Types of Shoppers – The Researcher

“Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing.” – Wernher von Braun

Researchers show curiosity and sometimes they are not entirely sure what they are looking for. However, this is not to be confused with browsing online. Their research serves a purpose and when the time is right, it will result in a purchase. These shoppers are goal-driven and dedicated. When shopping online, here are some things to keep in mind to cater to this type of e-Commerce shopper.

Collecting Intel to Make the Right Purchase

Understanding your customer is an important part of e-Commerce success. In tailoring a sales approach, however, there has to be a balance. The strategy should be flexible enough to accommodate the variety of shoppers that will come across your webshop; you want to attract as many customers as possible. You should also be strict enough in coming up with your content design and messaging. A surefire way to fail is to try and please everybody. Take an honest look at what who your audience is, both existing and potential, and create your content and sales strategy accordingly.

The Researcher is collecting intel. This could be from multiple sites, searching for product information, details, reviews, and prices. They could also be in any stage of the research, from learning about the range of products available to an expert comparing tiny details, prices, and the best combination of features for their needs. Because these shoppers are not likely to stay with one single site, a website needs to stand out by being a trustworthy source of information.

Compelling Content at Every Level

Provide relevant content at every level of your website. Starting from the top, your homepage should make it obvious what you sell and should be quite simple to navigate to various categories. Category pages are also an opportunity to add even more content instead of having just a title because it gives more context into what a customer might be able to find. Sub-category pages with a brief description  highlight top selling products.

There are many ways to go about creating content for your item pages. Here are some things to keep in mind that would appeal to the researcher:

1. Layer the details. Don’t bombard your customers with an overwhelming amount of detail. Instead, take a layered approach. Start with the basics, with enough information to convey the gist of the product; this description should be above the fold. As the user scrolls down or digs deeper into the product page, they will find more details.
2. Keep information consistent. Your terminology and concepts should be consistent and clear with every product description across your website. To further aid your customers, consider including a glossary or guide somewhere so there is no miscommunication about expectations.
3. FAB approach. This is a simple but effective way to approach content writing for your customers that can help you sell more because you are focusing on what the customer can gain. Start with F, for features; what does your product consist of? For example, socks with a cushioned sole. A is for advantages; what purpose do those features serve? Using the sock example, the advantage would be comfort. B is for benefits; these would be specific to the customer. Cushioned soles in socks would provide comfort and the benefit for the customer is that they can stay on their feet all day long with minimal pain. They can do more of what they love without worrying about aching feet.
4. Appeal to the senses. Dry product descriptions are all too common. While informative, they do nothing to stimulate the customer’s imagination. Instead of selling beautiful flower bouquets, try selling fragrant and vibrant blooms that are sure to brighten anyone’s day or home.
5. Tick all the right boxes. Tap into their thought process and consider the key details that confirm that this could be the right product for them.

Related Files and Accessories

This includes cross-selling and upselling opportunities. Though they are in the research phase, these features still serve a purpose. The more information, the better. Customers can read about items that are often bought in conjunction with this item and gather as much context as possible. More information only helps you make the sale with this type of shopper.

Now that you put some products on their radar, product compare is a great webshop feature for them. Shoppers will be able to compare details, weigh pros and cons, see how it best fits their needs, and make decisions based on that. To keep it visually appealing and relevant, be sure that your product descriptions and details have consistency to them.

Ratings and Reviews

The research process wouldn’t be complete if you didn’t factor in other customers’ opinions as well. Obviously as a company, you think your products are great and are describing as such. Positive and honest feedback from other customers can go a long way in boosting your reputation and trustworthiness.

Sign Up For More – Give these types of shopper the opportunity to sign up for newsletters. It gives them access to information and resources that are not always available on the website. If you do offer a newsletter, sales and promotion information is great, but try and include some behind-the-scenes stories and relevant articles that are more in-depth about a subject matter. For example, provide an exclusive coupon code for helmets and knee-pads as well as a guide on picking the right roller blades.

Nav-to-Net™ Features that help:

• Content management made easy with MLTB tool and file, image, and data management straight in NAV. Seamless integration also means that updates happen in real-time so customers will always get the latest information as you publish it. Researchers won’t be operating on old information. Read more about MLTB tool here.
• Product Compare makes it visually appealing to weigh pros and cons, facilitating decision making.
• Ratings and Reviews go straight into NAV and can be moderated or automatically averaged and published. Check out our post here on social proof.
• Submission Manager allows you to create and manage multiple forms across your webpage. There are several options so you can make forms as simple or as detailed as you like. Create surveys, event registrations, and more. We’ve got a blog post on that as well.

Nav-to-Net™ is dedicated to finding e-Commerce solutions that work for any business, any industry, helping you appeal to a wide audience online. (industry pages)

Request a Demo to find out more about Nav-to-Net.

More from our series: Bargain Hunter, Mission-Oriented, Browser, The One-Time Shopper

Are you a researcher too? Check out our resource library!