7 different e-commerce customers and how to get them to convert

To be able to increase your sales you must know what customers need and what motivates them. How do they behave, and why do they do what they do? Once you know that you can improve usability and better support the different user needs. We describe the most common e-commerce customers and how to get them to convert.

The most common e-commerce customers

Websites attract a wide range of users. Some know what they're after and go straight to a purchase, but not everyone is there to convert. Some browse and surf aimlessly, others look for good prices, compare products and read up on several different sites. Here are some of the most common e-commerce customers:

1. The Bargain Hunter

The bargain hunter is the most common e-commerce customer and usually not a loyal one. This type of customer does research and takes a bit more time. They compare products across different companies and brands before deciding. When they do buy, they do so from whoever has the best offer. Thus price matters more here than, for example, quality or excellent customer service.

Because the bargain hunter is not the most loyal they are hard to capture - but it is possible. You can entice them with, for example, discounts and promotions at regular intervals, offers of free delivery or prompts to subscribe to newsletters to get a discount. On the website it is important that the price and discount are clearly visible. Red prices and ready-made calculations showing how much you save are clever tricks. It should also be easy to find sale items or promotions via the navigation, callouts, links, etc.

"If you want to encourage this segment to make repeat purchases, redirect their attention: from the price point to the value they get for their money.

When you write product descriptions - emphasize the benefits of your products instead of focusing solely on the features.”

Asos has clear entry points for SALE and outlet in the top navigation. They also link to a campaign high up on the page.

Boozt shows how much I save as a customer, they have red sale prices, a tag that indicates it's a "deal" and additional opportunities to get more discounts.

2. The Window Shopper (Online Browsers)

The window shopper, or online browsers as they’re also called, often visit sites to get inspired, be entertained or catch up on trends and news. They can easily spend a little more time on a site, so the experience is very important. If they get a good user experience every time they browse a particular website, they will keep that brand in mind when they eventually decide to buy.

Maybe you’ve heard of the “Hemnet addict” — a person who checks Hemnet daily and looks at properties, almost as a hobby. The window shopper is like the e‑commerce version of that. That’s why it can be difficult to attract this audience with so‑called “scarcity techniques” such as “Only 4 products left...” For this customer, it’s a good idea to show what’s new, popular or on promotion. It’s therefore smart, for example, to tag products or have dedicated sections specifically for this

Related products help shoppers navigate and lead them to new items and categories. Being able to favorite and save products to personal lists is also useful for this target group. Keywords like “Best sellers”, “Top list”, “Most popular”, “New”, “Others have bought”, “Trending now” catch their attention

3. The Impulse Shopper (One-Time Shoppers)

The impulse shopper is driven by emotions and spontaneously buys what appeals to them at the moment. That means they can easily shop with different companies and brands. They often buy “cheaper” products rather than making larger, more expensive investments. They make their decisions based on emotions and, to some extent, trends and social norms. Personalized or related products can entice them to purchase. The brand’s tone and experience are important for speaking to their emotions. That is why it is important to design the right kinds of emotions into the customer experience.

Read more about Emotional design and what affects our emotions and our customer experience.

"Usually they don't research or compare prices. They Google, they click, they buy"

4. The Product Focused

These customers are goal-oriented and usually know what they're looking for. They are product-focused and have a need that must be met. It can be a product you use daily that has run out and you need to buy more. These customers don't browse around your website — they find their product, make sure it's the right one, and buy. The goal is for shopping to be relatively quick and smooth.

Clear product names, descriptions and images help them locate and confirm they've found the right item. Clear navigation or a good on-site search can make it easier for them. Showing previously purchased products so they can easily reorder can also be useful.

One challenge with this customer group is enticing them to make additional purchases, getting them to buy more products than the one they intended to buy. For example, you can show bundle offers, related products, "Often bought together...", "Others also bought...", recently purchased or popular products.

5. The One-Time Shopper 

The one-time shopper can have a bit of all the other customer types in them. They may be looking for a good price, after something specific, or just window-shopping. They might not have visited your site before and may have received a gift card they need to spend. Therefore everything must be clear and logical. Trust is also important since they may not already be familiar with your company or brand

Good navigation that shows your range, clear product descriptions, a secure and familiar payment method they recognize, and information about your company are important. Since they don’t plan to return, it’s good to offer them a quick checkout where they can shop without having to create an account and log in

6. The Researcher

Like the product-focused one-time buyer, the Researcher is needs-driven and purposeful. They plan to purchase but don’t know whether it will happen today, tomorrow, next week or in several months. The Researcher reads up to learn more about the product and this can occur at different stages of the buying journey. Often these customer types look for the right price and want to ensure the product has all the features they’re after. They search for details in descriptions and images and often visit multiple sites to gather information and compare before deciding to buy.

For this audience, trust is important. Product descriptions that are descriptive and relevant show that you know what you’re selling. However, it’s important not to scare off other customers by cluttering the site with overly detailed descriptions everywhere. Instead, in-depth information that the user can access on their own terms is a good way to solve this. So on a product page, for example, an overarching description that suits all types of customers can be visible from the start, with detailed information available in expandable, easily accessible elements.

To further build trust and increase the likelihood that they choose to shop with you, it’s important to have good support, a secure and reliable payment solution, and intuitive navigation.

7. The Loyal Customer 

The loyal customer is a returning customer who likes your products and your brand. They are more likely to leave positive reviews and testimonials and act as ambassadors for your business. To retain them, they should be rewarded for their loyalty. You can use customer clubs with bonus systems or personal discounts and offers. They can be given priority access to product launches and updates. The customer experience is also important, so the experience should constantly be the focus to avoid risking them leaving and going to a competitor

"They are already loyal and engaged with your brand. But 86% of consumers will abandon an e-commerce site after a bad experience."

Finally

It is rare for a person to belong to just one of the customer types. For example, all customers may show a little of the bargain hunter's behaviour or be a one-time buyer. The point is to be able to meet different customers' needs in different ways at different stages of their buying journey.

Do you need help designing your website for your typical e-commerce customers? Contact us and we'll be happy to help you.

Read more about how we work with e-commerce

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