10.27.2008

Orderus Interruptus

How do you keep the sale going when an online order has been "interrupted" and never completed? Here's how Blue Mountain eCards tries to do it ... with an immediate follow-up email AND a special offer.

The opening is friendly and empathetic - "Just when we thought you were going to become a member, you didn't. Maybe you got a phone call? Had to run to a very important meeting? Whatever distracted you from the task at hand, now's your chance to take the ball and run with it."  Then comes the offer - they'll give you $2.99 a month towards two of their e-card services if you click on the link below and finish signing up. Not a bad way to keep an online sale going.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your post reminds me of why many people begin placing an order online without completing the process.

Some advertisers never test their own we site for stop actions that cause many of their opt outs. But for some advertisers, I fear the real reason comes from something else.

In many cases, the actual cost or offer remains hidden or incomplete until the respondent fills out all of the contact information! So potential buyers go through the entire process only to decide at the submit button that the offer does not interest them.

What's worse, the prospect recognizes the ploy of capturing their information using a subtle form of subterfuge. They remember this and determine right then and there not to do business with this kind of company.

I believe such thinking exposes the perspective of these companies. They think their customers are stupid.

Anonymous said...

"I believe such thinking exposes the perspective of these companies. They think their customers are stupid," says Ted. And I wonder how many others would agree with you?

In a way, it feels like an invasion of privacy, more so than an affront on one's intelligence. The fact that they're still holding onto information in their system feels Big Brother-ish.

We do something in direct mail with many of my clients where a prospect asks for more information (either by phone, replying to a lead generator they received in the mail or that was inserted in their newspaper) but does not "buy" the product or service when the requested information is sent along with an application or order form. The 2nd effort mailing or non-converted lead mailing alludes to the fact that they did not bite then, but that they were interested, and tries to sell again from another angle. And these packages can be very successful - with strong ROIs.

So maybe it's a mixed bag - after all, can't please all of the people all of the time. Some people appreciate the follow-up. Some people were distracted by a phone call or some other more pressing matter, but still want the product or service.

Thanks for stopping by