2017 SHOPPER PROFILES

Transcription

1 2017 SHOPPER PROFILES

2 Discount Dependent Luxury Loyalists Impulse Led Couch Converters

3 LOOKING BEYOND DEMOGRAPHICS: FOUR MODERN SHOPPER PROFILES The modern shopper is becoming increasingly complex and hard to define. There are many different types of shoppers bargain hunters, tech savvy millennials, wealthy professionals and brand addicts, to name a few. But how can we spot these different segments online and how do their behaviors change when social media, digital advertising and coupon sites are added to the buying journey? Certainly, it s time to move beyond the traditional, demographic categories of age, gender and job. As the online retail world becomes more competitive, marketers must adopt a more informed, data-led approach in defining their core audiences and how to reach them. To help, Rakuten Marketing s deep dive into the fashion, luxury, beauty and travel sectors in the UK, US and Australia defines four key shopper profiles for 2017 as: Discount Dependent Luxury Loyalists Impulse Led Couch Converters Shoppers who value Typically identified by These shoppers routinely Characterized by a need cash back, coupon and basic demographics, browse various brand to convert quickly, these discount sites, and use they increase spend on websites and affiliate sites, convenience-based desktop devices more each purchase, and place before moving through to shoppers are less likely to often. Black Friday saw a a value on the in-store purchase. They usually invest time in the research 120% rise in conversions experience as well as have no brand loyalty but if process before they globally compared to the online. they are loyal, brands see purchase a product. prior month. huge returns.

4 TRAITS OF DISCOUNT DEPENDENT SHOPPERS November peak month Purchase at all times of the day Value cash back, coupon and discount sites THEIR BEHAVIOR Discount Dependent Conventionally, brands have marketed to Discount Dependent shoppers at key sales peaks. Deals are then promoted through social channels to shoppers using different devices and in-store where consumers can weigh up their options before moving towards a considered purchase. Unsurprisingly, the biggest peak in activity for Discount Dependent shoppers is November, as they scour the web for bargains and coupons in the run up to the holiday season. Contrary to the headlines touting the rise of consumer apathy for the annual event, this Black Friday saw a 120% rise in conversions globally compared to the prior month. By January, the appetite for sales diminishes to the extent that the month is the second lowest for conversions globally. However, while more transactions are taking place, the sales don t necessarily make customers spend more. In the UK, these Discount Dependents only reduce their average spend by a maximum of 8% on the ninth order a decisive moment for luxury shoppers where spend often drops indicating that their budget actually remains the same even when there are promotional offers and discounts.

5 The times in which set budget shoppers purchase are also very consistent. There is less than a 2% increase in the number of orders from 7pm (1.8%) a time that is typically a peak for post-work online shopping. This suggests Discount Dependents are looking out for sales all the time, keeping an eye on , social media and display ads to notify them if a product has come down in price. Ultimately, their spending won t peak and dip depending on the time of day. As for the devices they use, these more considered shoppers are most visible on desktop devices showing a preference for a more thorough purchase process. From the moment a desktop user clicks through to a product page, to the point they place an order, takes 61 hours on average. Therefore, marketers must think about how they can lead the consumer through to purchase on this device. Ultimately, the conventional approach to driving through Discount Dependent purchases needs tweaking. Sales peaks must flatten out into a more continuous, targeted environment for shoppers to discover and consider products. One of the most effective means of creating this environment is by partnering with the huge variety of discount, coupon and cash back sites to gain visibility for your brand s promotions.

6 Luxury Loyalists Luxury Loyalist shoppers are easily categorized by demographic insights and previous brand purchases. With a higher disposable income, their buying habits are not related to the November sales peak that captures discount dependent shopper attention. However, while the initial purchase by a luxury shopper carries a higher value than other shopper profiles, retailer marketers should be focused on the lifetime value of this type, nurturing the luxury shopper through to a return purchase. We found that US luxury shoppers will increase their spend per visit by

7 16% on average over the course of the first five purchases. Similarly, in the UK, luxury shoppers will increase their spend per item by 11% over the first five orders. Crucially, this US spend consistently rises with every purchase, representing an increase of 21% by the tenth order. Luxury shoppers in the US also tend to demonstrate greater loyalty than their UK counterparts, 91% of whom only buy from a luxury brand once. Moreover, order value in the UK tends to fall after the eighth purchase, highlighting a natural limit on order value that brands must take notice of. At this point, the brand must show understanding of the customer and the kinds of products that will complement their previous investments. Digital marketing to luxury shoppers must also focus on being assistive to the research process. Unlike other types of shoppers, less than 1% of luxury shoppers will actually complete their purchase digitally. The opportunity to touch and feel products in-store still holds sway among this profile when it comes to making the final purchase, but retailers must make sure they deliver a consistent, rich online experience that encourages them towards the physical point of sale. TRAITS OF LUXURY LOYALIST SHOPPERS Increase spend on each purchase 8th purchase often marks the natural limit on order value and the point markers must focus on the need to complement previous purchases Value in-store experience as well as online

8 TRAITS OF IMPULSE LED SHOPPERS Particular categories are stronger than others for impulsive shoppers; beauty being one of them Typically, have no brand loyalty but if they are loyal, brands see huge returns Loyalty programs encourage repeat orders, offering value against competitors Impulse Led These impulsive shoppers routinely browse various brand websites and affiliate sites, before moving through to purchase. In this sense, Impulse Shoppers represent a huge opportunity, but this is limited to certain sectors. If we take consumer electronics, just 1% of customers will purchase more than a couple of times a year based on the cost and longevity of products. If instead, we take clothing or cosmetics, the chance of consumers returning to stock up on winter clothing or replenish their shampoo is very high. However, these shoppers typically demonstrate little to no brand loyalty. Just 4% of cosmetics customers returned to buy three or more products from brands in 2016, and this drops to 3% for clothing. Additionally, clothing brands must keep shoppers engaged with relevant ads and messaging over an average 53-hour period from the moment they click through to a product to the purchase. That said, if brands make building loyalty a priority they will reap the rewards. For those impulsive shoppers that do continue to make repeat purchases, the average value of orders begins to rise incrementally. In the US, consumers will carry on spending more per order, ultimately increasing the average value per order by 33%

9 over the course of the first eight purchases. Similarly, in the UK, Impulse Shoppers increase spend by a staggering 83% in the same period, highlighting behavior conducive to brand loyalty. At the ninth purchase, average spend dips by 14% and then again by 3% for the tenth, suggesting an appetite for a change. Interestingly, the drop from ninth to tenth purchase is much smaller, indicating the potential for loyalty to be won back after an unsuccessful change to a rival brand. Loyalty programs and coupons are an important consideration for marketers at this point, offering greater value over other, similar retailers.

10 Couch Converters Characterized by a need to convert quickly, convenience-based, Couch Converters are less likely to invest time in the research process before they purchase a product. These consumers want clear direction from brands on what to buy and where to buy it, meaning that programmatic advertising and affiliate marketing is highly effective for this audience. It would be easy to assume that these shoppers convert on the device that is most convenient, likely mobile, and quickly. However, in the UK, mobile conversion from the highest purchase type interaction (i.e. a click rather than an impression) still takes an average of 27 hours.

11 As a result, brands need a strong multichannel approach. For instance, when looking at page views pre-purchase, people spend 44% less time researching a purchase on their tablet than they do on their mobile. This profile is particularly relevant to the travel sector. While desktop shoppers invest an average of 34 hours in research pre-purchase, shoppers on mobile and tablet are the quickest to purchase at just 13 hours. This is indicative of the fact shoppers in this vertical tend to go about organizing a vacation in a group, often exchanging direct purchase links on Facebook Messenger for example. The knowledge that flights and hotels could sell out or go up in price unless they buy immediately adds real time sensitivity, which pushes them through to purchase. This suggests the best environment to target Couch Converters is when they re at home as they will start and finish the journey notably quicker. Certainly, in the UK this is when most transactions occur. Across key retail verticals including apparel, beauty and travel, 8pm marks the highest point in the day for transactions. For international campaigns, this also represents the best time locally to target Couch Converters who are likely to go through to purchase at home on their tablet. TRAITS OF COUCH CONVERTER SHOPPERS Opportunity to provide clear direction towards a purchase, particularly in verticals like travel Multichannel approach is crucial 8pm is key time of day for conversions

12 SUMMARY These four data-led shopper profiles offer a useful starting point for understanding shopper behavior in Thinking of shoppers in terms of their age, gender and occupation is no longer enough. Instead, marketers must look beyond demographics and use data to understand the behaviors and motivations of their most valuable customers. Understanding these behaviors presents the opportunity to test and optimize different marketing tactics across channels and devices, online and offline. This will encourage shoppers to not only make that initial purchase, but also to return again and again.

13 ABOUT RAKUTEN MARKETING Rakuten Marketing s industry leading solutions empower marketers to thrive in their evolved role and achieve the full potential of digital marketing, efficiently and effectively, with data-informed insights that create consistent, engaging and influential experiences across screens. Offering an integrated solution, along with unique insights and consultative partnerships, Rakuten Marketing delivers the tools that marketers need to increase efficiency, productivity and performance. Rakuten Marketing is a division of Rakuten Inc. (4755: TOKYO), one of the world s leading Internet service companies. The company is headquartered in San Mateo, California, with offices in Australia, Brazil, Japan, the United Kingdom, and throughout the United States. CONTACT US Please do get in touch to learn more ls-sales@linkshare.com