The average registration abandonment rate across all events currently sits around 33%. That’s a third of your potential audience that has been distracted or dissuaded from joining your event. Event technology can reduce registration abandonment. The best strategies depend on the reasons that attendees are leaving your registration forms.
Top Reasons Attendees Fail to Complete Their Event Registration
Here are three of the most common reasons for registration abandonment and the ways that modern event technology can help combat them:
Reason #1: They get distracted while filling out the form. The easiest roadblock to address is distraction. Attendees often begin filling out your registration form and then receive a message from a co-worker or a knock at the door that drives them away. Then their schedule gets busy and they forget about the partially filled registration form.
Some simple ways to prevent interruptions include shortening your registration form, implementing a single sign-on (SSO) strategy, or creating a one-click entry into the event.
SSO allows your customers to register with the login credentials they use for another tool. You can use SSO to pull customer information so that attendees don’t have to enter details like their name, phone number, or email.
One-click entry is a quick way for attendees to register for invite-only events when you already have their information stored. They receive an email with a single link to register. Once they click the link, the event is added to their calendar, and they are marked as registered.
Reason #2: They skip out once they see the price of the event. The event ticket price can be the deciding factor for those who weren’t sure about joining your event. Pre-applying discounts to target attendees can make the price feel more manageable. Sometimes, just seeing a discounted rate is enough to persuade registrants to complete their registration.
Another strategy is to offer registrants a discounted group rate that makes it cost-effective and easy to register multiple attendees at once. RainFocus offers group and guest pass management that allows organizations or individuals to purchase multiple passes and distribute them as they see fit.
Reason #3: They have not yet gained the approval needed to attend. Lack of approval is the most difficult registration abandonment reason to address. Many organizations have long offered templates for attendees to “convince the boss” to allow them to register by explaining the value of the event. Now, AI tools can make these forms even more personalized. For example, Salesforce uses an Agentforce-powered feature that writes letters of recommendation for Dreamforce registrants based on their role and industry.
What to Do When Attendees Abandon Their Cart
Even with the best technologies and strategies in play, attendees may delay completing their registration for weeks or even months, especially if they’re awaiting approval to attend the event. Here are some actions to take in the meantime:
1. Run a retargeting campaign.
Integrate your event marketing platform with your marketing automation platform (MAP) to trigger a follow-up email whenever someone abandons their registration. MAP integrations are also helpful for follow-up communications, ensuring that only those who haven’t registered are prompted to do so.
2. Notify your sales and client success teams.
There’s no better follow-up than a friendly personalized reminder from a familiar contact, such as a quick email or agenda item on their next regular call. Registrants are far more likely to follow through on an invitation from someone they know.
Once again, integrations are key. Set up an integration with your CRM to give account teams a clear picture of who has registered and who is stalled.
3. Use drop-off identification to place attendees where they left off.
Once attendees return to complete their registration, use drop-off identification to get them back to where they left off. Rather than forcing registrants to start over, drop-off identification recognizes returning registrants and skips them ahead in the flow. This reduces the likelihood that they will drop off again and prevents duplicate records.
Registration abandonment is rarely the result of a single cause, and there’s no way to avoid it altogether. The best action that event professionals can take is to implement technology to reduce friction, automate reminders, and increase personalization. RainFocus is fully equipped to meet these registration challenges. Learn more about our registration capabilities here.
