Women with shopping bag checking her mobile phone

How mobile and social are changing customer buying behaviour

3 Feb 2016

2 min read

SpinMe is a leading imaging solutions company and one of our most exciting and innovative clients. While we're working on SpinMe's new brand and website, we'd like to share the first of two insightful blog posts from managing director, David Brint, on how to compete in today's ever-evolving online retail environment.

"Getting to grips with the customer journey in a multichannel world"

Understanding buyer behaviour is as important as selling products, and identifying today’s customer journey is essential to moving forward in retail. But how can retailers maintain a relevant service in the market?

"70% of retailers still don't have mobile sites"

Technology and smartphones have significantly altered the shopping experience for the consumer over the last few years. Improvements in online retail capabilities have resulted in customers welcoming the multichannel experience. Buying behaviour has evolved into a mix of instore and online. A recent study by Barclays revealed that mobile-commerce will be worth £54 billion by 2024, yet 70% of retailers lack mobile sites or apps. Shoppers want what they want, when and where they want it. Retailers and brands have to accommodate today’s multichannel shopper to remain pertinent to today's customers.

"Pinterest and Instagram have evolved into marketing channels"

Brands and celebrities heavily influence retail. Social media bridges the gap between everyday consumers and the products they desire. Platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram are often central to buyers’ behaviour and allow shoppers to access an interactive catalogue of products they can buy instantly. Pinterest is now offering ‘buyable pins’ to users in the USA, while Instagram allows brands and retailers to buy advertising space to reach wider audiences on the platform. Both social media outlets are making it easier for retailers to market to customers through alternative channels, enhancing the mobile buying process.

Fashion and celebrity Instagram photographs

"Personalisation is a powerful retail tool"

Investment in up-to-date ecommerce technology, alongside traditional advertising and marketing techniques is crucial to satisfying buyers’ behaviour. Understanding the customer journey through tag management and behavioural alerts is important. Marketing to shoppers with carefully personalised communication, using monitoring software, can help to sell an item previously viewed online.

"Enhance the shopping online experience as much as possible"

Today’s buying culture still involves a heavy mix of instore and online research, with shoppers looking for the best product deals. Giving as much valuable, in-depth product information online is key to maintaining your potential customer’s interest. Multichannel shoppers want to easily understand what the product can offer them, and want an experience that’s as close to instore as possible. This involves giving customers quality product details, competitive price and delivery options, and advanced imagery capabilities to show all angles of a product.

ASOS website - girl modelling striped dress

All customers are different, and there is no ‘cookie cutter’ buying behaviour in the market. Retailers and brands must move with the technological times to ensure their customers keep coming back to purchase products instore and online.

#userexperience #mobile-optimised #retailmarketing #ecommerce

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