A study conducted by GroupM Next of the modern digital consumer journey revealed six segments exist of consumers who exhibit similar behaviors and intent. Other trends of significance that emerged include the growing importance of Amazon as a purchasing influencer, representing one-third of all retail site visits in purchase pathways, and the important role the brand website plays as a destination for 69% of purchasers in their digital journey.
Conducted together with Compete, a Kantar company, the research examined the digital components in pathways of more than 168,000 consumer electronics purchases, and surveyed purchasers to better understand their intent.
“48% of purchases studied were heavily influenced by digital media and technology,” said Chris Copeland, CEO of GroupM Next. “This research is valuable for providing brands and marketers with directional insights. It’s an obvious signal to brands that the shift among consumers in their usage of digital continues in dramatic ways, and that investments, both in media and content, will continue to be strategic business imperatives,” said Copeland.
Of consumers who utilized digital at least once in their purchase pathway, six distinct segments emerged. The segments, as identified by GroupM Next, are:
–Digitally Driven Segment
–Calculated Shoppers
–Basic Digital Consumers
–Retail Scouts
–Brand Scouts
–Eternal Shoppers
The Digitally Driven Segment consumers use nearly every digital tool available – search, retail websites, brand websites, portal sites, mobile, social and local.
30% of shoppers in this segment visit a branded social media page on Twitter or Facebook, the most of any of the six segments.
When taken in aggregate these six segments provide a view of the next-generation version of what was once as simple as awareness to consideration to purchase. Because of this, marketers cannot treat all digital consumer the same. They have to be aware that pathways will change over time and new ones are likely to develop.
“With the significant consumer shift to mobile devices and tablets there is an emerging power shopping class that will not behave like anything we have seen before,” stated Copeland. “The segments of greatest prominence today are tethered to the desktop and we project that will not be the case within 24 months, maybe even sooner.”
Other insights:
–Amazon is included in 17% of digital pathways leading to a purchase, translating to one of every three consumers going to Amazon at some point in their pathway.
–Consumers are just as likely to use Amazon as a point of research as they are to use it as a retail site.
–Purchase pathways differentiate in terms of behavioral factors as opposed to demographics.
