The world of business is a lot like competitive fishing. You’re trying to be the best by catching the most and the biggest prize. You do so with skill, finesse and above all else knowing who and what you’re trying to capture. Consumers want to be impressed; there’s very little reason why they should fork over their hard earned money to a company that is anything but. However, it’s not always as simple as licking your finger and seeing which way the wind blows. Business and trade are getting more to grips with the psychological aspect of consumerism in the online world. The beauty and perhaps double-edged sword action of online shopping is, you get a substantially larger crowd to entice. They’re called browsing consumers; they visit many websites before they make a solid purchase. On the other hand, this means you don’t really meet them or get enough time to understand why they came to your website. So how can you grab them hook line and sinker?
Photo by Circe Denyer
Just ask them
Many shopping websites now have the tried and tested, humble survey. This usually pops up in the bottom left, or right-hand corner and respectfully asks if the potential customer would spare some of their time. From a once ‘nothing to give back’ kind of information retrieved, to now actually giving something back in return. Surveys are great if you keep them short and sweet. So make them your best questions and don’t word them too complicated. Choose from one to five questions are making them a blend of aesthetic enquiry into functional categories. Ask the customer why they end up on your website with a few options like ‘just browsing’, ‘looking for a specific product’, or perhaps ‘a friend recommended me’, etc.
Source HutchRock
Lift the veil
Let’s face it, we all like the ability to shop anonymously. We get to browse products at our own leisure, with no one being able to intrude into what or why we like something. However, when it comes to running a business, information is like gold dust. It’s simply invaluable because it stops you from stabbing in the dark hoping to connect meaningfully with your consumers. Services that offer Anonymous Visitor Identification are a resolute solution to this issue. Around 2% of visitors are willing to identify themselves via their own free will. That leaves 98% who are left in the dark. If you utilize this kind of service for your business, you get access to vital information of the overwhelming majority. You’ll see their country, gender, potential interests and their clicking habits. This paints a picture of how they got to your business and where they like to snoop around. With this vital information, you’re better able to market products toward them with a much higher chance of securing a purchase.
Without knowing what the customer wants, businesses are lost at sea. It’s almost like a conveyor belt method of grabbing attention; you just throw as much of yourself out there, hoping someone will take it. Not only is this time consuming it’s also costly. You’d be surprised at the interaction rate you’ll receive when you offer them something back when they commit to a survey. Anything from a 1-5% discount on their first purchase, and they’ll happily answer the same amount of questions. Equally, lifting the veil on just who is visiting you at all hours of the day allows you to channel your products and services to the right person.
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