The focus of this blog is not to convince you of the potential in e- shopping, that is indeed self-evident, but rather to focus on how shoppers use digital technology and what can be done to influence them.
The shopper is at the front of this discussion NOT the technology! As companies like Amazon, ebay and Wal-Mart continue to stress, technology is a secondary consideration to the shopper. (Guardian Professional, 2012) (Manjoo, 2012)
Winning on the path to purchase is fundamental to shopper marketing, and the digital path should be an equal thought not an afterthought. It is important to note that shoppers do not move through this path in a linear fashion; however all shoppers will go through these steps at some point.
Mission
If they have purchased the product before, the shopper will know exactly where to go and will not need to spend much effort in searching for an appropriate web-shop or application. However Google estimate that 70% of shoppers use search at some point in their purchase journey. (Google, 2011)
One foundation idea that is important for all shopper marketers is that of all the activities that people undertake on-line, it is when shopping that they find branded messages the least intrusive. (TNS Digital Life, 2010)
Entering:
In this step the shopper enters the website or application.
The arrival at a web page or application front page is a little like the moment you look into a shop window; it either gets your attention or you move on. Clean, well-organised front pages, resonate much more strongly with shoppers than those with flashing lights. To this end a slow load time is the number 1 reason shoppers give for an unsatisfactory interaction with e-commerce. (Scarpello, 2012) While the more crowded a website, the harder it will be for the shopper to process all the presented information. (Mulvey, 2013)
Online buyers want personalisation; they are looking for personalisation in these key areas (The five online commerce features that create loyalty, 2010):
- Site recognizes me when I come back to visit.
- Remembers my personal preferences, for example the types of books I like or clothes brands I prefer.
- Offers recommendations based on the items that I have already purchased.
- And top of their wish list for personalisation is that the site automatically recalls billing and shipping information.
Amazon are the trendsetters in this space!
Navigating:
In this step the shopper navigates the website or application to orientate themselves.
Just as there are hotspots on shelves in bricks and mortar stores, they also exist on web pages or applications. (Deherder & Blatt, 2011) (Best practices for ad placement) Ads located above the fold (the first part of the screen you see) tend to perform better than those below the fold (another interesting finding is that: ads on a computer are seen quicker, and hold engagement longer than ads on an iPad) (Mediative and Tobii, 2012). While ads placed near rich content and navigational aids usually do well because users are focused on those areas of a page.
When it comes to digital product display, just as with category management in bricks and mortar stores, the order that products are displayed will impact the amount of attention they receive and ultimately their sales rate. Products that are seen earlier in the browsing process have a higher chance of ultimately being chosen. (Breugelmans, Campo, & Gijsbrechts, 2007)
Scanning:
In this step the shopper begins interacting within the area they have zoomed in on, in doing this they may use the search function to find their products.
Unlike bricks and mortar stores that can only present the shopper with 1 categorisation of products at the shelf, digital has the opportunity to be more flexible. Providing the shopper with multiple filters so that they can narrow the down their search can be very effective. As with shopping in-store, completing a quick and accurate browse of the segments available makes the shopper feel smart and good categorisation facilitates this.
As the shopper begins browsing, the goal is to allow them to experience the product in the most immerse way possible, should they choose to explore further.
As the shopper browses here is a list of some of things that are important to them. (The five online commerce features that create loyalty, 2010)
- Product photography is clear and accurate
- Advanced product viewing functionality
- Demonstration of required assembly or installation
- Demonstrations of the product in use
- Product reviews from actual customers
- Product specifications are available
Choosing:
In this step the shopper compares alternatives and selects something to purchase.
E-shoppers live with the belief that a better price exists; all they have to do is find it! They enact this belief by going to the store to try on clothes or explore products they are interested in, and then start searching for the best deal on-line, and they will often start that search in-store with their smart phone.
A recent study suggests that 29% of consumers who use a smartphone to research a product while at any retail store end up purchasing the item from an online only retailer. (prweb.com, 2012) While Deloitte suggest that smartphones influence 5.1 percent of all retail store sales in the United States. (Brinker, Lobaugh, & Paul, 2012)
This phenomenon has been coined showrooming, and price differences of as little 2.5% of $5 USD can encourage over most shoppers to do it. (Monteleone & Wolferseberger, 2012)
When it comes to e-shopping people want to see the comparative price they would pay for the product either in-store or on-line with a competitor. When a reference to an on-line competitor price is used the shopper perceives greater value in the offer. (Lo, Chou, & Teng, 2013)
Purchasing:
In this step the shopper makes payment for their product.
A customer\’s shopping list is their future shopping cart. It predicts what they will buy
Finding ways to make it easy for them to replenish, and asking the shopper to opt out of these recommendations, incorporating discounts, a top-sellers area and remembering customised delivery requirements, will make the purchase decisions quicker and easier and will be rewarded by repeat usage.
There are more examples of shopper behaviour in relation to these steps in my book.
Works Cited
The five online commerce features that create loyalty. (2010, November 9). retailcustomerexperience.com.
Best practices for ad placement. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2014, from Google Adsense: https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/1282097?rd=2
Breugelmans, E., Campo, K., & Gijsbrechts, E. (2007). Shelf sequence and proximity effects on online grocery choices. Marketing Letters.
Brinker, M., Lobaugh, K., & Paul, A. (2012). The dawn of mobile influence. deloittedigital.com.
Deherder, R., & Blatt, D. (2011). Shopper Intimacy. New Jersey: FT Press.
Google. (2011). Beyond last click: Understanding your consumers’ online path to purchase. Google.
Guardian Professional. (2012, November 22). How innovation can unlock shoppercentric. guradian.com.
Lo, S.-K., Chou, Y.-J., & Teng, C.-I. (2013). Source effect of advertised reference price influences on transaction value in online shopping. Electronic Commerce Research July.
Manjoo, F. (2012, November 26). Walmart\’s Evolution From Big Box Giant To E- Commerce Innovator. Fast Company.
Mediative and Tobii. (2012). the effectiveness of display advertising on a desktop pc vs. a tablet device.
Monteleone, J. P., & Wolferseberger, J. (2012). Showrooming & the Price of Keeping Buyers In-Store. GroupM Next.
Mulvey, J. (2013, March 7). \’Brain Friendly\’ Website Design Attracts More Viewers. BusinessNewsDaily.
prweb.com. (2012). Walmart, Target and Best Buy are Losing Sales to Amazon from Consumers Who Conduct In-store Product Research with their Mobile Devices.
Scarpello, L. (2012, December 14). Which Retailers Deliver the Best Mobile Shopping Experiences? popai.com.
TNS Digital Life. (2010). Drivers of online behaviour. Kantar Group.
