precedence.

How do you capture your user’s attention then?

Simple. Follow-up. Set automated reminders that help you tap into all the above psychological triggers using a Shopify app like QuickReply.ai.

But remember, there is a thin line between following up and spamming your customer. So, follow up very thoughtfully. Instead of sending ‘Hey you left product x behind’ template message too many times, divide it up into:

- One initial reminder after let’s say, 15 mins since cart abandonment
- Announcement of a discount coupon
- Announcement of the same coupon expiry

Tailor every follow-up message to every customer considering  whether they are a first-time or returning visitor, known shopping habits and so much more.

Whether the initial or follow-up message, always include a Call To Action (CTA) in the message.

In this increasingly competitive domain of eCommerce, you can help grow your business by connecting with your customers on a more personal level than the rest of the lot.

For customer support, Whatsapp is a great medium in comparison to traditional communication channels like emails, as it screams a more personal connection via ‘chatting’.

By understanding consumer psychology principles, one can convert potential customers to loyal customers. With the points mentioned in this post, you can write great Whatsapp messages for abandoned cart recovery, that will tickle the right spots to prompt the customer to make the purchase.

QuickerReply.ai can help you with all this and more!

At QuickerReply.ai, we help online stores automate the bulk of their customer interactions so that they can focus on providing great products and services to their customers. We can help you grow your business.

Still skeptical about using WhatsApp for abandoned cart recovery? Get a free trial on QuickReply.ai and we’ll show you how it’s done!

FAQ-

Q1. What does a successful cart recovery rate look like?

Ans: A successful cart recovery rate is one that is at least 1% of your total number of visitors to your site. The reason for this is that the higher your cart recovery rate is, the more likely it is that you will make a sale. In fact, some experts believe that if you can get your cart recovery rate over 10%, you have a much better chance of making revenue from each person who visits your site.‍

Q2. How to improve consumer psychology for better cart recovery?

Ans: The key to improving consumer psychology for better cart recovery is to understand the consumer. You need to know what motivates them and what makes them feel good about your product. The best way to do this is through surveys, which will help you gauge whether or not your product is being marketed appropriately, and how it can be improved in order to make it more appealing to consumers.

‍Q3. What causes individuals to leave their shopping carts at online stores?

Ans: There are many reasons for this behavior, but some of the top reasons include:

1) Customers may become overwhelmed by all of the options available on an eCommerce site and simply give up on completing their purchases.

2) Customers may not feel comfortable entering payment information on a new website and want to complete their purchases elsewhere.

3) The buyer may have been distracted by something else while browsing through product options and forgot what they were doing.