Sales more likely after a personal message
Six out of ten British consumers shop online every week, with more than half preferring to complete their purchases while in bed using a laptop or tablet, according to market research by Redshift Research, commissioned by personalised communications technology firm Sailthru, focusing on consumers' online shopping preferences.
The study found that consumers not only exhibited a very positive response to personalised communication, but that they actively understand the concept and are demanding even more tailored marketing communications from brands.
In fact, 63% of UK online shoppers said they are more likely to read a personalised message they receive from a brand they know and then complete that purchase (51%) following a personalised offer.
Other interesting findings from the study included:
- 57% of online shoppers prefer to make a purchase on their home computer or tablet, with the most popular place to make a purchase (56%) being from bed.
- 64% of online shoppers prefer it when a brand recommends products the consumer has previously shown an interest in, such as items on their wish list or in their shopping basket.
- 60% prefer it when a brand sends personalised communication with reference to a past purchase or browsing history, with almost two out of five confirming that branded emails are 'very' or 'sometimes' helpful when tailored to their interests.
With individuals now interacting with a brand across multiple mobile devices, every brand experience needs to be optimised for mobile to mitigate low conversions and/or basket abandonment. In fact, 42% of online shoppers have abandoned a purchase because it was too complicated to complete on a mobile device and 60% still prefer to use a laptop over a mobile device, due largely to a poor mobile experience.
Consumers also said that they want their online browsing experience optimised for mobile devices. They would be more likely to increase both average order value and purchase frequency if every brand experience were optimised for their chosen device. Some 45% of shoppers said they were likely to make an online purchase if the website was easy to navigate using a mobile phone.
"This study shows that consumers are demanding personalisation from their online and in-store shopping experiences. In order to meet this demand, brands must understand their customers on an individual level, deliver content that is interesting, timely and relevant to each user and also optimise that content to render on any device," said Neil Capel, founder and CEO for Sailthru. "It's about giving every individual what they want, when they want it and recognising that need even before they do. This is the future of successful brand-to-consumer marketing."
Consequently, Capel suggested, brands must stop merely dabbling in personalisation and make the right moves to provide relevant and platform-specific communications, or risk being left behind as their competitors do exactly that.
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