What can shoppers’ actions reveal about their attitudes?
Learn how signals can unpack the shopper journey.
CONTENTS
What’s the difference between a shopper who takes 20 days to complete a purchase and one who takes 4 days? Our research suggests it’s more than just speed.
In part two of “From Browsing to Buying”—our series on what signals show us about online shoppers—we’ll explore what people’s different actions might mean about their different attitudes towards shopping. For this 3-part series, we have created a unique shopper segmentation from signals captured through the Facebook pixel, engagement and app data. To learn more about our research methodology, in particular, how we were able to create segments based on pixels and other signals, check out our series page.
The right signals can help retailers map out shopper journeys for how different types of shoppers behave. The graphic below shows what different signals can reveal about different steps from discovery to purchase.
2 Within the 30 days of purchase.
3 This feature is available on Facebook Analytics (“funnels”).
4 Most conversion we tracked were websites (desktop and mobile) that come through pixel data. App data is limited.
More activity suggests more passion
Data shows that time spent on the path to purchase can differ greatly across segments. But longer journeys don't necessarily indicate lags or idle time. Between their first day and final purchase, Shopping Mavens5 and Informed Mobilizers6 went back to a brand's site quite a bit and had on average more “add-to-cart” actions, the number of items added to a cart, than the other shopper segments.7 The chart below shows how Shopping Mavens and Informed Mobilizers behaved during the journey.
Shopping Mavens8 and Informed Mobilizers9 have longer but active journeys10
These numbers should not be used as benchmarks, as the specialty retail shopper segmentation was based on one month of activity only. Behaviors could vary throughout the year.
The longer, active timeframes Shopping Mavens and Informed Mobilizers took to make their purchases suggest passion. It also suggests discovery happens on a brand's site: they browse before they buy. Data from our survey validates this. On average11:
63% of Shopping Mavens indicated they were either passionate or very passionate about shopping in this category.
51% of Shopping Mavens said they get inspiration from information on a retailer’s or brand’s website.
63% of Informed Mobilizers indicated they were either passionate or very passionate about shopping in this category.
46% of Informed Mobilizers said they get inspiration from information on a retailer’s or brand’s website.
In the same way a salesperson might suggest clothes that complement another piece, online retailers can find ways to showcase the rest of their catalogue, piquing more interest and, perhaps, more purchases.
Some shoppers just want to get in and out
What can we infer from the behaviors of Social Savvies12 and Opportunistic Shoppers13? The time between their first visit to a brand's site and their final purchase was, on average, half that of both the Shopping Mavens and Informed Mobilizers. Similarly, during the 30 days observed, Social Savvies and Opportunistic Shoppers visited the site fewer times and had fewer add-to-cart actions.
Social Savvies14 and Opportunistic Shoppers15 just want to get in and out
These numbers should not be used as benchmarks, as the specialty retail shopper segmentation was based on one month of activity only. Behaviors could vary throughout the year.
You might think, maybe Social Savvies and Opportunistic Shoppers are just fast. Actually, no. They appear to just have a more transactional relationship with the category. When we compare their attitudes to those of the six segments across the specialty retail category, Social Savvies and Opportunistic Shoppers are more likely to say they made their last purchase to replace something, and that they won’t pay full price for anything.
SOCIAL SAVVIES0.8X1.1X1.2X
OPPORTUNISTIC SHOPPERS0.9X1.1X1.2X
Index against the combined average of all six segments across the specialty retail category.
However, this data doesn't mean that these shoppers are indifferent about what they buy. Their average pages viewed per site visit19 were consistent with the combined average across the specialty retail category. So, Social Savvies and Opportunistic Shoppers are looking around. They’re just getting to a decision sooner.
Online retailers can make the most of this short journey by removing checkout friction, facilitating comparison shopping and offering deals.
Some just prefer shopping in stores
Online Reluctants,20 the remaining shopper segment, show behaviors that are anomalous across the spectrum. For example, the time between their first time on site and final purchase are the lowest across the specialty retail category.21
Perhaps the most unique aspect of their behaviors is this: The average number of pages viewed per site visit was 5. Regardless of the number of days they took to buy, all other shopping segments averaged between 18-20 pages.
The outlier: the Online Reluctant20 prefers shopping in-store22
These numbers should not be used as benchmarks, as the specialty retail shopper segmentation was based on one month of activity only. Behaviors could vary throughout the year.
What’s happening?
Fewer pages and add-to-cart actions suggest a more focused purchase. Online Reluctants are not beginning and ending their shopper journeys online, but rather using online searches to complement in-store purchases. According to our survey, 47% of Online Reluctants estimate that at least half of their purchases were in a bricks-and-mortar store.
When asked, “What, if any, hesitations do you normally experience when you shop for apparel/accessories, either online or in-store?” an Online Reluctant responded: “Online you can’t physically touch or see it.”
For those who prefer shopping in person, online retailers can still leverage online advertising to cultivate relationships and entice people to physical store locations.
What it means for marketers
Inspire shoppers who like to take their time.
A longer shopper journey might suggest someone who is discovering online and trying to find something he or she loves. If this is the case, help shoppers discover more of what you have to offer, for example, by suggesting more items to try or showcasing the rest of your catalogue. When it comes to tactics, advertisers may want to try creative formats, such as Facebook collection ads, that showcase a variety of products that these customers can browse through.
Help shoppers justify their choices.
Task-oriented shoppers want to find what they want quickly, confirm it's a good value, and then move on with their lives. If you discover you have transactional shoppers among your own customers, give them the confidence they need to buy, fast. For example, help them browse products with high reviews or offer ad-based deals they can redeem.
Send shoppers who prefer offline experiences to stores.
Retailers can use signals from their own customers to uncover outlier shoppers. For example, shorter shopper journeys might suggest a shopper who prefers buying offline. For these shoppers, highlight products available at local stores, plus prices and store information, such as location and hours.
Source unless otherwise specified: Based on Facebook internal data, a segmentation of ~1.6M shoppers captured by the Facebook pixel across the specialty retail vertical; US only; 18+; Feb, 2017. Survey data: “Facebook Pixel Segmentation” survey by Ipsos Connect on 1,216 Facebook users out of the above segmentation; US only; 18+; Feb, 2017.