New Survey Outlines Strategies To Reach Specific Online Customers

A new survey from HookLogic says that all online consumers can be divided into three basic types of consumers—including Shop Around Sally, Buy Button Bob, and Window Shopping Wendy—and strategies for how best to reach them.

The study, titled “Convert Shoppers to Buyers for DPG and Durable Goods: Online Consumer Shopping Behavior Revealed,” surveyed 500 consumers who had shopped online within the past three months and examined shopping and conversion trends across a variety of product categories, including health, cosmetics, personal care, clothing, electronics and baby care in order to identify the three shopper categories.

The first category was dubbed “Shop Around Sally,” who takes her time and engages in extensive product research before making a purchase, represents 46 percent of consumers. Then there is “Buy Button Bob” as HookLogic calls him, representing 41 percent of consumers, of which over half are male. Bob wants to buy with minimal fuss. Finally, the third type of consumer, representing 13 percent of shoppers, is “Window Shopping Wendy.”  Wendy is active online, and shopping is just one part of her online activity.

Shop Around Sally’s average income is $60,000 and she spends $192 per month on average. 61% of consumers of this type are female. According to the study, Sally is also a chronic abandoner of shopping carts as a result of her efforts to consistently find the best deal. HookLogic say that retailers should provide her with side-by-side comparisons and plenty of ways to navigate an e-commerce site.

Buy Button Bob, on the other hand, is a stealth shopper.  He wants to be able to quickly find and purchase the products he wants. His average income is $59,000, and he spends $152 a month on average. Retailers should cater to his desire for efficiency by streamlining navigation, reducing the number of clicks to buy and providing clear product information, says HookLogic.

Finally, there is Window Shopping Wendy, who constitutes just 13 percent of consumers. She makes on average $64,000 and spends on average $182 a month. Almost two-thirds of Wendies are female, and they often browse without having a specific product in mind.  Wendy is the most likely of the three consumer types to make an impulse purchase, so HookLogic suggests that retailers capitalize on her impulses by offering Wendy suggested items while she’s shopping.

The report notes that according to data from Nielsen, the Online Consumer Product Goods (CPG) sales are expected to see a 25 percent compound annual rate from 2012 through 2015. That means that companies who understand the propensity for customers to convert from shoppers to buyers and to purchase additional CPG products online can take advantage of this expected growth and significantly boost their sales.  

Consumer behavior can change depending on which category she’s shopping. When shopping for items in the clothing and accessories category, 55% of consumers behave like Sally, 29% like Bob and 16% like Wendy. Compare that to the electronics category, where 50% of consumers behave like Bob, 37% like Sally and 13% like Wendy.