Meeting the Needs of Today's Omnichannel Shoppers
by Zack Wagner | Last Updated: Jun 7, 2018
Pre-purchase and Research Think about the last time you used your phone to aid in the decision-making process. It could have been extensive research into a new car you’ve been looking to purchase, or as simple as looking for recommendations for the best backpack to buy. Regardless of the size of the purchase, people are turning to their phones to make the most informed decisions. And there are certain things that they are looking for.
Nicknamed the “right here” consumer, people are expecting their digital experiences to be tailored to their location. A few years ago, it was common for consumers to type in “near me”, or even their zip code when searching for desired products. But now, instead of using that “near me” qualifier, they just assume their phones will know their locations and give them the research results accordingly. And brands that take note of this pre-purchase mobile trend are bound to reap the rewards; It was found that smartphone users are significantly more likely to purchase from companies whose mobile sites customize information to their location.
Purchase Congratulations! Your brand is the customer’s first choice to do business with, but that doesn’t always guarantee a sale. Remember how I mentioned that the consumer is impatient? Studies have shown that 53 percent of mobile site visits are abandoned if it takes longer than three seconds to load. Meaning if your mobile site is slow to load, the customer could quickly get impatient and move on to your competitor’s site. So how can you ensure that your mobile site is always operating smoothly, and responding as fast as your customers expect? The answer, Progressive Web Apps (PWA).
PWAs ensure your mobile experience always has those speedy responses that your customers are expecting. Speed however, isn’t the only advantage. They are also significantly lighter than native apps, have the ability to run offline, and provide support for push notifications to provide greater re-engagement opportunities.
Post-Purchase The purchase has been made, the customer has your product, your job is done right? Wrong! Staying in contact with the customer post-purchase is crucial for building strong customer relations. After all, it’s five times more expensive to attract a new customer than it is to keep an existing one. In addition, (as if that wasn’t enough) existing customers are 50 percent more likely to try new products and spend 31 percent more when compared to new customers, making customer retention a top priority for all brands. Which, can easily be achieved by sending out follow-up messages, satisfaction surveys, or promotional deals on other products your brand offers. All of these things show your customers that you care about their experience with your product, and creating a strong relationship with them is important to you. Multiple brands have found that mobile push notifications, email, and mobile messaging, have all had the highest success rate for customer retention.
Each customer is going to take a different path to purchase your product. But regardless of the path they take, they will be expecting that your brand meets their expectations throughout the purchasing process. But, by making sure your mobile sites are personalized to the users, while having the speed that they expect, and your brand follows up with the consumer post purchase, your brand can surely expect to see another purchase from them.