Let me guess: You bought something online today, didn’t you?
It’s OK! I’m not judging.
Wondering how I knew?
Well, the average customer makes at least two transactions online every day, according to PYMNTS.
Their research shows that retail purchases and food or grocery orders make up a big percentage of those purchases.
It’s obvious that digital shopping (which accelerated during the pandemic) is here to stay.
But it will take a little more for your brand to stay relevant in a shopper’s wallet.
I conducted two surveys of 1,000 people each to gain insights into their online buying behaviors, so I can inform you of what similar trends you can expect to see in 2023.
Let’s see what consumer buying behavior trends are going to stick.
How Consumer Shopping Is Impacted By MarketingAbout-Local
You are exposed to all kinds of ads and messages about products when you shop.
These ads might come from TV, social media, or even email.
Have you ever noticed that some of these ads stick with you and make you want to buy something?
For example, you become aware of new products and brands you might not have discovered otherwise. Ads can also shape your perception of a brand, making it seem more appealing or trustworthy.CounterBuddies
Marketing also triggers certain emotions. A really touching ad might make you feel connected to a brand and more likely to buy from them.
By understanding what motivates consumers and tailoring messages accordingly, UndoneCreationbusinesses can be highly successful in getting people to buy their products.
Here are some of the ways marketing impacts consumer purchasing behavior:
Awareness: When consumers become aware of a new product or service and how it makes their lives better, they may be more likely to purchase it.
Brand perception: A well-crafted marketing campaign can create a positive image andmarketingsland association with a brand, making it more appealing to consumers.
Emotion: Marketing that evokes emotion, such as a heartwarming commercial, may make consumers feel connected to a brand and lead them to choose that brand over others.
Discounts and promotions: Offering discounts or promotions can incentivize consumers to purchase a particular product.CounterBeSties
Influencers: Consumers may trust the opinions of influencers they follow and be more likely to purchase a product those influencers recommend.
Marketing plays a crucial role in shaping consumer buying behavior and influencing their shopping decisions. By understanding pricing psychology and tailoring marketing messages accordingly, businesses can effectively reach their target audiences and drive sales.
What Behavior Is Driving Online Shopping?
Converting the cart is the goal.
This we know.
But how do we know what’s driving the ever-evolving expectations of online shopping behavior?
There are many factors that influence the customer’s decision-making process.
For one, visuals are a main driver.
One historical force driving consumer buying behavior trends in online shopping was the COVID-19 pandemic.
This essentially sparked the rise of hybrid shopping—those shopping in-store and online.
This new consumer attitude drove e-commerce, accounting for much of the retail sales at the time (and now contributing to the growth of worldwide e-commerce and social e-commerce sales).
Brands had to re-evaluate how user behavior affects SEO and revamp their local SEO and international SEO efforts.
It took new tactics, like including more local-based keywords and garnering more reviews, to keep up with household-name brands (not to mention SEO for Google Ads space).
It altered search trends, which impacted how a business generates leads.
With altered search trends comes altered behavior.
Another behavior stemming from the pandemic is how often people were online.
Not only were people online to keep track of the latest news updates, but they were also on social media.
The fast-paced progression of social e-commerce showed everyone the power of the new platform on the block, TikTok.
Remember the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt? It was a sign of the platform’s growing influence. It grew so much that almost half its users purchased items they’d seen while scrolling the app.
New consumer behavior trends in online shopping mean you’ll have to step up your marketing strategy.
Not only to support your sales but to embrace current events, emerging technologies, and most importantly, learn how to create a positive and convenient customer experience.
How Behavior Leads to Shopping Action
Stay current on consumer shopping habits no matter what product or service you sell.
Why?
You will need to understand your customers and shift with their expectations to serve them effectively.
To influence online shopping behavior in your favor, you have to prompt buyers to act.
Other than offering quality products and services, providing a welcoming online experience goes a long way.
A consumer may act when compelled to.
Do you have calls to action (CTAs) prompting them to want to do more?
For example, if you have an augmented reality (AR) feature on your product page and a user can preview what that product will look like in their home, they may be compelled to add it to their cart. Why? Because that high-level feature provided them with a good user experience.
What they desire or what will enhance their lifestyle is ultimately what they’re looking for—and you’re virtually showing them how your product answers their call.
You can use A/B testing to see how customers respond to your behavioral marketing tactics.
Once you see how customers react, you’ll have transactional data to pick up on consumer buying behavior trends in online shopping.
What Our Data Says About Online Shopping Experiencelifehackeres
My team and I ran two surveys—one focused on online shopping behavior in May 2022 and another on e-commerce shopping experiences in March 2023—to get a feel for consumer buying behavior trends. We surveyed 1,000 people in each, for a total of 2,000.
Here are some of the bigger takeaways:
Haul videos created by influencers or content creators can convert your target audience, so be open to affiliate marketing.
Focusing on younger generations is a smart play because they are the age groups mainly shopping online.
Posting your products online is critical since social e-commerce is so convenient for users. (For example, this is a great way to funnel in impulse buyers.)
Robust production descriptions with images or even videos are a must to assure users they’re getting a quality product that meets their expectations.
Online shopping is still absolutely critical post-COVID. Users are not going back to pre-pandemic shopping ways and are still utilizing a hybrid approach when purchasing items.
Based on your specific industry and customer base, there may be more specific trends to follow. But these make good starting points to capitalize on modern consumer buying behavior.
Now, let’s dive into the data.
We conducted our two surveys to see what drives users to shop and, ultimately, pull the trigger on a purchase.
We’ll begin with our May 2022 online shopping behavior poll. All respondents shop online at least once a week, and we had an almost even 50/50 split men and women providing feedback.
The demographics based on age were telling of your potentialsmartblogersU.S. shoppers, with more than 60 percent ranging from 21 to 41 years old: