Using Data To Understand Why Carts Are Abandoned

If you're a Product Lead at an early stage or a high growth startup, AI can be your secret weapon—if you ask the right way. Here's the truth. → 99% PMs make the mistake of writing vague prompts that deliver shallow, generic insights. But let me share with you simple tweaks that you can do to get better. Let's take Zepto as an example and instead of a generic prompt, I'll give you two examples of deep dives that you can copy paste and see the results for yourselves. ❌ Bad Prompt: "How can we increase retention at Zepto?" ✅ Better Prompt: (See below 👇) 🔹 1. User Retention & Engagement Deep Dive 🚀 Scenario: Orders per user have dropped 8% in the last quarter. You need data-backed reasons + actionable solutions. ✅ Advanced Prompt: "You are a Retention Growth PM at Zepto, analyzing why orders per user have dropped 8% in the last quarter. Break down your analysis into: 1️⃣ User Segments: Identify which segments are driving the decline (new vs. returning users, Tier 1 vs. Tier 2 cities). 2️⃣ Behavioral Insights: Look at session times, cart additions, checkout flow, and app stickiness. 3️⃣ Competitive Analysis: How are Blinkit & Swiggy Instamart driving higher repeat orders? What tactics are they using? 4️⃣ Action Plan: Recommend 3 A/B test ideas and 2 new engagement features Zepto should build to boost retention." 💡 Why this works: ✅ Forces segment-wise breakdown (so you know WHO is dropping off). ✅ Asks for competitor insights (so you can learn from winning playbooks). ✅ Ends with concrete solutions (so it’s not just analysis—it’s execution). 🔹 2. Cart Abandonment: Fixing the Drop-Off Problem 🚀 Scenario: Cart abandonment at Zepto has increased by 12% in 4 weeks. You need data-backed insights + solutions to fix it. ✅ Advanced Prompt: "You are a Conversion Optimization PM at Zepto, and cart abandonment has increased by 12% in 4 weeks. Analyze & suggest solutions by breaking it into: 1️⃣ Drop-Off Analysis: Where do users abandon? (Cart? Checkout? Payment gateway?) 2️⃣ Friction Points: Are delivery fees, UI complexity, or lack of COD options causing churn? 3️⃣ Competitor Benchmarking: Compare Zepto’s checkout flow vs. Blinkit & Instamart. Identify 2 checkout optimizations from competitors. 4️⃣ A/B Testing Plan: Recommend 3 experiment ideas to fix this, with KPIs to track success." 💡 Why this works: ✅ Forces granular checkout analysis (instead of general reasons). ✅ Uses competitor benchmarking (so you’re not guessing). ✅ Ends with A/B tests & KPIs (so it's immediately actionable). Get the jist? 🔹 Be SPECIFIC – No vague prompts. Structure them clearly. 🔹 Assign AI a ROLE – "You are a Competitive Analyst at Zepto..." (AI responds better). 🔹 Use MULTI-STEP prompts – Always break it into sub-sections. 🔹 Force ACTIONABLE output – Always ask for recommendations, A/B tests, KPIs. PS: Working on an in-depth Prompting 101 guide, DM me in case you want early access :)

Your add to cart rate is lying to you. It feels like a good sign when lots of people add your product to cart. BUT here’s the trap: → 60% of them don’t even want to buy right now. → They’re using it like a Pinterest board. So what do you do? You send cart abandonment emails, discounts, urgency... And you burn leads who weren’t even close to buying. There’s a better way to handle this: 1. Split your abandoners • Group A: Viewed product <2x, added to cart fast • Group B: Viewed product 3-5x across 2+ days before adding 2. Only pitch Group B These folks were actually considering it. They've marinated. They’re ready for that nudge. 3. For Group A Send them a different email: “Was this just a maybe?” → Offer: Save it to a wish list → Add: A “keep shopping” button that helps them explore, not pressure Cart ≠ commitment. But how they act around the cart? That tells you a lot if you’re paying attention.

Every abandoned cart has a story: 🚫 Shipping costs were too high. 🚫 The item they wanted was out of stock. 🚫 Their discount code didn’t work. 🚫 The checkout process is too complicated. 🚫 They weren’t ready to buy (yet). I’ve seen these same objections across KNO’s 5,000+ brands. And the best way to overcome them? Ask. Here’s what the brands that are successfully converting abandoned carts are doing: 1. Add a survey to your cart abandonment flow. The goal is still to convert shoppers back to their cart—but if they’re not biting, add the survey as a secondary CTA. By the third email, chances are they aren’t ready to buy, so lead with something like: "We’d love your thoughts! Take this short survey, and we’ll treat you to a little thank-you.” 2. Use insights to personalize your follow-ups. Thanks to integrations with tools like Klaviyo, survey responses automatically feed into segmented campaigns. - Shipping too high? Offer free or reduced shipping in your next email. - Item out of stock? Send a notification when it’s back, paired with a discount for waiting. - Just browsing? Add them to a longer-term nurture flow to re-engage later. 3. Don’t give up too soon. Not every cart is lost forever. Extend your timeline with future touchpoints—like a friendly monthly email reminding them their original concern is no longer a blocker. Cart abandonment rates range from 70-80%, depending on your vertical. That’s much untapped potential to learn from and act on. I included a few examples below of emails that effectively incorporate abandoned cart surveys to help you get started. We also created an abandoned cart survey template in KNO to guide you through these three steps seamlessly. If you have any questions, reach out and we can help you set it up!