What online sellers should know about buying behaviour

Online behaviour doesn't change much across the world, however, what influences buying decisions do. We all are shoppers, we have our fair share of favorite and pathetic websites we have encountered.

In this post we shall introduce you to 1) why people shop online, 2) what are the types of online shoppers and 3) what influences shopping decisions. We also offer simple takeaways for you to work on. So, let’s dig into it.

Why do consumers shop online?

Convenience: Shopping online on a laptop at home or at the office or on a mobile device is a sheer convenience to access a ton of marketplaces and web stores without having to move. This is the biggest influence the internet has had on all of us, it has changed the way we consume products, services, and entertainment. All at the end of our fingertips.

Choice: Accessing a ton of websites means access to 100s of categories, brands, and 1000s of products. Shopping online gives the consumer the ability to browse and compare at the same time. Most online sellers use marketing techniques such as email marketing where they introduce consumers with product and sales updates which give the power to the consumer to decide what and when to buy.

Cost: Comparing products can only mean one thing, better prices. Consumers opt for the best prices. This is the reason we see some kind of a freakish sale offering 40% to 70% discounts on some web store every other month.

Customization: Online shopping helps consumers create reminders, wish lists, fill up their shopping cart for later purchases and much more. These are customization advantages consumers love. It is up to the brand to enhance and ease the buying process to achieve better conversion.

Control: No human contact, no need to drive about to shopping malls and stores, no disappointment of out-of-stock products etc the list is very lengthy. When the shopping experience is brought to the consumer's device, it gives them full control on where, when, what, and how to buy what they love.

Types of online shoppers

Adventurous
Since e-commerce has taken India by storm for the last half a decade, it has allowed developing this bunch of surfers and stalkers, if you will, of e-commerce stores and marketplaces. These consumers spend at least an hour every day browsing products on their devices, especially to kill time or make their commute enjoyable. They get this high of surfing for tons of products. Whereas only a few of them end up making the purchase.

Shoppers
This bunch of consumers spends time on web stores to conduct research about products and prices, and they are willing to buy either online or at a mall. These consumers usually would love to touch and feel the product (try out while buying clothes for example) before buying.

It is unfair to classify Indian online shoppers into just two categories, hence this attempt is to broadly segregate them. However, within this main collection of shopping behaviors, there are consumers who are tech savvy and those who aren't. As an online seller, you need to pay attention to both within your target demographics. Creating the best online shopping experience should be an ongoing effort to improve your website. However, not all consumers will notice the subtle changes, unless you highlight them.

How consumers form brand impressions

Product quality: There is not much to say. It doesn't matter if your website is chic and easy to make purchases. If your products suck, so will your sales.

Takeaway: This is pretty straight forward. Make sure your quality always gets high priority.

The cost of products and services: This is another obvious aspect of buying online. Sellers need to target the right demographic and price the products accordingly. Price it too high, then you won't achieve volumes. Price it too low, then you might sully your brand identity.

Takeaway: This requires some market analysis for the kind of products you sell and also to closely monitor your competition. Your pricing and discount strategies should consider a whole host of aspects from your market analysis.

Company’s customer care program: This shows how much you care for your consumers, regardless of the value of purchase. There is an old adage, "take care of your customers, and they will take care of you".

Takeaway: Form thorough strategies to gather feedback through every phase of the buying cycle from your consumers, this shows that you care and helps you build trust.

What trusted contacts say about the company: Influencers, endorsements, blog reviews, guest posts, etc all carry a lot of weight in building your brand reputation. Besides these, there are influencers within the consumer community such as friends and colleagues who have the power to make a bigger impact on your brand.

Takeaway: Building your brand identity through guest posting, influencer marketing, How-to videos and infographics, your blog posts, call-outs and shout-outs to consumers who talk about your brand or products online. All these help to build trust.

Customer reviews: Customers say it like they see it. There is no BS here, and this is exactly what your site visitors look for. They trust reviews.

Takeaway: Acknowledge negative comments and offer solutions quickly. And, do not forget positive comments, address them individually and thank them for their reviews.

Ratings on social media sites: People talking about your product or brand on any platform has to be taken seriously. These are also high impact influencers.

Takeaway: Here too, monitor your social channels with vigilance and address the comments and reviews on time and appreciate consumers for their reviews (bad or good).

What the media says about the company: If you want consumers to buy from your flagship e-commerce store, then people conduct research to see how trustworthy you (site) are. They check for news and updates on media about your brand.

Takeaway: Getting your brand and company stories on 3rd party and PR platforms (both print and online) helps you build a reputation. When people Google your brand, they are bound to read about you.

What the company says in ads: We all know that, though consumers get lured in due to ads, they believe it is not completely true. So, watch what you say, you will be held accountable by dissatisfied consumers.

Takeaway: Make sure you highlight any T&Cs boldly and communicate with honesty. Do not bait your consumers, you might end up losing most of them. Trust is key.

The company’s social media presence: The simple rule is "be where your consumers are". This is not to throw pop-up or banner or sponsor ads at them 24/7, but to share valuable product and brand tips and tricks to build trust. And of course, to show that you care.

Takeaway: Create and manage your social channels. Share content posted on your blog, share product news and updates, offer content on how to maintain and take care of products post-purchase, etc, on your social channels.

By Amit Jain

The author is Founder purplestores