How to spark return visits with browse abandonment emails

Your Shopify store probably has a good share of “window shoppers.” They browse the site and leave without purchasing or adding anything to the shopping cart.

In a brick-and-mortar shop scenario, this is the end of the story. You wouldn’t run out the door, chasing after them to ask for a second chance. 

But because your store lives in the digital world, you can shape a different outcome without making things awkward. A browse abandon email automation is the difference that can continue the story.

What can they do for you? We’re exploring why and how to fold them into your email marketing strategy, and looking at different browse abandonment email examples. 
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What are browse abandonment emails?

Browse abandonment automated emails trigger when an email subscriber visits one or more product pages but takes no further action. 

They’re typically straightforward messages, like “We saw you looking … won’t you stop back?” Sometimes, they include a photo of a product you viewed. Other times, they’re generic and make no specific product reference. 

Within the sphere of the customer journey, browse abandonment sits high within the ecommerce sales funnel. 

These email subscribers are interested enough to look beyond your homepage and investigate at least one product. But they’re further away from converting than someone who:

• Adds items to the shopping cart and leaves (queue the abandoned cart email automation)
• Makes it to the checkout page but stops short of completing the purchase (queue the abandoned checkout automation)
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Why implement browse abandonment emails?

You may question the worth of browse abandon emails given their spot in the hierarchy of purchase intent. How likely are they to buy anything, after all? 

While an abandoned browse email can potentially transform window shoppers into customers, the primary goal isn’t to make a sale. 

View these automations as a conduit for drawing shoppers back to your site. They’re a tool to re-engage email subscribers and nudge them a step forward in the buying journey. In short, they're an avenue for building your audience.

‍Research from SaleCycle confirms that abandoned browse emails have value. For starters, open rates are 80.9% higher than those of traditional emails.  

Second — and more importantly — they garner a 50.5% higher click-through rate than regular newsletters. About 28% of recipients who open a browse abandonment email click on a link to return to the site.

So, should you casually drop in with your window shoppers through a browse abandon email? We say "yes.”
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The nuts and bolts of browse abandonment emails

Browse abandonment emails are on the simpler end of the automation spectrum. They don’t require complexity to be effective. One email rather than a series is all you need. 

Follow our guidelines to get one up and running quickly. 
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When to send them 

The higher a subscriber's purchase intent, the greater the immediacy of your brand’s response. Thus, browse abandoners merit the lowest urgency. We recommend triggering the automation about a day or so later. 

Guidelines differ for shoppers who frequently visit your site. 

Imagine you’re a shopper who returns to a site numerous times over a short period. Would you want to receive an email after each visit, in addition to the other newsletters the brand sends to its subscribers? 

You might become annoyed and stop paying attention. Maybe agitation pushes you to unsubscribe (receiving too many messages is the top reason people leave a subscriber list). Or a really sour mood could drive you to hit the spam button. 

Since you don’t want to bombard subscribers and risk your reputation and email deliverability, implement a “rest period” for anyone who received an abandonment email — whether browse, cart, or checkout — within a recent, specified period. Simply put, you suppress the browse abandonment email for them. 

A 14-day rest window makes for a good rule of thumb.     
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What to put in them 

Keep your browse abandonment automation light. The most basic and common route relies on just two elements: 

1. Showing images of the product(s) viewed
2. Including clear calls to action (CTAs) with links to the product page

There are different approaches and upgrades to the automation, which we’ll glimpse through the browse abandonment email examples below.
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How to get noticed in the inbox

Everything starts with the subject line. Browse abandonment emails are a type of personalization, so carry it over to your introduction. Stats indicate personalized subject lines are 22% more likely to be opened. 

Here are a few ideas to get you started: 

• Didn’t quite find what you were looking for?
• We saw you looking …
• Take another look
• We noticed you noticing us
• Don’t leave a good thing behind 
• Did something catch your eye?
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7 browse abandonment email examples [+ subject lines]

Ready to see how you can tactfully ask shoppers to stop by for another look? Let’s go. 

1. Show product recommendations like Fortune & Frame 

There’s space to remind your subscribers of the products they viewed, plus highlight other recommendations.

Subject line: Consider this a sign. Take another look…

By the way, including a menu in your email header is a great idea. In this example, Fortune & Frame makes navigating best sellers and other product categories easy. 
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2. Weave in storytelling like Cozy Earth 

Slip a narrative into your browse abandonment email. You probably can’t match the prestigious Oprah strings that Cozy Earth pulls on, but what side of your brand can you highlight?

Subject line: Hurry Back! The Clock's Ticking On Your Recent Finds

3. Lean on social proof like Patchology 

About 70% of online shoppers read one to six customer reviews before purchasing. Put your product reviews to work. For example, you could create a custom automation for a best-selling product and feature a few quotes, as Patchology does.

Subject line: 👀Something Caught Your Eye? 👀
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User-generated content (UGC) emails come in many forms. Learn other ways to use social proof in email marketing.

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4. Flex your personality like RSVLTS 

Brands like RSVLTS that cultivate a strong persona thread it into every piece of communication. Even if you’re still developing your brand’s vocal cords, give subscribers a slice of your unique voice. 

Subject line: You almost had it all. You still can.
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5. Give the personal touch like The Sak 

A low-key note sometimes resonates better than a bold approach dominated by visuals. The Sak shows how a short letter — paired with an inviting hero image — can draw you in. 

Subject line: Were you checking us out? 👀
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6. Reinforce your brand like Gimme 

If browse abandonment emails are supposed to drive people back to your site, then give a reason beyond the products they viewed. Gimme’s “about us” section is the bait, providing a peek into why the brand exists and what it’s trying to accomplish.

Subject line: Hey ___ [name], did you see something you liked?
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7. Give an incentive like Corkcicle

It’s usually best to reserve limited-time offers and discounts for more serious shoppers. Try a Shopify discount if you think it could make a difference in squeezing out some sales and have the margins to support it.

Subject line:

10% off these items you viewed
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How to know your abandoned browse flow is working 

The beauty of email automations is that you can let them ride for a while after launch. The potential threat is forgetting about them. 

Ensure your browse abandonment email performs its job by periodically reviewing email marketing metrics. 

Remember, the main goal of automating browse abandon messages is to get shoppers back to your store. Therefore, the click rate is the primary measure of success. 

In our experience, ecommerce brands that send email automations typically see an average of 3% to 4% of recipients click through to the site. Evaluate and adjust your content and CTA effectiveness to increase return visits. 

Otherwise, track and analyze: 

• Email open rate. Like all automations, the open rate should be higher than the average open rate of your newsletters. If it’s lackluster or slipping, tweak the subject line. 
• Unsubscribe rate. A rate of less than 0.5% is generally acceptable. Content or automation timing could be the culprit of anything higher.  

Unless the email includes a discount, you don’t need to be concerned with conversion rates and revenue generated.  
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Attract shoppers back to your site with Seguno 

While window shoppers may not be ready to buy, the fact that they’re checking you out indicates interest. Browse abandon emails pose a chance to connect again and re-engage.

Use Seguno Email Marketing’s browse abandonment email template — which pairs seamlessly with Shopify’s workflow automation — to reach them. Capitalize by: 

• Crafting compelling subject lines and including clear CTAs
• Including product images or experimenting with ideas from the email examples above
• Tracking metrics and testing variations to find the sweet spot 

Add a browse abandonment email to your lineup. You never know the long-term impact of one timely, personalized message.