In this lesson, you will create and implement the workflow that contains an abandoned cart recovery funnel through an email sequence.
An abandoned cart recovery strategy will help you improve your eCommerce conversion rate and complete unfinished purchases. Take advantage of the insights provided by Connectif to create a sequence of personalized emails and remind your contacts of the last products added to their cart to rescue their unfinished purchases and increase your sales.
Goal: Conversion.
Elements used: Email.
Implementation time: 3 hours.
We recommend that you follow all the steps and implement this strategy from scratch in your account, but if you need a quick way, in the Workflow Template Directory you have the Abandoned Cart Funnel template available to work with.
Lesson Summary
In this lesson you will learn:
- The "On abandoning cart" node, to react at the moment a contact abandons the purchase process with products in their cart.
- The "Wait" node, to activate waiting periods in your workflows.
- The "Has made purchase" node, to check purchases a contact has made within a specific period.
- The catalog synchronization in Connectif, to understand how and when products are updated.
By the end of the lesson, you will have created in your account:
A strategy for abandoned cart recovery, through which you will send your newsletter-subscribed contacts a sequence of emails encouraging them to complete their purchase. These emails will be personalized with the products in the cart. The workflow includes waits and checks to avoid sending emails if the contact makes a purchase before finishing the sequence.
Preliminary Considerations
As shown in the image, this strategy contains two paths, based on whether the cart has a single type of product (which we will call Branch 1) or if it has two or more (which we will call Branch 2).
Both branches have the same nodes; the only difference will be the email content, so we will proceed in parallel, specifying each configuration when necessary.
Workflow Configuration
STEP 0. Creating the Workflow
How to create the workflow for this strategy
1. In your Connectif account, click on "Workflows > Create new Workflow" and then on Create Blank Workflow.
2. Click on (Edit) and name it "Abandoned Cart Funnel".
3. Click on Apply to save the new workflow name.
STEP 1. "Start" Node
How to configure the "Start" Node for this strategy
4. Click on (Edit node configuration) of the “Start” node.
5. Under Select a restriction, check "My entire list" and select “Contacts with email” from the dropdown.
6. Under Select data source, check "All existing and new".
7. Click on Update.
In this step, we have instructed Connectif to activate the workflow for contacts with known email addresses, both new and existing.
STEP 2. "On abandoning cart" Node
How the "On abandoning cart" node works
This node is used to react at the moment a contact abandons a cart. In the node interface, you can configure, if desired, the characteristics of the carts that will trigger it.
How to configure the "On abandoning cart" Node for this strategy
(This node will detect when the contact abandons the cart with products inside, to activate the funnel sequence).
8. In the node selection menu, go to "Triggers > E-commerce", drag the "On abandoning cart" node to the editor, connecting it to the "Start" node.
9. Click on (Edit node configuration) of the “On abandoning cart” node.
10. Click on Add filter. In the first dropdown, select “Total price”, in the second dropdown choose “Is greater than” and in the last field, add “0 ”.
11. Click on Limitations and uncheck the box "Disable after triggered".
12. Under Temporarily disable after event, add a limitation of “3 ” Days.
13. Click on Update.
In this step, we have instructed Connectif that when a contact abandons the purchase process with a cart value greater than 0, the next action in the workflow is activated. Also, with the time limitation, we specify that the flow cannot start again until 3 days have passed, even if the contact abandons another cart during that period.
STEP 3. First "Check value" Node
How to configure the "Check value" Node for this strategy
(This node will identify if the number of product types equals 1, to continue along Branch 1).
14. In the node selection menu, go to "Conditions > System", drag the "Check value" node to the editor, connecting it to the "On abandoning cart" node.
15. Click on (Edit node configuration) of the “Check value” node.
16. Drag the "Number of different products" field from "On abandoning cart" to the left block.
17. Under Operator, select "Is equal to".
18. Drag the "Literal" field to the right block and set it to "1", indicating the cart must contain only one product for contacts to continue on Branch 1.
19. Click on Update.
In this step, we have instructed Connectif to check if the contact's abandoned cart contains exactly one product to send them through Branch 1. Otherwise, it will proceed to the second "Check value" node.
STEP 4. Second "Check value" Node
How to configure the "Check value" Node for this strategy
(This node will check if the number of products is greater than 1 to continue along Branch 2. If the number is less than 1, the contact will not continue through any workflow branches).
20. In the node selection menu, go to "Conditions > System" and drag the "Check value" node to the editor, connecting it to the previous "Check value" node.
21. On the connection between this node and the previous one, click the circle until "No" appears.
22. Click on (Edit node configuration) of the “Check value” node.
23. Drag the "Number of different products" field from "On abandoning cart" to the left block.
24. Under Operator, select "Is greater than or equal to".
25. Drag the "Literal" field to the right block and set it to "2".
26. Click on Update.
In this step, we have instructed Connectif to check if the contact's abandoned cart contains 2 or more products to send them through Branch 2. If it contains no products, the strategy will stop for this contact.
STEP 5 Branch 1. First "Send email" Node
How to configure the email for this strategy
(In this step, you will create the first abandoned cart email for Branch 1, including dynamic content with the product in the contact's cart).
27. In the node selection menu, go to "Actions > Email" and drag the "Send email" node to the editor, connecting it to the first "Check value" node.
28. On the connection between this node and the previous one, click the circle until "Yes" appears. This way, contacts with one product in the cart will continue along this path.
29. Click on (Edit node configuration) of the “Send email” node. Click on Create new content to create a new email.
30. In the Tools panel, click the General tab to edit the general appearance settings of your email.
31. In the Components tab, configure the layout and add the elements you want to your email by clicking and dragging them into the editor.
If needed, you have all the steps to create an email available in this lesson.
32. Once you have configured the text and images of your email, add a Product element.
33. Click on Edit element on the Product element.
34. Under Template, select the first option.
35. Under Structure, set "1" for both rows and columns and keep the Show incomplete rows box checked.
36. Add a Button element and edit it to link to the cart page:
Edit the text and design as you like.
Under Button link, you have two options: you can add your cart URL or create a cart variable, as shown in the image, to configure the URL in the variable assignment.
37. Click on Save and Return to content list to finish configuring the node.
How to configure the "Send email" Node for this strategy
(This node will send the first abandoned cart email for Branch 1).
38. Select the email you just created and click Next.
39. Under Send to, select "Contact".
40. Specify the email type as "Transactional". Emails in this strategy are marked transactional because they respond to an action taken by the contact, without any promotion or additional consideration.
41. Configure the Send to contact parameters.
42. Under Google Analytics, click "Enable Google Analytics" and then click Next.
43. Link Connectif fields (left column) with your email variables (right column) to personalize contact and product information:
Drag the Recovery cart URL field to match the {{cartUrl}} variable. This will include the URL of your cart page in that variable.
Drag the contact's Name field to match the {{name}} variable. This will display the contact's name in the email as registered in their profile.
- Drag the available product information to the Dynamic Content area. This data is collected by Connectif in the "On abandoning cart" node and updated in each product profile in your account, allowing you to personalize your email with the products in each contact's cart.
- Drag the product Name field to match the {{title}} variable. This will display the product name the contact added to the cart.
- Drag the product Image URL field to match the {{imageURL}} variable. This will display the product image from the product profile.
- Drag the product Unit price field to match the {{price}} variable. This will display the price as recorded in the product profile.
44. Click Finish.
In this step, we sent an email to contacts who left a product in their cart. This email will be personalized with that item, as well as a link to the cart. This URL is generic and cannot be personalized, but it must be included in the email variables as configured.
STEP 5 Branch 2. First "Send email" Node
How to configure the email for this strategy
(In this step, you will create the first abandoned cart email for Branch 2, including dynamic content with the products in the contact's cart).
45. In the node selection menu, go to "Actions > Email" and drag the "Send email" node to the editor, connecting it to the second "Check value" node.
46. On the connection between this node and the previous one, click the circle until "Yes" appears.
47. Click on (Edit node configuration) of the “Send email” node and click on Create new content.
48. In the Tools panel, click the General tab to edit the general appearance settings of your email and in the Components tab, configure the layout and add elements by clicking and dragging them into the editor.
If needed, you have all the steps to create an email available in this lesson.
49. Once you have configured the text and images of your email, add a Product element.
50. Click on Edit element on the Product element.
51. Under Template, select the first option.
52. Under Structure, choose the number of rows and columns to display and check Show incomplete rows.
53. Add a Button element and edit it to link to the cart page:
Edit the text and design as you like.
Under Button link, you have two options: you can add your cart URL or create a cart variable, as shown in the image, to configure the URL in the variable assignment (as we will see in point 60).
54. Click on Save and Return to content list to finish configuring the node.
How to configure the "Send email" Node for this strategy
(This node will send the first abandoned cart email for Branch 2).
55. Select the email you just created and click Next.
56. Under Send to, select "Contact".
57. Specify the email type as "Transactional".
58. Configure the Send to contact parameters.
59. Under Google Analytics, click "Enable Google Analytics" and then click Next.
60. Link Connectif fields (left column) with your email variables (right column) to personalize contact and product information:
Drag the Recovery cart URL field to match the {{cartUrl}} variable. This will include the URL of your cart page in that variable.
Drag the contact's Name field to match the {{name}} variable. This will display the contact's name in the email as registered in their profile.
- Drag the available product information to the Dynamic Content area. This data is collected by Connectif in the "On abandoning cart" node and updated in each product profile in your account, allowing you to personalize your email with the products in each contact's cart.
- Drag the product Name field to match the {{title}} variable. This will display the product name the contact added to the cart.
- Drag the product Image URL field to match the {{imageURL}} variable. This will display the product image from the product profile.
- Drag the product Unit price field to match the {{price}} variable. This will display the price as recorded in the product profile.
61. Click Finish.
In this step, we sent an email to contacts who left two or more products in their cart. This email will be personalized with those items, as well as a link to the cart.
STEP 6. First "Wait" Node
How the "Wait" Node works
This node is used to activate a specific waiting time between the previous and next nodes. In the node interface, you configure the parameters that determine the wait:
A time period. For example: 1 day and 15 hours.
Until a specific date and time. For example: until July 23, 2023, at 2 p.m.
Until a date from imported data. For example: 3 days after the last purchase made.
How to configure the "Wait" Node for this strategy
(This node will perform a wait before continuing through the workflow. You need to add and configure this node for both Branch 1 and Branch 2).
62. In the node selection menu, go to "Actions > System" and drag the "Wait" node to the editor, connecting it to the first "Send email" node.
63. Click on (Edit node configuration) of the “Wait” node.
64. Under Define waiting time, select "A time period" and enter "1" in the Days field.
65. Click on Update.
In this step, we instructed Connectif to wait one day before continuing the flow.
STEP 7. First "Has made purchase" Node
How the "Has made purchase" Node works
This node is used to check whether the contact has recently made a purchase or the total purchases made up to that moment.
In the node interface, you configure the number of purchases, specific dates and intervals, and necessary purchase attributes, which will serve as conditions to distribute contacts.
How to configure the "Has made purchase" Node for this strategy
(This node will identify if the contact has purchased during the waiting time. You need to add and configure this node for both Branch 1 and Branch 2).
66. In the node selection menu, go to "Conditions > E-commerce" and drag the "Has made purchase" node to the editor, connecting it to the first "Wait" node.
67. Click on (Edit node configuration) of the “Has made purchase” node.
68. Under Number of purchases made, select "Is greater than" and set "0" purchases to detect contacts who have made at least one purchase.
69. Under Configure conditions to define a specific set of purchases, click the dropdown and select In the last time interval. In the configuration options, set "1" in the Days field to detect purchases made in the last day.
70. Click on Update.
In this step, we instructed Connectif to check if the contact made a purchase in the last day. If they meet the condition, the flow will stop; if not, the strategy will continue.
STEP 8 Branch 1. Second "Send email" Node
How to configure the email for this strategy
(In this step, you will create the second email in the abandoned cart sequence for Branch 1, including dynamic content with the products in the contact's cart).
71. In the node selection menu, go to "Actions > Email" and drag the "Send email" node to the editor, connecting it to the first "Has made purchase" node.
72. On the connection between this node and the previous one, click the circle until "No" appears.
73. Click on (Edit node configuration) of the “Send email” node and click on Create new content.
74. In the Tools panel, click the General tab to edit the general appearance settings of your email and in the Components tab, configure the layout and add elements by clicking and dragging them into the editor.
If needed, you have all the steps to create an email available in this lesson.
75. Once you have configured the text and images of your email, add a Product element and edit it as you did in Step 5 Branch 1.
76. When you finish creating your email with product content, click Save and Return to content list.
How to configure the "Send email" Node for this strategy
(This node will send the second email in the abandoned cart sequence for Branch 1).
77. Select the email you just created and click Next.
78. Under Send to, select "Contact".
79. Specify the email type as "Transactional".
80. Configure the Send to contact parameters.
81. Under Google Analytics, click "Enable Google Analytics" and then click Next.
82. Link Connectif fields (left column) with your email variables (right column) to personalize contact and product information, as you did in Step 5 Branch 1. You can also see the association in the image:
83. Click Finish.
In this step, we sent a second email to contacts who left a product in their cart. This email will be personalized with that item, as well as a link to the cart.
STEP 8 Branch 2. Second "Send email" Node
How to configure the email for this strategy
(In this step, you will create the second email in the abandoned cart sequence for Branch 2, including dynamic content with the products in the contact's cart).
84. In the node selection menu, go to "Actions > Email" and drag the "Send email" node to the editor, connecting it to the first "Has made purchase" node.
85. On the connection between this node and the previous one, click the circle until "No" appears.
86. Click on (Edit node configuration) of the “Send email” node and click on Create new content.
87. In the Tools panel, click the General tab to edit the general appearance settings of your email.
88. In the Components tab, configure the layout and add elements by clicking and dragging them into the editor.
If needed, you have all the steps to create an email available in this lesson.
89. Once you have configured the text and images of your email, add a Dynamic Content element and edit it as you did in Step 5 Branch 2.
127. When you finish creating your email with the product dynamic content, click Save and Return to content list.
How to configure the "Send email" Node for this strategy
(This node will send the second email in the abandoned cart sequence for Branch 2).
128. Select the email you just created and click Next.
129. Under Send to, select "Contact".
130. Specify the email type as "Transactional".
131. Configure the Send to contact parameters.
132. Under Google Analytics, click "Enable Google Analytics" and then click Next.
133. Link Connectif fields (left column) with your email variables (right column) to personalize contact and product information, as you did in Step 5 Branch 2.
134. Click Finish.
In this step, we sent a second email to contacts who left two or more products in their cart. This email will be personalized with those items, as well as a link to the cart.
Result
After completing the steps, you will have created your abandoned cart funnel, and you will have a sequence of emails to recover unfinished purchases.
Continue Your Journey
Now that you have completed this lesson, continue with the next one, where you will add an inline recommender to your product pages.
Congratulations!
You have reached the end of the lesson.
Return to the course
Access the full course index and explanation of each lesson at this link.
Related Readings
If you want to deepen your understanding of any of the topics covered in this lesson, you can access the guide documentation:
- Types of A/B/X tests and configuration, to learn about the nodes used to create an A/B/X test that allows you to evaluate strategies with different flows, like the one you just implemented.
- A/B/X Test for cart recovery, where you will find an example of an advanced strategy to optimize your cart funnels.
-
Product synchronization and verification, to understand how Connectif synchronizes and verifies your products automatically and securely to update and offer recommendations, purchase details, carts, and display products.