Big box retailers tend to refer to themselves as “always on.” Today, this aptly describes consumers too.
Consumers are addressable via a variety of devices such as tablets, desktop computers, and mobile phones. They are constantly retrieving data from the internet multiple times throughout the day and from a variety of locations. While this is a wonderful thought that at almost any time in the day consumers can be touched, it also makes for some interesting conversations by marketers trying to engage them.
As such, the marketing planning cycle is always ongoing. Gone are days when you created a plan, executed it, and forgot about it until the New Year arrived. Marketers have a big job on their hands to figure out how to keep consumers engaged.
What becomes equally challenging is staving off cart abandonment. There are several reasons why consumers don’t convert to a buyer. Consumers’ decision to abandon their cart can usually stem from the following:
- Price not competitive
- Price was higher than anticipated
- Poor user experience
- Technical difficulties with the site i.e. website too slow or crashed
- Site too complicated to navigate i.e. too many steps to complete the payment process and/or find what searching for
- Unsure of payment security
None of the above is difficult to correct. It really is a function of understanding the journey the consumer takes to become a buyer. It’s critical that websites are designed to be user-friendly and create an experience that encourages the consumer to stick around awhile.
Additionally, consumers want to have a degree of confidence that their personal and payment info is secured, as well as being able to get customized offerings. Another truism about consumers is that they tend to use websites like walking into a shopping mall.
So the question becomes: “What face is your company projecting?” To answer this question, you can poll your current customers and ask what you are doing right and what you need fix.
As online shopping continues to grow, garnering your “unfair” share of consumers’ wallets becomes top-of-mind. Websites need to be in a continual state of evolution to keep content fresh and maintain high engagement levels. The longer a consumer spends with you, the better the opportunity you have to close the deal!
Adele Lassere is a marketing/advertising consultant with 20+ years experience, freelance writer and author of “Elements of Buying” (self-help advertising guide); available at Amazon.com. Adele was listed as Black Enterprise’s 2011 Top Execs in Marketing & Advertising and Black Enterprise’s 2013 Top Women Executives in Advertising & Marketing. Contact: [email protected]
