What is online consumer behavior? Consumer behavior is what happens when a consumer buys eCommerce products. Behavioral decisions — namely identification of problems or purchasing — rely on ever-changing demands and desires.
But the expectations driving online consumer behavior today appear to be common. The consumer should consider expectations such as product availability, product transparency, inexpensive shipping, affordable delivery, and convenient shopping trips.
Factors influencing online shopping behavior
Internet shopping is a sociotechnical phenomenon that has captivated a number of researchers for more than ten years. It’s not easy to predict the mental states of online consumer when they make an online purchase. Because it is difficult to generalize conclusions, several studies have emerged that hypothesize different things. Other research shows that behavioral changes affect online shopping behavior.
Delivery
Another factor in online shopping behavior is your fear of missing a product when you make your purchases. Potential loss in deliveries is where goods are damaged, causing customers to worry that their products won’t arrive on agreed deadlines. Online stores attempt to minimize this perceived risk by making it easy to understand shipping if the product was not delivered by supplying accurate information about when they should expect the product.
Product Risks
A major advantage to buying in traditional brick-and-mortar stores is having products available to customers on-site and allowing customers to purchase them. This helps retailers understand customers’ expectations when buying a product. The eCommerce industry tries to limit risks by showing the correct product description or allowing clients to zoom in on the product photos to give the clients their exact expectations.
Convenience
Online shoppers enjoy convenience. Unlike traditional shops that have fixed hours, online shops can be visited anytime day or night. No lines are waiting for you or a cashier you track for assistance when you need something. Shopping is simple. In addition, online purchases help customers save money. The customer can save time on a daily basis by simply completing a shopping form.
Financial risks
Online consumers are always concerned about financial risks. Risk refers to the perceived loss in financial resources resulting from buying something or services online.
However, the perceptions of risk differ greatly among the ages. In addition, millennials tend to have a lower degree of worry about online shopping than the older, who are less worried.
How to meet modern online shopping expectations?
Retailer success depends primarily upon understanding changing trends of the consumer. In the context of online shoppers, a broader understanding is necessary o meet customer needs in terms of a more efficient service experience for consumers. Can eCommerce retailers cope well despite the massive changes caused by this epidemic? This remains to be seen.
Include easy-to-locate product reviews
The customer wants to know the quality and does not need a long search for answers. 38% of shoppers feel online reviews are critical when considering purchasing products. Age is also critical in evaluating review expectations as young people expect more reviews compared to older ones. Retailers must publish as many reviews on the internet as possible in recognizable areas of the store. It’ll make your job easier. When customers can’t locate reviews, the consumer may prefer to go to another site and read the reviews.
Create a personalized buying experience
Consumers are seeking information that fits their own particular requirements or solves their problems easily without digging into it. Marketing should therefore create personalized shopping experiences using data obtained from searches, views, and purchases. Demographics can help identify customer needs. A cross-channel marketing tool is an automatic, scalable solution. The data collected is then analyzed. Online shopping experiences available need to meet customer requirements or solve the problem.
Sell across multiple platforms
The online retail business can only succeed without direct contact with consumers. It also means that we can offer services via many e-commerce platforms. Statista said online e-commerce accounts for most of the worldwide online shopping activity by 2020. It may prove difficult to manage sales or inventory if a website combines several pages. The use of multichannel marketing software like Linnworks is capable of integrating and automating the eCommerce process.
Offer faster shipping
In the wake of e-commerce conglomerates such as Amazon, consumers expect transparent and easy expedited shipment from every online store. Consumers want quick, affordable goods.
They will choose retailers that will meet these demands. It is essential that customers receive the highest quality products within the shortest amount of time. ShipBob helps customers with distribution warehouse solutions and logistic automation to achieve this dream.
Offer flexible payment options
In the event that the last stage of the buying process is complicated and uncomfortable, consumers may not purchase at the same time.
Approximately 87% responded to the survey, which found that online retailers are expecting flexible payment options. To ensure your customers are getting what they want, working with a merchant of record is a good idea. This payment partner can offer you a variety of payment methods, and currencies as well as manage worldwide taxes so you don’t have to. Including the Buy now pay later option and guest checkouts to provide this aspect as comfortable for customers as possible is also advisable.
Upgrade the mobile shopping experience
Statista reports that consumers spend 31% on mobiles. This total represents 46,8 billion. These latest online behavior statistics are impossible to ignore. Retail businesses must ensure their mobile apps have a better user experience. Mobile shopping experiences must be convenient for customers. It should be supported by seamless interactions across buyer journeys.
Five online consumer behaviors and shopping trends
How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact consumers? A new research study by Linnwork identifies 5 major e-commerce trends aimed at influencing online consumers. And despite their various manifestation on the customer buying journey, they all share a key feature: convenience. How will e-commerce become more successful?
Access to omnichannel shopping
Customers can choose from multiple technological solutions in a seamless shopping experience. 70% of consumers currently shop in multitasking mode. They’ve learned to believe their favorite brands are on their preferred channels. The company’s newest product line has a high level of security and customer satisfaction that makes it easy for users and businesses to use the product in a timely way despite the cost. The retailer’s approach to omnichannel marketing will be focused on a number of markets and, specifically, selling through Facebook and Instagram for millennial consumers.
Easy access across all devices
80% of consumers want seamless transfers across devices throughout their buying experience. It has been suggested that consumers could initiate the buying journey on their smartphone and continue on another phone — like their tablet — and the journey would not take much of a disruption. This mobile app is expected to include checkout on each device on which the customer finalizes the purchase process (even if it is filled out using an alternative device).
Fast and reliable delivery
90% of customers say fast delivery is essential when shopping online. Shipping is faster and the warehouses are more efficient. ShipBob offers 2-day delivery and uses a centralized logistic service network for transferring inventory among warehouses.
Shipping transparency has been a high expectation among many online merchants. The majority of customers abandoned their purchases due to a lack of shipment transparency in online shopping platforms.
Effortless payment
Retailers must take into account customer expectations to improve the experience and meet customer expectations and behaviors. Consumers desire convenience throughout the whole buying process. For a better buying experience, shoppers look for websites with easy-to-reach payment gateways. Simple payments help 89% of our customers make quicker purchase decisions. 84% of our customers purchase tickets in a convenient, flexible payment system.
Conclusion
People make snap judgments when they are online- first impressions count! This is especially true in the world of digital marketing, where people are constantly bombarded with new information. Make sure your website and social media presence are putting their best foot forward by following some simple tips: keep your site clean and uncluttered, use high quality images, and make sure your text is easy to read.
People also tend to be more impulsive when they’re online- this means that you need to have a strong call to action on every page of your website.
