Retail Websites Play Increasing Role in the Purchase Process
Posted on Fri, Dec 10, 2010
For years, those with responsibility for shopper marketing within stores have relied upon innovative signage, interactive kiosks and premium shelf placement to engage with shoppers at the point of purchase. But with shopping activity moving online, how can retailers employ the same tactics on their websites?
Google recently published results of a Cyber Monday survey that noted 77% of respondents used on-site search to find products. Ten years ago, this number would have represented in-store, and 2 or 3 years ago, this number would have represented search engines, but increasingly, shoppers are beginning the purchase cycle on retail websites.
Those features on retail websites that attracted shoppers were great deals (22%) and a fast/easy shopping experience (14%). When questioned about what didn’t work, shoppers cited difficulty finding items (11%), shipping problems (10%) and lack of deals (8%).
With on-site search playing such a big role, retailers must begin to think of on-site search as the virtual shelves within their estores. Just as in the brick and mortar world, retailers can begin monetizing the premium shelf space, the first page of search results, and benefit from the 90+% of shoppers who may be browsing.
Similarly, product marketers need to think outside of the store and realize the rich opportunity that lies within the virtual shelves of the retail site. There are opportunities to capture premium positions wherever products are presented site-wide, beyond the ad banners that are rapidly becoming a victim to “banner blindness.” Google has trained us that better position translates into more clicks, and conventional wisdom tells us that more clicks translate into more sales.
With online buying at an all-time high, isn’t it time to understand the incremental opportunities available through retail sites?
We’d be happy to discuss it further with you.