Think about how many people abandon their carts on your site — either while building their cart or checking out.
Got an estimate? Sweet. Now consider this:
How many people do you suspect are looking at your products and not even starting an order?
Every single one of those individuals could be your next customer if you can nail your Abandoned Browse Flow.
This is one of the 3 Core Flows (alongside the Abandoned Checkout and Welcome Flows) — so without it, you’re leaving money on the table. And even if you have it, chances are you could make it even better.
How, you ask?
Read my full guide to the Abandoned Browse Flow below for more on this crucial piece of email marketing.
Understanding the Abandoned Browse Flow
Defining Abandoned Browse
An Abandoned Browse event occurs when a customer looks at a product on your website and then leaves. This is called “when customer Viewed Product” in Klaviyo. That may vary in other softwares.
If the customer adds the product to their cart, checks out, or buys, this will not trigger.
An Abandoned Browse Flow sends some amount of time after the customer meets the criteria to remind them of the product they viewed.
Goals and Role
The Abandoned Browse Flow reminds customers of an item they recently viewed and attempts to get them to buy it.
How the Abandoned Browse Helps Your Business
The Abandoned Browse helps your business in several ways:
- Recovers lost sales: Abandoned browse sequences can scoop up some easy sales on auto-pilot. At the very least, it gets customers to add products to their cart… so a cart or checkout abandonment flow can take the reins if they abandon.
- Re-engagement and loyalty: Product viewers are further from the sale than cart abandoners. A browse abandonment keeps that new lead from dropping off and forgetting that you exist. Also, when they eventually buy, you start with a stronger relationship.
- Customer data collection: When a customer views a product, that’s valuable data for future marketing efforts (whether before or after the sale). Same thing if they reply with questions — patterns in questions or objections are worth evaluating.
- SEO boost: More site visits generally means better SEO. If you can increase dwell time (how long a customer spends on your site), that also boosts SEO. A nice little indirect benefit of the Abandoned Browse Flow.
- Deliverability benefits: Abandoned Browse Flows encourage replies to answer questions and get the sale. Replies help deliverability.
The Key Components of the Abandoned Browse Flow
As with any flow, your Abandoned Browse Flow will vary by brand, industry, and so on.
Thus, we will cover a good “starting point”, or “minimum viable sequence” that you can implement quickly and build on later to fit your needs.
Quick Reminder Email
This is your first gentle nudge. Remind the visitor of the products they viewed and, in a conversational manner, try to get the purchase.
Subject Line
Anything that grabs their curiosity and subtly acknowledges that they browsed a product. Here are some ideas:
“did you miss this?”
“caught you looking…”
“See something you like?”
“Need help?”
You can test using a liquid field with the customer’s first name for any of these and others, too.
Body Copy
Tell the customer you noticed they checked out Product XYZ.
Use some personality. Complement the customer’s taste, inject some humor, and make it feel like you’re a friend helping them out.
Encourage the customer to ask questions if they have any, but give them a CTA link to that product if they want to buy.
Follow-Up Email
Follow up on the first email in case the customer missed the first… or weren’t ready to buy in that one.
Subject Line
Again, use curiosity and make it feel personal. Some ideas include:
“still need help?”
“find what you’re looking for?”
“got any questions?”
“still on the fence about this?”
Consider some “reminder” language as well.
Body Copy
Remind the customer of their recent browse. Drop a fascinating factoid about your product. Flesh out a benefit. Twist the knife on their pain point a bit.
Then, pitch the product again.
Follow-Up Email Again, But With Creativity
This email can be a lot of different things, depending on your preference.
Subject Line
A lot of different ways to do this.
You could go with a testimonial-filled email, and a “people are raving about this” type of subject line.
Or you could use intense curiosity so the customer doesn’t immediately suspect it’s a browse abandonment email and then unpack the product’s benefits.
Or you could share an amazing story that’s relevant to the product… then tie it back to that product.
Heck, you could even try a small discount (but read my warnings about this later on).
Body Copy
Pay off the subject line.
Other Emails
I’ve seen Abandoned Browse Flows run for as long as a month, with most time delays being 1-2 days between emails.
Remember, these customers don’t need one final push. They need a lot of gentle nudges. It’s more of a “nurture” sequence (although you should still sell in every email).
Here are some ideas for emails:
- Case studies
- “Testimonial barrages” — several testimonials addressing different questions/objections
- Positioning — Why your product is better than those from other brands
- Stories
- Educational
- FAQs
Imagine an old-fashioned scale (aka the Scales of Justice). One side has a big rock. You place pebbles on the other side. Eventually, the scale tips toward the pebbles.
Each pebble is an email in this flow. The rock is the sum of the customer’s objections, hesitations, and questions. This is a good mental model for Abandoned Browse Flows and many other flows (and even campaigns).
You can use discounts later in the flow if you want. Don’t do it early (in most cases), though. More on that in the “Pitfalls” section.
Lastly, you can try working in pitches for other products if, based on some data you have, the customer’s more likely to buy one. Shows the customer you’re thinking of their best interest.
SMS’s
SMS complements Abandoned Browse emails nicely. They’re good opportunities to see if the customer has questions. They also can give customers who “almost bought” from the related email one more nudge with the same copy angle.
Best Practices For the Abandoned Browse Flow
Here are some tips and best practices to keep in mind when building your Abandoned Browse Flow:
Triggers and Filters
A customer should enter this flow when they have “Viewed Product.” That’s the main trigger.
However, you’ll want some filters. Make sure the customer:
- Has not added to cart since starting this flow — That way, the flow triggers when they only browse but doesn’t interfere with an Abandoned Add to Cart Flow…
AND
- Has not started checkout since starting this flow — That way, the flow triggers when they only browse but doesn’t interfere with an Abandoned Checkout Flow…
AND
- Has not placed an order since starting the flow — We don’t want to send this to customers who finished their order. The time delay allows enough time to complete the order before the customer accidentally receives this flow…
AND
- Has not been in the flow within X days — We don’t want to hit customers with this constantly. They’ll get annoyed and feel like you see them only as $$$. For example, filter out anyone who was in this flow in the last 30 days.
It comes down to ensuring the customer does not get the wrong flow for their situation… and not harassing them with abandoned browse flows. That gets annoying and ruins personalization.
Time Delay
Trigger the first email to send at least 30 minutes after abandoning no more than 45 minutes. The second email should send 24 hours after the first. Every subsequent email should send 24 or 48 hours apart. You can test different time delays later.
Consider using SMS more frequently up front, but taper it down a bit later in the flow. Pair SMS’s with emails. Each SMS should send around 20-30 minutes after its respective email (or before, that’s your preference).
Consider filtering out people who text back on SMS’s from receiving the following SMS message to prevent SMS overwhelm on the customer’s side and to avoid mixing up their existing conversation with your brand.
Copy — Nurture… But Sell, Too
Browsers aren’t as close to the sale as cart/checkout abandoners. Thus, your copy shouldn’t be as aggressive as an Abandoned Checkout copy. Your goal here is to flesh out the benefits, shift beliefs, and overcome objections.
That doesn’t mean avoiding a CTA/pitch. What it means is to use more copy to persuade the reader to buy. Less “Hey, you forgot something” and a bit more education/entertainment.
One other thing: Once you have one abandoned browse in place, and you button up the other big-money components of your email marketing infrastructure… consider creating personalized abandoned browse sequences for different products.
This is easier than it sounds. You can clone the flow for different products, then surgically alter copy (and design elements) for each product. No need to build from scratch.
Design — Showcase the Product
The main visual component in this flow should be the product. That can mean a product block (linking to the product) and images of the product (on its own or in use). You can even include videos, depending on how you design and write your flow.
Testimonials can help. You can write the testimonials, sure, but putting a face to a name in a screenshot can increase the reader’s trust and the chance they buy.
Lastly, consider throwing in a recommended product block at the very bottom after the first email. Another product might accomplish what the customer wants just a bit better… securing you the purchase.
Measuring Success for the Abandoned Browse Flow
The Abandoned Browse Flow is fairly simple in terms of measuring success. Here’s what to monitor:
Sales
The most obvious metric to track is sales.
How to improve: A/B test CTAs in early emails. A/B test longer flows that overcome objections and flesh out benefits in later emails. A/B test different offers, such as limited-time discounts.
Number of Recipients
Capturing sales through the Abandoned Browse Flow is nice, but it’s even better if the customer buys in the same session that they view the product.
Get a baseline % reading on how many customers buy in the same session they view vs. view then abandon. Analyze page views by product if you have several. Ideally, you want fewer people getting this sequence because they’re buying right away.
How to improve: A/B test new product page copy to increase persuasiveness and clarity. “Improvement” here means reducing the number of flow recipients by increasing the number of same-session buys.
Replies
As with any abandonment flow, the Abandoned Browse Flow is an excellent opportunity to gather customer questions/objections. Note patterns in the replies so you can change your brand assets if needed.
How to improve: A/B test “reply encouragement” copy. Focus on specific questions customers may have about that product or your brand. Implement findings from patterns into your copy and marketing.
Abandoned Browse Pitfalls to Avoid
Watch out for these mistakes when crafting your Abandoned Browse Flow:
Poor Timing
Sending Abandoned Browse Flows too early can distract customers if they’re still on the site. They might drop off from what otherwise could have been a purchase.
But don’t wait too long. You want it to be recent enough that the customer makes the connection quickly.
Don’t send too many messages in a day, either. One email and one SMS per day are the maximum.
Too Aggressive of a Sales Push
It’s okay to sell in Abandoned Browse Flows, but you can’t be as aggressive as the “Hey, here’s your cart, finish your order” messaging found in Abandoned Checkout Flows. You have to create the selling opportunity naturally by having a conversation with the customer.
Remember that these customers are just browsing. They haven’t indicated any commitment (such as by adding an item to cart). Doing a “straight-up pitch” too early in this flow is like a sales rep in a clothing store walking up to you and saying “Hey, here’s a good item for you. Buy it NOW!”
Overusing Discounts
Overusing discounts in marketing kills profit margins and the market’s perception of your offer’s quality. Customers get used to only buying when there’s a discount and don’t value their purchase as much. Use copy to show the customer why the price they pay is well worth it.
With that in mind, don’t toss the customer a discount early on in the flow. Do all the stuff I discussed, like fleshing out benefits and clearing up questions. Only toss a discount in much later — such as after two weeks of emails.
Two exceptions:
- If they’re a new customer and you’re informing them of your welcome discount. Another reason to revisit your Abandoned Browse infrastructure and create different flows for new vs. existing customers.
- If your financials allow it. Depending on the product, margins, etc, a small discount might give them a nudge toward buying without wrecking margins. But make sure you have a way to make up that lost margin later (read: maximize customer retention). I still err on the side of “no discount until much later”.
Being Boring
Send the customer something they want to read, or they’ll just mark it as yet another annoying sales email.
This ties back into the aggressiveness — you shouldn’t just sell sell sell to window shoppers. They will immediately ignore it.
Neglecting Mobile Optimization
Most people shop on smartphones nowadays. You must make sure your product pages and emails are mobile-optimized.
It’s easy to overlook this since most brand owners/email marketers work from a desktop or laptop. The mobile experience isn’t front and center while creating, previewing, or testing the piece. Always double-check your mobile optimization.
The Bottom Line on Abandoned Browse Flows
The Abandoned Browse Flow keeps curious visitors engaged with your brand, turning otherwise lost opportunities into new customers… while offering valuable customer, product, and site data.
This maximizes the return on both SEO efforts and ad spend. Plus, the nurture style of this flow can turn what would’ve been a one-off purchase into a lifetime customer.
Sure, you can build more advanced flows personalized to demographic data, products viewed, buying behavior, and more. That’s the ideal.
But the journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step, as they say. You can knock out a basic Abandoned Browse Flow in an hour and return to it after tackling other email marketing items.
So why wait? Implement the Abandoned Browse Flow and scoop up more sales daily on autopilot.
What to Do Next
- Implement this flow into your business if you don’t have it/Optimize your flow with insights from this post if you DO have it.
- Get on my email list using the signup form below.
- Share this post with someone who would find it helpful or insightful.
- Work with me if you want to earn more revenue, widen your margins, and improve retention through email and SMS… so you can quit worrying about acquisition.