Meet the New Wave of Online Shoppers

By now, you are fully aware that the pandemic has changed how many people shop forever.

You might be tired of hearing about mandated government shutdowns forcing many brick-and-mortar shoppers online to purchase their favorite items. And you’ve definitely seen the data on how some shoppers loved this experience and some will go racing back to their physical locations as soon as they are allowed to.

But one question always looms: what does all of this mean for the future of my business and how can we best take advantage of the changed landscape?

Bloomreach commissioned a behavioral analysis study to understand more about the shoppers who made the shift from shopping at brick-and-mortar stores to shopping online in 2020. With the help of Philip Graves, a consumer behavior consultant and author of the book Consumer.ology, The Market Research Myth, The Truth About Consumers and The Psychology of Shopping, Bloomreach studied the behavior of new online shoppers to help businesses to best connect with their new customers.

One of the most interesting things to come from the study was the compilation of data which allowed for the creation of seven different shopper types for 2021. The shoppers studied all fell into one of these new groups that had unique characteristics despite all being practically brand new to online retail shopping in 2020.

Learning about and understanding these new shoppers will help your company best retain any new customers acquired in 2020 and best tailor marketing efforts toward them.

The wait is over. Let’s do a quick introduction to 2021’s new online shoppers. If you’re looking for more details, including innovative campaign ideas for each shopper type, download our seven shopper type flashcards.

The Sensory Shopper

This shopper enjoys seeing and touching the clothes he or she is buying. This is an important part of the shopping experience. They enjoy trying items on and have much less certainty about making a purchase if they cannot do the aforementioned things. 

The Leisure Shopper

This person enjoys shopping not only for the end result of a new purchase, but also for the experience involved. This type of shopper will often do a lot of browsing to garner the complete experience of shopping before selecting an item or multiple items. Shopping is not simply transactional for this shopper type, the “buzz” surrounding the purchase is very important. 

The ‘Clothes for Status’ Shopper

Folks in this shopper type use clothing to demonstrate and elevate their status and place an extensive importance on the way they look and dress. They enjoy the “ceremony” of shopping and believe there is a sense of status associated with the brands they choose to support. Because these shoppers are concerned by the way they look, they are inclined to search for style inspiration and get pleasure from believing that what they are wearing looks good.

The Perfectionist

Members of this shopper type desire everything they buy to be perfect. They want everything purchased to look, feel, and fit perfectly. Because of this, they are very concerned with return policies and the potential negative feelings associated with that process. They are also very likely to listen to advice from friends or other trusted sources. 

The ‘Desire to Save’ Shopper

Shoppers in this profile are heavily influenced by price. They are drawn to discounts and sales and get a feeling of satisfaction from the feeling that they got a deal on a product. Online shopping suits them well because there is a larger range of items available so there’s a higher chance of finding a deal they can get excited about. 

The ‘Fashion Follower’ Shopper

This shopper type is concerned with looking good and keeping up with all of the latest fashion trends. Individuals who fit this mold get pleasure from purchasing products that align with this. This group values the convenience and flexibility offered by online shopping and the fact that they can access the latest trends faster online. 

The ‘Happier Online’ Shopper

This group gets a great deal of enjoyment from shopping and uses the activity to feel good. The act of purchasing clothes releases positive feelings in the brain which reinforces the behavior. Online shopping now gives this group the opportunity to achieve these feelings from home at any time. Members of this group even view waiting for items to be delivered as an exciting factor of online shopping rather than a drawback. 

Bloomreach Facilitates Customer Retention

Is your business doing everything it can to retain new customers and market to them effectively? More importantly, who is on your team and helping your company in these efforts? Bloomreach’s  Customer Data and Experience Platform provides a single customer view that makes producing elite customer service experiences second nature.

Bloomreach gives you all the tools you need to transform your customer data into top-performing campaigns and content. The flexibility Bloomreach provides allows you to act on your data in almost any way imaginable. 

Schedule a personalized demo today to learn more.