When Worlds Collide: The Future Of Online Shopping

WHAT TODAY’S CUSTOMERS WANT Both online and offline channels have unique advantages and disadvantages, but what are the key things that can help online retailers deliver a more shop-like experience and make their brand stand head and shoulders above the competition? Our survey results pointed to a number of factors that can help close a sale online: It’s All About the Visuals From a wider range of images and more targeted videos, to livestreamed content and branded TV channels, online shoppers are demanding content-rich websites that give them the opportunity to experience the product in as much detail as possible. Personalise to Monetise In the digital age, where the customer is king,...
WHAT TODAY’S CUSTOMERS WANT Both online and offline channels have unique advantages and disadvantages, but what are the key things that can help online retailers deliver a more shop-like experience and make their brand stand head and shoulders above the competition? Our survey results pointed to a number of factors that can help close a sale online: It’s All About the Visuals From a wider range of images and more targeted videos, to livestreamed content and branded TV channels, online shoppers are demanding content-rich websites that give them the opportunity to experience the product in as much detail as possible. Personalise to Monetise In the digital age, where the customer is king, consumers are demanding retail experiences that are unique to them and catered to their exact needs. Simple Is the New Black Though one of e-tail’s key strengths, consumers are still seeing room for improvement in the convenience of the online shopping experience. ©2017 Brightcove, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 3 Now Let’s Take a Look at Each Trend In Depth It’s All About the Visuals The top two ingredients missing from the online shopping experience selected by consumers are not being able to try on (66%) or touch and feel (64%) the products. In light of this, it should come as no surprise that visuals are afforded such a high level of importance by consumers. Of the consumers we surveyed, 43% called for more visual content, images, videos, live-streamed content or branded TV — to help improve their online shopping experience. Coupled with the fact that 53% also acknowledge that video, images and multimedia content encourages them to purchase products online, the case for retailers to up the video ante is clear. Appliance specialist, AO.com is a perfect example of a retail brand that is utilising rich media content to engage customers without the physical experience of walking through a store: “ Our video and multimedia content brings the products to life. We work really hard to exceed the in-store experience and demonstrate that we have the best product knowledge delivering an exceptional level of consistency across thousands of products. One of the key tools we use is video and multimedia, which bring product features and benefits to life and also help answer all the questions customers may have about a product.” - Dominic Starkey Director of Marketing, AO.com Guided purchases Across Europe (the UK, France and Germany), while women might miss being able to see a product on themselves more before buying it, men appear to rely more on the opinions of others. One in four (24%) men said the lack of sales assistant advice was a key drawback of the online shopping experience. 2:30 / 5:56 ©2017 Brightcove, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 4
Read more...