We’ve already written about today’s smarter consumers, but a new study from PowerReviews, a Blueport Commerce partner, and the e-tailing group takes a closer look at how today’s sophisticated online shoppers use a variety of tools to research items before buying.
Of the 1,000 consumers surveyed, 70% research their purchases for at least a day before taking action. A ZippyCart piece also covering this survey offers this insight: “one reason for this longer-term research…could be the fact that most online purchases are for bigger-ticket items (TVs, other consumer electronics, etc.).”
Unsurprisingly, most of those surveyed said they begin their online shopping either at a search engine or a major retailer’s website. And 90% said product reviews had the biggest impact on their decision to buy.
At this point, only a third of respondents use social media sites, like Facebook, for researching products and instead look to them to find deals. But consumers are using their mobile phones to search for product ratings and reviews from within physical stores.
How Does This Change Your E-Commerce Business?
While these insights may not change how you run your e-commerce store, it does give you a few things to continue to focus on or try out. Including:
Of the 1,000 consumers surveyed, 70% research their purchases for at least a day before taking action. A ZippyCart piece also covering this survey offers this insight: “one reason for this longer-term research…could be the fact that most online purchases are for bigger-ticket items (TVs, other consumer electronics, etc.).”
Unsurprisingly, most of those surveyed said they begin their online shopping either at a search engine or a major retailer’s website. And 90% said product reviews had the biggest impact on their decision to buy.
At this point, only a third of respondents use social media sites, like Facebook, for researching products and instead look to them to find deals. But consumers are using their mobile phones to search for product ratings and reviews from within physical stores.
How Does This Change Your E-Commerce Business?
While these insights may not change how you run your e-commerce store, it does give you a few things to continue to focus on or try out. Including:
- Retargeting advertising: If consumers are spending more time online researching, retargeting allows you to keep your brand in front of them during their time online.
- Search engine optimization: SEO comes down to content creation. Be sure you have unique, helpful content on your product pages and consider branching out and creating content to help users buy your products. These tactics will aid consumers in their research and you in your search engine rankings.
- Product ratings and reviews: This is just another form of content, which will help with SEO and informing your customers. And even better, since ratings and reviews come from their peers, consumers trust them.
- Retailers, Meet the XTreme Shopper
- 3 Reasons Why Quality Content Could Be Your Key to E-Commerce Success
- Retail E-Commerce Trends to Watch in 2011
- Facebook's Role in Social Shopping
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