We recently completed a survey of customers who recently made an online purchase, we asked them to rank their primary reason for buying online and if they ever avoided online purchase. Not surprisingly, the top five reasons that people purchased online were:
1) Convenience – Respondents felt they could shop from home or office without going into to the store
2) Options – Respondents liked being able to see available options instantly
3) Speed – This response covers the browsing time, check-out time and the time saved to check if items were in stock
4) Trust – Most respondents buy from brands they trust, this also plays into their likelihood for being up-sold.
5) Price – Probably one of the top motivators, because online shopping makes it easy to compare prices from other merchants.
The three main reasons shoppers avoided an online purchase were:
1) Fewer Senses – When it came to certain items, respondents were reluctant to buy without being able to touch the product or see the true color.
2) Fraud – In some instances, respondents were worried about the check-out procedure or worried that the site may not be legitimate.
3) Return Process – Being unfamiliar with the company and their return policy often made the shopper reluctant to buy.
As an email marketer don’t forget why people are buying as well as why they aren’t, use your email program to address opportunities along with the shopper’s concerns. Also watch the price factor; people are not going to pay a premium to get your product and although respondents listed it lower in priority doesn’t mean it’s unimportant. I believe those surveyed didn’t want to list price as a high factor although they felt it was a major determinant.
Another implied suggestion is to leverage your interactions with the loyal – thanking the customer and continuously offering exclusives for them.
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