Many companies are rethinking the way they do business since the COVID-19 pandemic. As you rethink business strategies, it’s more important than ever to understand your customers. With that in mind, companies are creating updated shopper profiles with detailed descriptions of their ideal or target consumers in an effort to know customers better and meet their purchasing needs.
Shopper profiles can include demographic, geographic, and psychographic information, but the key components of these profiles are the insights into how they shop and what drives them to make a purchase. This information helps you to develop a shopping experience that caters to the way your customers shop. Part of this process is categorizing your shoppers.
To categorize your shoppers, start with consumer segmentation. You may have already created buyer personas, but shopper types are different. They are focused solely on shopping and buying behaviors. Once you’ve conducted your surveys and gathered your data, you will be able to identify which of the eight common shopper types are your main shoppers.
Let’s explore those eight types of shoppers, so you can identify who shops with you. With this information, you can create tailored shopping experiences that facilitate purchases in-person or online.
We’re going to look at eight common types of shoppers. For each one, we will examine their general behaviors, needs, and action items that may help you make the sale with them. Do you recognize any of these types as your shoppers?
Bargain hunters, also known as discount shoppers, are found in most retail stores—both in-person and online. They are usually armed with discount codes, coupons, sales flyers, and promo codes. Bargain hunters rarely make a purchase if there isn’t a deal, and their purchases largely depend on price and the feeling of saving money.
This type of shopper needs deals and sales to motivate them to make a purchase. If bargain hunters are prevalent in your business, keep this at the forefront of your mind as you create a pricing strategy and/or rewards program that will provide ongoing satisfaction in their quest for the best deal.
Use these strategies to appeal to the bargain hunter:
The browser is the customer who is walking through the store with no specific purchase in mind. Also called wandering customers, this type of shopper may have just happened upon your store and is curious about what it contains—they are not necessarily thinking of making a purchase.
The browser is typically motivated by an experience or connection, such as a souvenir purchase to remember a vacation or a tchotchke that reminds them of home. Gift, souvenir, and book shops often have a large number of browsers.
Marketing strategies that work with browsers:
Showrooming is the practice of going into a brick-and-mortar store to view or test a product and then make the final purchase online. These shoppers are prevalent in stores that sell mattresses, furniture, appliances, and large electronics. They examine the products thoroughly and then purchase them for a reduced price from an online retailer.
The showrooming customer can be won over if you can make the purchase, including delivery and installation, fast and easily.
Try these ideas to sell to the showrooming customer:
Lots of shoppers have a little impulse buyer in them. The impulse buyer makes purchases on the spur of the moment. They may buy small things that catch their eye or make larger purchases in the throes of emotional shopping or retail therapy.
Because the purchases are made on a whim, it’s not necessarily addressing any “need.” The impulse buyer is trying to satisfy an urge. The best way to appeal to them is with a clean, well-organized space with helpful staff. Eye-catching displays are key in attracting impulse buyers.
These may help you tap into your impulse buyers’ desire to buy:
Your mission-driven buyers are usually armed with lists. They are shopping for particular items, and they’ve come prepared to buy them. These shoppers are also referred to as list shoppers or reluctant shoppers because their shopping is need-based rather than for enjoyment.
Your way into a mission-driven buyer’s heart is anything that makes their task faster and easier.
Things that appeal to mission-driven shoppers:
The indecisive customer wants to make a purchase, but something is stopping them—price, insufficient research or information, or too much information.
Appeal to the indecisive customer by helping them feel assured that they are making the right decision. That little bump in their confidence may lead them to purchase. The keys to effectively assisting them through the process are patience, helpfulness, and encouragement, paired with trained and knowledgeable staff.
Tips for winning over indecisive shoppers include:
Your educated customer has done their online research. They’ve scoured the internet for customer reviews, researched specifications, read critic reviews, gathered general pricing information, and checked whether your store has the item in stock. By the time they hit your store, they have a good idea of what they want to buy.
Even though they’ve done their online research, educated buyers tend to want to ask questions. Do you have this particular model in stock? Do many people return this product? Do you know if people have had problems with assembly? These questions help them understand your store’s firsthand experience with the product they are considering. They will also want to view the product in person before completing the purchase.
Help your educated customer by:
Your favorite customers are likely your loyal, regular customers. They visit frequently and purchase often. The loyal customer is your most valuable customer because they normally spend more than others, recommend your company, and provide repeat business.
The loyal customer loves that you know them by name, set things aside that you think they’d like and treat them like VIPs.
Try these to make your loyal customers feel special:
You may have an idea of your main shopper types based on observations, but wouldn’t you rather make decisions that are backed by data?