INC Magazine: 3 Different Types of Customers Brands Should Target Now

The impact of social-media-driven, algorithmic advertising really can’t be overstated. In just the past five years alone, we’ve seen the advent of TikTok and the total takeover of Instagram: visual venues that have shortened the distance between “seeing” and “buying” to nearly zero. These days, shoppers hardly ever leave their chosen app.

This has completely eroded the old rules of e-commerce. Black Friday is in August now and lasts for 100 days. Back to School is all four seasons. Customers now come at any time, from any direction. Brand loyalty isn’t a given. As a result, brands must do a better job at “surrounding” the consumer with an experience that covers every touchpoint. Opportunities to buy via email, SMS, and Amazon/Google feeds must be ready and frictionless for when a person decides to engage.

But earning customers in this climate takes more than blasting out promotions and discounts. Brands must truly understand the evolving world of shoppers— considering each person’s needs and getting some kind of benefit-focused point across. The old shopper archetypes are either dead or barely applicable in our evolving landscape.

Here are the three most important categories of modern shoppers—crucial to understanding consumer needs and successfully catching their eye online.

The new impulse purchaser

Instead of old wisdom around impulse shopping, don’t think of this group as looking for immediate gratification, but rather as people who are comparatively more open to suggestion. Pressure campaigns aren’t needed here—just a clear vision.

It all starts with eye-catching visuals to lower the barrier to entry and create clear differentiation. Next, make it easy to buy. Yes, low prices will help with that, but many brands underestimate other critical factors like security, an easy return policy, reviews, and social proof, all of which younger shoppers demand in the social shopping/mobile-first age. Lastly, use data collection and retargeting to follow-up with these shoppers.

Don’t be coy—be direct and ask for business. Here’s where you should also consider adding promos such as rewards for abandoned carts or SMS offers for even deeper discounts or exclusive items.

The competitive gift giver

Like impulse buyers, these shoppers are open to suggestion, but also aim to fulfill criteria. In the past, that would have meant that brands had to rely solely on strategically crafted product descriptions (highlighting quality and benefits) and hope to be discovered. But modern tech gives brands the ability to learn, remember and apply data about each gift giver using zero and first-party data.

Instead, use your e-commerce site or other touchpoints to ask shoppers about the event or recipient of the gift. The answers can then be used to power personalized recommendations or packages, while also giving your brand an opportunity to enrich CRM with both giver and recipient.

Beyond that, brands should take into account that gift-giving sometimes has a new context since the rise of social. Everyone wants their gift to stand out. So, websites need to sell a “moment” to the gift giver. The online touchpoints need to convey that each consumer will be perceived as a thoughtful and generous giver that provides the most unique experience. So, focus your visuals on packaging and the entire experience of receiving the gift, unboxing, opening and reacting. In our own work with Oreo, we’ve found that focusing on this increases conversion by up to 2x.

The utilitarian shopper

As you’d expect, these shoppers are purely fulfilling criteria, so the challenge is knowing what they want and giving it to them. One solution for brands is to attempt to empower these shoppers to make their own choices. This can be accomplished with various site tools and resources—like product filtering that allows people to filter out specific ingredients or features, sitewide search that compiles both product and article results, and comparison facilitators that put your product in the best light. When used correctly, these can all make purchasing frictionless.

These shoppers are also more discerning—they are less likely to “take your word for it” that your product fills their needs. To head off skepticism, showcase testimonials and reviews from credible sources who have some element of respect or expertise in the field. When a big celebrity name is not available to cosign your products, higher volumes of reviews are an acceptable substitute. In our experience, adding services like Bazaarvoice can lift the conversion rate by 1.7x.

These are important archetypes to consider in building any brand or product ecosystem in the age of social media. Otherwise, even the best product will go ignored and be edged out by a competitor that works harder at giving these people the experiences that demonstrate an understanding of how they really shop.

Read the original at INC Magazine