Kate Kozak | September 27th, 2017
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Have you ever thought about how you shop? We always focus on why we shop or when we shop? Think retail therapy or the holiday season. But let’s take a look at how we shop, even more specifically how we use the internet to shop. These questions came to me one day as I was creating an online marketing strategy and assessing who uses what device any why? When you shop online, do you use a mobile app, mobile website or desktop? Do you prefer to purchase on your mobile or your desktop?
Trends suggest that most people will use their app or their mobile site to browse their favorite online shops then when they wish to make a purchase they will use their desktop computer. Many shoppers can easily take a minute or two during their day to check their phones to browse a new sale or new releases but sitting down at your desktop computer is a true commitment.
My personal choice is to browse the products on my app and then select my preferences to my Favourites or add to my Wish List. This enables me the opportunity to view my potential purchases in more detail, read reviews, explore the deals offered and then evaluate the shipping timeline. Shipping is a deal breaker for me. I want it free and fast! Now, if I really love it the item or there is a sale that just can’t be missed then there’s an impulse buy, but this rarely happens. When you allow yourself to search on the app, save your preferences, then an evaluation via desktop will enable you to view your product images larger, read relevant reviews and then one last comparison before your purchase.
Many e-tailers are seeing this behavior and are guiding shoppers to use their mobile app rather than their website to keep their consumers more engaged. An app allows for more personalization by offering an instant individual connection between the shopper and the online store. Apps often provide means to initiate calls-to-action to serve the consumer’s individual needs, including access to your camera to take a quick picture to show off your recent purchase to either accompany your review or to tag on Instagram or Twitter, or perhaps a quick click-to-call to answer any immediate questions.
Simply put, the app knows me. It say’s Hi, then can immediately show me my fave’s or push relevant offers my way, and if it’s really good it will suggest clothes in my style and preferred colors based on data collected on previous purchases and app activity. Since all apps, when allowed, can access quite a bit of your phone information including location, camera, version, and type of phone, they can easily customize your shopping experience. It just needs to ask the right questions.
Next time you thinking of buying something online think of why you are using that device. I’d love to hear your comments.
