Get ready to intimidate your customers in a truly menacing way. Why’s that? Well, according to new research by digital software company Episerver, 92% of buyers have no intention of purchasing the first time they visit your website.
That means that they can be bullied into buying.
The 25-page report surveyed 1,000 online shoppers globally. So what are these hapless victims doing when they merrily log on to your site?
Just 17% cited making a purchase as their main aim. Thirty-five percent are logging on to search, while 29% are looking to compare products and services. Hmm, might we politely suggest a hobby for these ditherers? Maybe chess or crown-green bowling?
Bizarre though they are, the results do show the importance of regularly redressing your online shop window just as you would a bricks-and-mortar store.
Let’s look at your home page. Yes, yours. Pay attention at the back. Is there a dearth of popular tools such as search bars or product information? That can turn buyers off faster than a bucketful of dead kittens. In fact, the study found that 44% of shoppers won’t buy without these basics.
Personalisation of marketing is big right now because of incoming GDPR regulations. So it’s a surprise to see how many consumers (35%) believe brands don’t give a monkey’s about personalising their shopping experiences.
Another 16% professed themselves ‘frustrated’ by brands’ lack of interest in their customers, and 12% said they were ‘distrustful’ at online experiences that weren’t relevant to their needs.
With GDPR on the horizon, 87% of respondents somewhat surprisingly said they were fine with companies holding more information on them. Presumably, they were also keen on businesses coming round to their house to rifle through their bedside cabinets.
However, research by the Direct Marketing Association has found that brands are pretty much oblivious to the 25th May changes to data storage and marketing.
Other Episerver findings include:
- A personalised experience means that 25% of shoppers would likely buy from the brand again
- 20% would up their loyalty with personalisation
- 20% said personalisation would add trust
- 29% of people browse shop windows at least once a day on smartphones and 49% at least once a week
- 60% of cart-abandoners said price alone was the factor for leaving
- 54% abandoned their cart because they couldn’t locate what they were searching for
- A slow site and checkout process put off 17% of shoppers
- 5% were put off by poor-quality digital content
Now go find those knuckledusters.
