Configure automatic abandoned cart follow-up emails

This article shows you how to configure abandoned cart follow-up emails. Abandoned Carts are shopping carts that do not make it through the checkout process. The abandoned cart follow-up email template generates an email to contact the shopper who abandoned their cart if those details have been captured. Configure the abandoned cart email to encourage your customers to complete their purchases. You can personalize the marketing message to promote your brand, configure the timing of the emails to send prompt reminders about your products and customize the email content by adding incentives for customers to complete their purchases.

Prerequisites

• You must have administrator access to use this feature
• To edit HTML templates, an understanding and knowledge of HTML is required
• The Email and order templates app must be enabled to use this feature if you are on the Standard plan

To configure automatic abandoned cart follow-up emails

1. Log into your DecoNetwork website and click Admin.
2. Click Settings.
3. Click Email and Order Templates.
   

   Click the image to enlarge.

   

4. Click Email Templates to display the list of templates for the automated emails that are sent to customers.
   
5. Scroll to the Customer Contact Emails section.
   
6. Configure the template.

   Use the menu at the left to go to each configurable component of the template.

   General

   • Active turns the Abandoned cart follow-up email on or off.
   • cc lets you specify a list of email addresses that will receive carbon copies of abandoned cart emails. These email addresses are visible to the customer with the abandoned cart.
   • bcc lets you specify the email addresses of additional abandoned cart email recipients, however, these email addresses are hidden from the customer involved.

   Options

   • Automatically send emails to abandonded carts will toggle the automated sending of emails, at a period defined by the Send after %s days box.
     

   Marketing Message

   The marketing message is a piece of marketing text that may be attached to the abandoned cart email. By default, the text will appear as a footer to the abandoned cart email. The tag for its use in a template is {{ message_html }}.

   • Use default will toggle the default message on or off. When set to off it may be edited and saved.
   • Plain text is the message in plain text without markup formatting.
   • HTML message is a full HTML version of the message.
     

   Default template

   By default, the text in the subject, HTML body, and Text body make up the template that is sent during an abandoned cart email. Note that the variables {{ message_html }} and {{ message_plain }} are replaced by the text set in the Marketing Message menu item, and {{ custom_message }} is used when an abandoned cart email is sent to the customer via Business Hub.

   

   Customize template

   Note, if you are on the Standard plan or lower, you must enable the Email and Template app in order for the Customize Template feature to be enabled.

   The Customize Template screen is loaded in the main work area. This section allows you to edit the template. You can edit the subject, the HTML version, and the plain text version of the email.

   

   Tick the Override default template checkbox to modify the default content.

   The subject line, HTML body, and Text body editors become visible.

   

   Click the image to enlarge.

   

   Customize the code in the Subject line, HTML body, and Text body editors as required.

   When using templates, variables may be used which are replaced by DecoNetwork when the template is activated. For example, {{customer.full_name}} in a template will be replaced by the full name of the customer, e.g. John Smith.

   The following variables are used in templates:

   • {{site.name}} changes to the name of the business
   • {{customer.full_name}} changes to your site owners' name
   • {{ continue_order_url }} changes to the URL the customer may visit to continue shopping with their abanded cart
   • {{ custom_message }} is used when an email message to the customer is sent via Business Hub. You have the option at the time of sending to customize the message with additional text, and if that text is used then it is inserted here. It is not able to be used unless the message is sent manually via Business Hub
   • {{ site.primary_domain }} URL of your site
   • {{ message_html }} HTML of the email you wish to send
   • {{ message_plain }} Plain text version of the email you wish to send
7. Click Save when done.