Speaker 1 0:00 

Music. Welcome to the aim podcast, where we bring you actionable insights on E commerce, customer service and AI innovation, hosted by help flow. This is your weekly guide to staying ahead in the world of E commerce. Let's dive in.

Speaker 2: 0:17 

Ever add something to your cart online and then just close the tap happens to the best of us. Oh, yeah, for sure. But did you know that businesses lose a ton of money because of it?

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Speaker 3 0:26 

It's crazy. We're talking billions of dollars left behind in abandoned carts. Billions.

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Speaker 2 0:32 

Wow. Okay, well, today, we're gonna do a deep dive into those abandoned carts. But we're not looking at it from our perspective. You know as shoppers, right? We're going behind the scenes to see how businesses try to win us back, yeah,

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Speaker 2 0:47

And we've got some great insights from help flow for this. They

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Speaker 2  0:53 

So we'll be getting into some seriously clever tactics. You might even recognize some of these being used on you. Oh, I'm sure we've all seen them in action. So let's start with the problem, right? How big of an issue is this cart abandonment thing anyway? Well,

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Speaker 3 1:06

according to health flow, globally, it's nearly 70% 70% serious. That's almost seven out of every 10 shoppers who add stuff to their cart and then just disappear. That's pretty wild when you think about it. Yeah. And like we said, it translates to billions of dollars in lost sales every year. And

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Speaker 2 1:26 

I imagine it's even worse during peak shopping times like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

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Speaker 3 1:32 

Oh yeah, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, those are a whole other beast for retailers. What

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Speaker 2 

makes it so much harder for them during those big sale periods? Well, first

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Speaker 2 1:37 

makes it so much harder for them during those big sale periods? Well, first

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Speaker 3 1:40 

you've got just the insane number of choices out there.

Speaker 2 1:44 

Yeah, true. So many deals. It's overwhelming. Exactly. People

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Speaker 3 1:49 

get decision fatigue. And then on top of that, you've got the pressure to grab those deals before they're gone, right? You don't want to miss out. And then you can't forget about the websites themselves. Some just can't handle all

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Speaker 2 2:00 

the traffic. Oh yeah, the dreaded website crash totally and

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Speaker 3:05 

those glitches and slow loading times that just pushes shoppers

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Speaker 2 3:08 

away. So it's like the worst possible combination for online businesses. Yeah,

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Speaker 2 2:15 

So how do companies like help flow the ones who specialize in this? How do they actually fight back?

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Speaker 3 2:21 

Well, they use a really interesting mix of AI and automation, but also human interaction. It's about creating that seamless experience for the shopper no matter how they're interacting with the business. So

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Speaker 3 2:25 

That's what's called omnichannel support. Omnichannel.

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Speaker 3 2:41 

means making sure the shopper has a consistent experience, whether they're on the website, checking emails using the mobile app or even

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Speaker 2 2:49 

chatting with customer service, so they can jump between different platforms, and it's all connected Exactly. It's all seamless, okay, that makes sense. So help flow uses this omnichannel approach to try and prevent cart abandonment.

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Speaker 3 3:03 

Yeah, that's a big part of it. But they also use data analytics, lead analytics, so they can personalize those interactions and even try to predict problems before they happen Hold

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Speaker 2 3:12 

on. So they analyze data to understand, like, why people are abandoning their carts in the first place.

Speaker 3 3:18 

Precisely, they try to figure out what those patterns are. So they're like shopping detectives, kind of, by finding those patterns, they can tailor their responses to specific concerns. That sounds

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Speaker 2 3:31 

but let's get into the specific strategies, like, what are they actually doing to get shoppers to come back? Well, let's

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Speaker 3 3:36 

start with, I guess you could call it the classic recovery. Emails,

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Speaker 2 3:40 

oh, yeah, the Hey, you forgot something. Emails, yeah, exactly.

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Speaker 3 3:44 

But there's a real art to those emails. They have to be done, right?

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Speaker 3 3:48

they can, yeah, yeah, especially when they're timed strategically. Help flow, for example, they do a series of emails, okay, the first one goes out really quickly, like within 30 minutes of the cart being abandoned.

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Speaker 2 3:59 

So strike while the iron is hot, exactly, and then they'll

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Speaker 2 4:05 

So staying on top of their minds without being annoying, exactly. And it's not just

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Speaker 3 4:10 

a reminder. You know, they personalize those emails, putting the shoppers name, showing them the exact items they left behind. Oh, so it's not just some generic blast, nope. And that personalization makes a big difference. Studies have shown that it can recover like, 10 to 15% of abandoned carts. Wow, that's not bad at all. And then sometimes they'll add a little something extra, like a small discount or free shipping, just a little nudge, speaking

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Speaker 2 4:34 

of nudges, what about shoppers who need help, like, right now, let's say they're stuck on a discount code or have a question about shipping, emails aren't exactly instant, right?

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Speaker 3 4:45 

And that's where their second strategy comes in, live chat and chat bots. Live

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Speaker 2 4:49 

Chat so they're reaching out before the person even leaves the site Exactly.

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Speaker 3 4:52 

It's all about being proactive. How does that work? Well, imagine you're on the checkout page, but maybe you're spending a little. Too long on the shipping options in there, or maybe you're hovering your mouse over that close button. Oh, their AI is watching for those hesitation signals wait. So

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Speaker 2 5:09 

the AI can tell when someone's about to abandon their cart. Yeah. It

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Speaker 3 5:13 

analyzes things like mouse movements, the time spent on certain pages, you know, specific actions. So it's like reading your mind, kind of Yeah, and then, based on those cues, a little chat window pops up, offering you help before you even

Speaker 2 5:28 

leave. That's smart, but who's on the other side of that chat is it a real person or a bot?

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Speaker 3 5:34 

It could be either, okay, for simple stuff, a chat bot can usually handle it, you know, explain a discount code, gift shipping details, but if it's more complex, they can seamlessly transfer you to a live agent. So

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Speaker 2 5:45 

no matter what time of day or night, there's always someone there to help exactly

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Speaker 3 5:49 

that 247 availability is huge, especially during those crazy busy periods when human teams are totally slammed but helpful. They don't stop there. They have a third strategy, especially for those shopping on their phones.

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Speaker 2 6: 05

Yeah, they use a SMS and push notifications. Oh, those things, yeah, getting right to those phones, right to the phone,

Speaker 3 6:16 

too. That well timed discount. Tell me more about how that works well,

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Speaker 2 6:21 

like the email, it's all about timing, right? You want to get to them quickly, usually within 30 minutes. So right after they abandon that car, right after they abandon it, make sure those items are still fresh in their mind. Yeah,

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Speaker 3 6:32 

fresh in their mind. And you know, kind of like saying, hey, yeah, we know you're busy, but don't forget about this. Yeah. Don't miss out. Don't miss out on this great deal, yeah. And just like the emails, they're personalized. Okay? They use the shopper's name, they show the items that were left behind. Oh, nice. And, of course, a little incentive discount or free shipping. Just sweeten

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Speaker 2 6:53 

the pot, sweeten the deal, exactly. And that combination really works. It really does. I mean, how effective are we talking so

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Speaker 3 7:00 

help flow. They've seen a 30% higher recovery rate. Wow, when they combine those SMS and push notifications with

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Speaker 2 7:09 

email. Oh, so that multi pronged approach, multi

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Speaker 2 7:15 

really works. Yeah. So they're not just, you know, blasting out these messages. It's tailored to each person, tailored to

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Speaker 3 7:22 

the individual exactly. I like that. And you know, they take it a step further. Okay, it's not just about recovering those abandoned carts. They're also trying to prevent the abandonment in the first place. Yeah, that's thinking ahead. Yeah, that's proactive. How do they do that? Well, data analytics again, okay, it's all about understanding the customer, they look for patterns and triggers on the website, like, what kind of patterns? Well, for example, they might notice that people spend a lot of time, okay, on that shipping information page, yeah, I've been there. Then they abandon their

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Speaker 3 7:57 

or maybe there's a specific product page, okay, that has a really high bounce rate. People are leaving quickly, leaving quickly, interesting. So they try to figure out what's going on there, so

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Speaker 2 8:08 

they spot these potential road blocks, yeah, what do they do about it?

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Speaker 3 8:12 

Well, then they can address those concerns proactively. Okay, maybe they offer free shipping over a certain amount, or they make sure the shipping times are really clear on the product page. Yeah? Make it easy to find. Make it easy to find. Yeah, or maybe they beef up the information about their return policy so they're anticipating the question, anticipating the questions before the shopper even asks. That's really smart. Yeah. It's about removing those obstacles. Yeah. And the best part, yeah, all of this can be constantly refined, optimized based on the data they collect. So it's always getting better, always getting better. It's an ongoing process. It's like they're constantly learning, constantly learning and adapting to make that customer experience better.

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Speaker 2 8:54 

It's really amazing how much strategy goes into just buying something online. It is. There's so much happening that we don't even see so much behind the scenes. Yeah, as shoppers, I mean exactly, and it's always changing, always changing. So what's next? What's the future of online shopping look like? Well, personalization

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Speaker 3 9:11

is gonna get even more powerful, okay, with ai ai powered personalization. Yeah, imagine AI algorithms that can look at your browsing history, okay, your past purchases, even your social media activity, they're gonna know everything. They're gonna know a lot, and they can use that to create these hyper personalized recommendations and offers just for you,

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Speaker 2 9:32 

is gonna get even more powerful, okay, with ai ai powered personalization. Yeah, imagine AI algorithms that can look at your browsing history, okay, your past purchases, even your social media activity, they're gonna know everything. They're gonna know a lot, and they can use that to create these hyper personalized recommendations and offers just for you,

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Speaker 3 9:48

It is a little bit of both, right? Yeah. And we might even see predictive analytics, okay, where they can actually anticipate your needs, wow, based on your behavior and past patterns. So

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Speaker 2 9:49

it's like they're one step ahead, one step ahead. It's both fascinating and a little creepy. It is like, where's the line? Yeah, where's that line between you? Uh, you know, being helpful and just being a little too much,

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Speaker 3 10:02 

right? And that's a valid concern, yeah, as this technology gets more sophisticated, yeah, businesses have to be really careful, right, about how they use that data. They can't overstep boundaries, right? Transparency and customer control are going to be so important.

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Speaker 2 10:17 

So giving shoppers clear choices, yeah, about how their data is used exactly, and what kind of communication they get. Right? You

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Speaker 3 10:24 

should be able to opt out of stuff, yeah, unsubscribe from those emails, adjust your notification settings.

Speaker 3 10:39 

ultimately lies with the consumer. Okay, I like that. Businesses have to adapt and earn our trust. It's not just about outsmarting shoppers. No? It's not a game, yeah? It's about building a relationship, a good relationship, good relationship where everybody wins exactly, a more transparent, yeah, mutually beneficial relationship. I

Speaker 2 10:59

like that. Yeah, and that's where the real opportunity is. That's where the future

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Speaker 3 11:03 

is. What would that look like? Well, imagine a world where online shopping, okay? It doesn't feel like a battlefield, right? It feels more like a collaboration. I like that. You know, businesses understand our needs, they respect our boundaries, they empower us to make good choices. It

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Speaker 3 11:22 

it does. It's a good vision, right? Yeah, from those clever emails to, you know, the potential of virtual reality, yeah, we haven't even touched on that yet. We haven't, but it's coming. It's coming. Yeah, the world of abandoned carts, it's constantly evolving. But

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Speaker 2 11:37 

the most important thing, the most important thing, is to be informed. Be informed. Yeah,

Speaker 3 11:41 

the more you know, the better you can navigate this whole landscape. Yeah,

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Speaker 2 11:46 

make good choices. Make good choices, and shop in a way that feels good, exactly,

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Speaker 3 11:49

shop in a way that feels empowering and enjoyable. I

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Speaker 2 11:53 

like that a lot. Sounds like the businesses that get it right are the ones who figure out how to use the technology but still keep that human touch.

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Speaker 3 12:01 

Yeah, finding that balance is key, for sure, yeah, but what

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Speaker 2 12:05 

about us as shoppers? What can we do to navigate all of this? You know, with all these strategies being thrown at us? Well,

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Speaker 3 12:13

first of all, just being aware of these tactics is huge. Yeah, knowledge is power, right? Exactly. The more you understand how all this works, right? The better choices you can make. So don't be afraid to, like, actually read those privacy policies. Oh yeah, those things, yeah, adjust your cookie settings, right? And really think about what information you're sharing online.

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Speaker 2 12:33

It's so easy to just click Accept on everything. Oh,

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Speaker 3 12:37 

I know I've done it a million times, but we should probably be more careful. We should. And remember, you always have the right to opt out. Oh yeah, most companies will let you unsubscribe from marketing emails or change your notification settings. Don't be afraid to take control. It's

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Speaker 2 12:55 

not totally hopeless. No, not at all. We do have some say in this. Yeah,

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Speaker 3 12:59 

you have more power than you think. I like that. And honestly, as technology keeps developing, it's good to remember that we the consumers. Yeah, we're the ones who really have the power. Okay? Businesses have to adapt to what we want, right? They need to earn our trust.

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Speaker 2 13:15 

So it's not just about them, you know, trying to trick us into buying stuff. It shouldn't

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Speaker 3 13:20 

be a battle, yeah? It should be about building a relationship, a good relationship, one that benefits everybody, exactly, more transparent, yeah, you know, where everyone feels good about it.

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Speaker 2 13:31 

I like that vision. Yeah, me too. So where do we go from here? Well, I think

Speaker 3 13:35 

the future of online shopping is about moving away from that Battlefield mentality, okay? And moving towards something that feels more like a collaboration. I

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Speaker 3 13:47 

businesses actually understand our needs, they respect our boundaries, right? And they give us the tools to make smart choices.

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Speaker 2 13:57 

it's a good vision for the future. It is. And it seems like we've covered a lot of ground today.

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Speaker 3 14:02 

We have from those well timed emails to the potential of VR and AR, you know, yeah, it's

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Speaker 3 14:11

It really is. The world of abandoned carts is constantly evolving. But I

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Speaker 2 14:15 

think the biggest takeaway for me is that the more we know about all of this, the better off we are. You

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Speaker 3 14:22

got it, the more informed you are as a shopper, the easier it is to navigate this whole thing, to make good choices, make good choices, and find that balance between, you know, yeah, enjoying the convenience of online shopping, but also feeling good about it, feeling empowered, feeling empowered, exactly, well,

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Speaker 2 14:40 

I really appreciate you taking the time to break all this down for us today. My pleasure. This has been a fascinating, Deep Dive. It has, and I think our listeners will get a lot out of it.

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Speaker 2 14:50 

to all our listeners out there, thanks for joining us. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time.

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Speaker 1 14:57 

Thanks for listening to the aim podcast. HOST. If you found today's episode helpful, make sure to subscribe and follow us on social media for more insights that will help your E-commerce brand grow until next time, keep aiming for success. 

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