Use abandoned cart with BigCommerce

Learn how to set up and use abandoned carts on your BigCommerce store.

Overview

The BigCommerce abandoned cart module combines some of the platform's most powerful features to help you convert your uncompleted orders and drive up your revenue. These features include:

• Web Behavior Tracking
• CartInsight
• Automated programs

Before you start

Things you need to know:

• Only customers who are logged in to your store can be enrolled in an abandoned cart program.
• You’ll need to:
  • Create at least one abandoned cart campaign.
    

    For newer installations of the Dotdigital for BigCommerce connector, the design of an abandoned cart campaign can be configured through the installation wizard.

  • Create an abandoned cart program.
    

    For newer installations of the Dotdigital for BigCommerce connector, an Abandoned cart program (as well as a Welcome program) is created for you automatically by the installation wizard.

  • Enable two settings in your BigCommerce store: the Optimize one page checkout option needs to be selected (if not, you need to manually create the script) and your store needs to be Stencil themed (for compatibility reasons). Your developers or agency can help you with this.
• You may need to update the connector through the banner in the BigCommerce store settings area; to find this, go to Settings > BigCommerce in your Dotdigital account.

Create an abandoned cart campaign

Abandoned cart functionality uses triggered campaigns that are added to a program. The email should contain the latest contents of a visitor’s cart. This is done by using the abandoned cart building block.

To learn more about how to edit or create an abandoned cart campaign, you can follow the Create an abandoned cart email article.

Create an abandoned cart program

For newer installations of the Dotdigital for BigCommerce connector, an Abandoned cart program (as well as a Welcome program) is created for you automatically by the installation wizard. To view and edit this program, go to Automation > All programs. The Abandoned cart program will be inside a folder with your BigCommerce store name.

Contacts are enrolled into an abandoned cart program when they abandon items in their shopping cart while browsing your site. Enrolment begins when the cartDelay parameter set in the cartInsight script is met. So, for example, a cartDelay set to 30 would enrol contacts into your program half an hour after they abandon the cart.

To learn more about how to edit or create an abandoned cart program, you can follow the Create an abandoned cart program article.

Install the abandoned cart module

Map program enrolments

Once you have created an abandoned cart program, you can map this in your store settings so that customers who start but do not complete a purchase are enrolled on to your program. Once you complete this step, the set up of the abandoned cart module is completed automatically.

1. Go to Settings > BigCommerce > Store in your Dotdigital account.
2. Under the heading Abandoned cart you will see a drop-down menu for Enrol abandoned carts to. Expand the drop-down menu to select the abandoned cart program you created.
3. Expand the drop-down menu for Enrol abandoned carts after to set your cartDelay. This is the amount of time that we will wait after a cart is abandoned to enrol the contact in the program.

1. Go to Access > Web behavior profiles. An abandoned cart tracking profile should appear if your account didn’t have one before.
   

   You must be an account owner or have the Can manage account permission enabled to see the Access menu item. To learn more about user permissions, check out the Restrict and grant user access permissions article.

2. In the BigCommerce Script Manager, there should be two installed scripts: Dotdigital Web Behaviour Tracking and Dotdigital Abandoned Cart Tracking. If these are present, you’ve successfully set up the integration.

Remove the integration

Removing the integration removes the script and disables any program enrolments. To remove the BigCommerce integration, go to Settings > BigCommerce. Under the Store access heading, select Remove BigCommerce connection.

To simply deactivate or disable an abandoned cart program:

1. Go to Email > Automation > All programs.
2. Select the abandoned cart enrolment program you want to deactivate.
3. Go to the More actions drop-down menu.
4. Select Deactivate enrolments or Disable program.