Over the years, there is extensive research on E-commerce websites. Throughout this research, we’ve learned a lot about the varying behaviors and motivations of E-commerce shoppers. These are the five shoppers types that have identified through the research.
The first type of shopper is product-focused shoppers.
They know exactly the product model and the options they want. They want the site to help them find their item, add it to the cart, and check out fast. One look at the name and product image and they’re ready to go. An effective search tool and a streamlined checkout are the best ways to help these shoppers.
The second type of shopper is browsers.
They go to their favorite sites or check out new sites just because they’re curious or they’re killing time or checking out things they might wanna buy in the future. For them, include links to easily browsed new arrivals, see what’s recently on sale, or what’s popular right now.
Third, the researchers.
Their goal is to gather information about products, including prices and details, reviews, etc. Your goal as a designer is to help these researchers become buyers. You can do that by making sure they get the level of detail they need, answering their questions with plain language and with clear product images.
Bargain hunters are the fourth type of E-commerce shopper.
They’re looking for savings and a good deal. These customers put in a lot of extra effort to get more savings. They’d wait for coupons in their inbox, or they’d open other tabs and search for coupon codes. You can help these customers by including discounted items in your product listing pages alongside your full-price item and having a dedicated section for discounted items.
Lastly, the one-time shopper.
They may have received a gift card for a place that’s new to them, or they’re looking to buy a gift card for someone from a site that they don’t typically use. These customers have never been to your site and they don’t really expect to return. You can help them with site navigation that conveys the range of products you carry, and you can allow them to out as a guest, without needing to create an account.
You can design an E-commerce experience that meets the needs of each type of shoppers.
Reference: https://www.nngroup.com/videos/5-types-e-commerce-shoppers/
