New data from market research firm Nielsen is revealing how, since the start of COVID-19, shoppers’ basic needs have shifted and how brands can best adapt to these changes.
Overall, the data suggest shoppers are now motivated largely by a “need it now” mindset, which has been reinforced by a growing suite of brick-and-mortar, e-commerce and social shopping platforms. For retailers and manufacturers alike, understanding how customers want to shop is pivotal in capturing sales today and tomorrow.
What Defines the Omnichannel Experience
For today’s customers, the act of shopping might be less about actually buying an item and more about the entire shopping experience, both online and offline. Nielsen identified a framework of four ways brands and manufacturers can reinvent the customer experience to meet modern needs.
1. Availability
Product availability helps spur routine spending. Brands need to make their inventory transparent and easy to navigate for customers, especially in times of need.
2. Curation
Brands can inspire new purchases by prioritizing product discovery. Try to be relatable and easily searchable to help connect customers with new products.
3. Immediacy
Brands need to capitalize on spur-of-the-moment decision-making, Nielsen says. Finding ways to convert on shoppers’ impulses is more important than ever. Aiming to upsell on predictable shopper behavior is a key opportunity.
4. Excitement
Inspiring emotions that lead to future purchases is paramount. Brands can even celebrate shopping milestones using sales data to create new shopping habits in customers.
How to Increase Customer Loyalty
On a basic level, customers expect product availability. Consistently meeting this need, whether online or in brick-and-mortar destinations, will be pivotal to retaining customers in the years to come.
After more than a year of drastically shifting consumer behavior, demonstrating product availability is a true necessity for brands and manufacturers. Even if product availability is not possible at a given moment, brands can still aim to build customer loyalty by curating relatable content, like recommending related products and streamlining store layouts for maximum convenience.
Building Purchase Momentum
Once shoppers have connected with the products they need either in stores or online, today’s customers expect a heightened sense of immediacy from the brands and manufacturers they’ve chosen. Companies that excel at meeting modern shoppers’ needs can also pivot to capture “what else” purchases from these same customers.
Today’s shoppers want some level of intrigue and excitement in their shopping experience, Nielsen’s findings show. Shoppers want to be both surprised and delighted by the overall experience, which will motivate them to look forward to their next interaction with your company.
Whether creating a unique unboxing experience or enhancing your existing customer service options, there are numerous opportunities to build genuine pleasure from connecting today’s shoppers with today’s products.
In summary, every customer’s shopping experience should have the goal of incorporating and delivering on new expectations of product availability, discovery, immediacy and excitement.
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