Effectively capturing new-to-file leads is one of the most important aspects of growing an ecommerce business. While incentive strategies are frequently used to expand your email list, there are many effective ways to capture leads without offering an incentive.
Why is Lead Capture so Important?
Globally, the overall ecommerce conversion rate is less than 3%, meaning almost 97% of website visitors who enter your site will leave without making a purchase. However, through high-quality SMS and email remarketing strategies, you can re-engage visitors who abandon and continue the conversation, eventually turning former abandoning shoppers into loyal customers.
Of course, remarketing isn’t possible without an effective lead generation strategy. A well-developed contact list expands your customer base and serves as an incredible asset to grow your business.
Collecting Emails in Ecommerce
Many companies start building an email list by offering an incentive to those who sign up for their emails. Incentives can range from a sitewide discount, free trial, free shipping, or a free gift. However, it may not be practical to give discounts to every shopper, especially if you’re a small business or using incentives in other stages of the funnel.
On the bright side, there are other highly effective ways to create a lead capture strategy without incentives. Although most people won’t provide their contact information unless it directly benefits them, you can strategize unique ways to provide something of value to the consumer. Let’s take a look at some examples.
4 Ways to Capture Leads Without Offering an Incentive
1. Create a Sense of Exclusivity
2. Offer Back In Stock Notifications
3. Allow Shoppers to Save Their Carts
4. Offer Personalized Product Recommendations
1. Create a Sense of Exclusivity
Country clubs, speakeasy bars, and secret societies all trade on exclusivity, thereby creating a mystique and fascination that attracts people to join. One of the simplest ways to capture leads without incentives is to think of your list as a club – not just a string of email addresses.
Psychologically, customers love feeling like they’re part of something special. Even if your list has thousands of subscribers, you can still make them feel like an insider. Terms like “members only” and “in the know” help communicate this feeling, even without promising an incentive. However, while these specific words can help set up a feeling of exclusivity, it’s important to back those claims up with actual exclusive content.
In other words – make sure you can follow through on your promises. Offer “first looks” and exclusive access to upcoming products and sales. Tell users they’ll be the first to know about new lines, collections, or updates. Not only does this help your brand provide value, but it also prevents users from quickly unsubscribing.
2. Offer Back in Stock Notifications
Back-in-stock notifications speak to another common truth: people want what they can’t have. There’s nothing worse than having your heart set on an item, only to discover it’s out of stock. Not only does this preclude you from making a sale, but it also means you have a disappointed customer on your hands.
Back in Stock alerts turn a common lose-lose situation into a win-win. If you help shoppers get a product or service they thought they couldn’t have, you’re adding personal value to their experience, and they’re more likely to stick around.
When an item is out of stock, ask for their email and let them know you’ll reach out when it’s available again. Now your customer is happy and you’ve collected a quality lead. In addition, you know what kinds of items the shopper is interested in, opening the door to multiple future remarketing opportunities.
3. Allow Shoppers to Save Their Carts
Cart abandonment has been a problem from the very beginning of ecommerce. Abandonment rates at this stage in the funnel hover close to 80% worldwide, meaning the majority of shoppers who create a cart will not proceed with their order.
While there are a number of factors behind this phenomenon, one of the most commonly cited reasons is a lack of initial purchase intent. While it’s possible that they’re looking for something specific, many people use online shopping to browse and kill time. In other words – most people really are virtual window shoppers.
So why do browsers create carts? Many shoppers use their cart as a way to organize and bookmark products they’re considering. While this might seem problematic, there is a silver lining. Even if their purchase intent is low, they still care about the items in their cart.
That’s where offering to save shoppers’ carts can be such a powerful lead capture tool. Similar to availability alerts, they offer added convenience and personalization to the shopping experience. Plus, they assist your lead capture and conversion recovery efforts.
4. Offer Personalized Product Recommendations
AI-driven product recommendations are one of the most consistently effective ways to drive up average order value (AOV) and inspire new purchases. However, they can also be a great tool for capturing and converting leads without incentives.
By launching an engagement modal, you can ask shoppers if they would like “hand-picked recommendations” from your experts. This can be a great tool for shoppers to discover new products that appeal specifically to them. Consider offering the shopper a short questionnaire to fill out about their interests. At the end of the survey, provide a lead capture form for the user to have their recommendations emailed to them.
In addition to building your list, providing personalized product recommendations allows you to cross-sell and upsell more effectively, all while setting you up for long-term remarketing success.
Building Your Email List
Creating effective lead capture strategies doesn’t have to require an incentive. Re-framing your strategies and offering shoppers something of value helps you personalize their shopping experience and provide better customer service. By actively engaging customers, you’ll increase purchase intent, build your customer base, and inspire new levels of customer loyalty.
Generate Conversions with Email Marketing
Looking to expand your email strategy? Check out UpSellit’s 27 Attributes of an Effective Email. This in-depth guide covers the ins and outs of crafting the perfect remarketing email. Download it today to start sending impactful emails that convert.
Want to discover more conversion strategies for your website? Email hello@upsellit.com to speak with a conversion specialist today.
