Consumers are much more educated and willing to research brands and products that line up with their core values. They’re looking for more than just a low price when making a purchase. The product needs to solve a problem or fill a need, whether it’s real or perceived.
With social media ad spending constantly on the rise, the lifestyle, image, and responsiveness of a brand to its customers are increasingly important.
Social Responsibility and Diversity
One of the most significant shifts digital marketing has on consumer behaviour is a heightened focus on what businesses and brands do beyond making a product. Consumers seek out brands and companies that align with their core values.
They want to support brands that actively contribute to our neighbourhoods and the world as a whole. Companies can no longer simply operate in a vacuum. Information is easily accessible online, and consumers are adept at seeking out information about companies and their executives.
Shoppers want the dollars they spend and the brands they wear and support to match their core values. Brands are identities, and innovative companies build a community of followers around themselves by the images and words they use on their social communities.
Social activism will continue to be a key factor for consumers when deciding where to buy goods or receive services.
Increasing Importance of a Digital Storefront
With foot traffic in brick and mortar buildings coming to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic, businesses that want to succeed must have an online presence. The user experience is vital for their success.
It’s too easy for customers to find another company or vendor if your site isn’t easy to use and doesn’t suggest the right products to your site’s visitors. Customers aren’t as loyal to brands as they once were due to digital marketing and social media.
There’s a constant flow of information now that consumers have access to at any time of the day. If companies aren’t supporting their core values, consumers can quickly find alternatives that provide similar products and a lifestyle they want to be associated with.
Consumers are savvy and know how to research brands and what they do and support. They want a quick, convenient online experience with a brand they’re excited about and want to be a part of.
We, to some extent, are what we buy and wear. Image is key. Social media has made the role of images in advertising and on business websites even more important. Innovative companies are creating a story that resonates with their target audience. They have to do more than make a product now.
Personalised Online Customer Experiences
Businesses used to focus on creating a great in-store experience. Now the focus is on creating a personalised experience for their audience. Digital marketing has forced companies to build deeper connections with their customers.
This is done, in part, through the online storefront. What products are you putting in front of your customers? What images and movements do you support? What does your leadership team support?
Customers can interact with companies like never before. Smart brands have online chat options to engage their customer base. Companies are providing multiple touch-points for customers to interact with them in real-time to resolve issues.
This gives companies new ways to engage in word of mouth advertising. Things move quickly online. Hype and buzz can come and go fast. It’s far easier and quicker now for someone to say how much they do or don’t like a brand.
We can all leave reviews, good or bad. Companies that are succeeding in using digital marketing to impact consumer behaviour are leveraging both the positive and the negative comments.
Brands must be responsive. Customers feel empowered and want and demand a response if they share a complaint or a concern. Companies that respond well to the negative can create brand loyalty by engaging the consumer and solving their issue in real-time.
This real-time dialogue is one of the significant shifts in digital marketing versus traditional marketing. There was no easy way to voice a concern or complain about a product that someone else could hear or see. Now anyone can post online.
Data Collection, Consumer Data and Product Recommendations
Another critical way digital marketing affects consumer behaviour and purchases is in product recommendations. Consumers used to seek out new products or hear about something new from a coworker or friend.
Now companies can use cookies and data online to meet consumers where they are. Brands must be careful here, as it needs to feel like the consumer made the decision. However, savvy brands will put their top 20% of products in front of consumers.
Product recommendations and things like ‘People also bought’ or ‘Frequently bought with this item’ can help show consumers new products they may not have thought about. This can create unique needs in your customer base, which will lead to more sales for your business.
If brands don’t do an excellent job protecting consumer data and privacy, they’ll lose customers. Having a secure, up-to-date site that values your customer’s user experience will add to your brand image.
The rate that information is posted and consumed is now so much faster than traditional print marketing. Companies can no longer hide damaging information from savvy consumers. This access to information brought about by social media and online marketing forces businesses to care about their customers in ways they previously didn’t have to account for.
The Quick Fix
Another way digital marketing impacts consumer behaviour is the heightened access to quick purchase items. With the rise of voice-activated devices around the house and our ever-increasing dependence on smartphones, consumers can buy whatever comes into their mind, whenever they want.
Businesses can position themselves well for those impulse buys with their story on social media and how easy they make it for consumers to buy items with just one click. Business can also work on Voice SEO, ensuring they absolutely are mentioned when the user conducts a voice search, be it on Amazon Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant. Atomic can help with this!
Power to the People
People now believe and expect to be engaged with and treated well by brands they engage with. The consumer is king, and they know it, no matter how much or how little they spend.
