Picture this: a customer looks at your website, picks a tour, adds it to their cart, and then it disappears. They vanish without completing the online booking. It happens more often than you think. Studies show the average shopping cart abandonment rate sits around a whopping +70% according to the Baymard Institute.  That means for every 100 people who start a booking, only about 30 will follow through and purchase.

Proven Tactics and Tips to Lower Shopping Cart Abandonment 

Lost bookings and revenue can result from abandoned carts. However, businesses can recover a portion of these abandoned carts. Here are some best practices to turn those abandoned carts into booked tours.  But fear not! Your reservation software has a feature Abandoned Booking Recovery that can help you recover lost sales. Let's dive into what it is and explore best practices to use it effectively.

What is Shopping Cart Abandoned Booking Recovery?

Abandoned Booking Recovery is about reconnecting with customers who added tours to their cart but didn't finish booking. Sending personalized emails to remind lost customers about their abandoned tour, activity, or rental. This can help bring them back to your website and turn them into happy customers that are ready to book.

Shopping Cart Email Best Practices for Maximum Impact

• When to Send: Getting the timing down on abandoned cart emails is vital to maximizing their impact. If you send the email too early. The ideal wait time for an abandoned cart email is 30 minutes to one hour after someone has placed items in their cart. 
• The subject line: People are more inclined to open emails that speak directly to them. By mentioning the specific tour or activity the customer left behind. Instead of saying "Complete Your Booking," try "Don't Miss Out! Book your Whitewater Rafting Adventure."
• Personalize the Subject Line Tip: Did you know that including the customer's name in the subject line can increase open rates by 26%? Using the customer's name, makes them feel valued and more likely to engage. Jessica, don't Miss Out! Book your Whitewater Rafting Adventure.
• Offer Incentives to Sweeten the Deal: Let's be honest, a little discount can go a long way. Consider adding a special offer to your abandoned cart email, like 15% off their chosen tour. You can highlight this discount right in the subject line to grab their attention (e.g., "Complete Your Booking and Save 15%"). Incentives help hesitant customers overcome any doubts they might have had about booking, and they feel like they're getting a deal they can't miss.
• Track Incentive Usage:  Create custom incentives to track and monitor the redemption rate.  Re-evaluate your offering to find your sweet spot.   
• Make the Call-to-Action Crystal Clear: Don't leave your customers guessing what to do next. Include a clear and strong call-to-action (CTA) button in your email. A simple "Complete Your Booking" button is perfect.
• Pro Tip: Create a sense of urgency by adding a deadline to your offer. "Book by midnight and save 10%!" can nudge customers to act before the discount disappears.

Leverage Social Proof to Build Trust

People naturally influence each other's experiences. Use social proof in your abandoned cart email to build trust and credibility. Here are a couple of ways to do this:

• Showcase good customer feedback: Add a brief, positive quote from a recent review about the tour the customer left.
• Show your company's ratings from Google, TripAdvisor, or other review platforms to highlight your good reputation.

Tour and Activity Booking Software Streamlines the Process

Managing abandoned carts can be time-consuming. Thankfully, reservation management software like Indexic Tour Reservation Software can automate your process. The tour software tools will:

• Automatically send abandoned cart emails at pre-set intervals, reminding customers about their unfinished bookings.
• Personalize emails with customer names and specific tours left behind.
• Email templates should have effective subject lines, calls to action, and social proof elements.

Be Aware Not All Booking Software are the Same

Some booking software can make it harder for customers to complete their purchases, leading to lost customers/sales. Be aware of these:

1. Create an account to buy in the checkout flow
2. The checkout process has too many clicks, too many steps, too many questions to complete a purchase
   
   
3. The software has a slow load time
4. Leave your website to make a reservation

By implementing these strategies, you will reduce your shopping cart abandonment and increase tour sales. To learn more about how to improve shopping cart abandonment rate, click on "Learn More About Improving Sales" below.