The Secret Wish of Online Shoppers Revealed…!

Online stores are always walking on a tightrope when interacting with their target buyers. However, if the recent Accenture Survey is to be believed then stores have something to be happy about.

Online shoppers prefer personalization over privacy – this means if marketers and online retailers are able to cater to people’s preferences, market to them relevant and personalized offers and products then they don’t mind sharing private information with them (subject to of-course the condition that there’s no mis-use of information shared by the user.)

Too busy to view the infographic or this entire post? Remember these very useful figures and findings:

3 in 4 shoppers prefer stores that utilize personal information of the shoppers to improve the shopping experience.
75% of the shoppers are more inclined to purchase from a store/ brand that use mobile apps.
93% of shoppers prefer buying from companies that are active on social media. (Not surprising!)
61% will trade personal information for relevant or customized offers.

So here it is, straight from the users – the million dollar revelation that online stores seek – what do buyers want!

Now how can online shoppers bank on this vital information and deliver the excellent experience that users expect?

Here are some tips to notch up the ‘personal’ bit in your interaction with users on and via your stores:

1) Review all the touch points on your website and personalize them a bit. Touch points are the points of contact where you will be directly addressing the user. For example: auto-responder emails, checkout process, order confirmation emails, newsletter sign up box, etc.
2) Start Ad Remarketing – This Google Ad re-marketing technique is a great way to present your target audience/ consumers with personalized offers. Re-marketing works in a way that it allows you to re-market to users who have already visited your website, browsed it or perhaps left in the middle of a checkout process. You can re-market to these users and even offer them discounts and special offers along based on their preferences, interests and demographics. Ad re-marketing is perfect for directly addressing the users especially now we know that users wouldn’t mind if the offer is relevant and according to their preferences.

What else is doable in quick time:

1) Get a Feedback form. A feedback form is a must for online stores, not only does it tell you what your customers are looking for on your store but also what would they would like to see. A great way to gather data for personalizing future offers and also for getting a direct heads up on you can improve user experience on your web store. Keep the feedback form very simple and easy to fill.
2) Make sure you have a mobile version of your website and are running mobile ads. If we go by the infographic and the modes that users prefer then smartphones and tablets are quite favorites of online shoppers.

What has been revealed in the study is not something very far-fetched but quite inevitable. Why wouldn’t users want personalized experience when they are willingly leaving the brick-and-mortar stores and opting for online shopping?

So now that we know, it’s time to do better! Let’s make this holiday season a great one for online shoppers.

An advice – Do not mix personalization with invading personal space of online shoppers. Know how much is too much 🙂

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Nosheen

I am a writer, reader, and a part time adventure and travel enthusiast. The other three things that vie for my mind share are dark chocolate, coffee, and photography. I am highly motivated by user perspectives and addressing the common human experience when I write.

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