As brands strive to fill consumers’ refrigerators, pantries, and entertainment centers via online purchasing platforms, it is only natural that those consumers will apply the same philosophy to their closets. Convenience has become an key driving factor in all retail arenas, and consumers are desiring to clothe themselves from head to toe from the comfort of their own devices.
Today’s consumers are facing an overwhelming plethora of options when they turn to their browsers to fulfill their shopping lists. The success of online retail has led to a boom of new brands, causing brands to push themselves to remain competitive. How can retailers best drive consumers to their brand in this sea of competition? Read on to discover three primary traffic drivers for today’s online fashion shoppers.
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The Price Must Be Right
Many retailers are basing both their consumer outreach and business model on convenience, aiming to save shoppers the hassle of traveling to a brick and mortar store. But consumers are vastly more concerned with making sure they get the best price. A majority of online shoppers believe if they needed to make a purchase, they’d compare real-world prices with those online and then buy where they could get the best deal. Shoppers are able to simply switch between browser tabs to find the best deal as opposed to physically comparing price at multiple locations. Competitive pricing that is readily accessible and visible is a significant advantage to drawing potential customers.
Coupon codes are also an integral factor in driving the traffic of savvy shoppers. Many consumers will sooner head to their search engines for discount codes than searching for the stores themselves. Discounts and specials that can be relayed via social media are especially valuable, catching the attention of consumers scrolling through their feeds and incentivizing them to visit the retailer with the most exciting deal of the day. Brands like LogoSportswear have begun to place ads on Facebook to capitalize on this advertising shift toward social media outreach.
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Do You Have This In My Size?
Sizing is one of the most important factors in wardrobe shopping, and nothing is more frustrating than traveling all the way to a brick and mortar store only to find out that your desired item is not available in your size. This frustration has led many shoppers to take to their devices and get a definitive answer online.
Shoppers will know with the click of a button whether their item is available or not, taking any guesswork completely out of the shopping equation. Many larger retailers have begun to offer an in-store pickup option, allowing them to involve the physical store but still isolating the purchase online. If shoppers can receive concrete and immediate confirmation of inventory, they will continue to complete their purchases online.
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Ratings and Reviews
Many online shoppers do not have the ability or desire to go into a brick and mortar location and try on a particular piece of clothing. In these cases, they substitute the fitting experience with online reviews, as well as the seller rating extensions on major search engines that are based on those reviews.
According to a recent Nielsen survey, 68 percent of survey respondents indicated that they trust consumer opinions posted online; a similar BrightLocal survey reported that 88 percent of consumers trust an online customer review as much as they would that of a personal recommendation. This level of trust and belief significantly emphasizes the importance of positive reviews, and also highlights the potential impact of negative ones.
These customer reviews have become integral factors in making a final purchasing decision and are priceless for online retailers. A new study from Pew Research showed that 82 percent of online shoppers consult customer ratings when buying for the first time, and nearly half (46 percent) said that reviews can help them gain confidence in their final purchase decision.
Brands and customers alike are tuning in to the authenticity (or lack thereof) of online reviews in light of an upswing of paid and incentivized reviews. Many brands have been known to provide discounts and/or free product in exchange for positive reviews, thereby delegitimizing them and forcing consumers to be more discerning. Savvy retailers like Logo Sportswear, managed by eKomi, have implemented a Customer Feedback Management team that moderates every review they receive to make sure they are A) Authentic and B) Legally and Third-Party Compliant. Shoppers are significantly more likely to shop with brands that they can trust.
Retailers have worked hard to evolve as technology speeds ever ahead, and to keep up with the consumers they are looking to reach. Today’s shoppers are savvy, and are looking to find the best deals in the most efficient manner after weighing customer reviews. When these three factors come together, they become today’s shopper’s perfect fit.
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