“The new age shopper has so much information at his fingertips there has been a dramatic shift in the balance of power between consumers and retailers,” – DrapersOnline.com
The age of information and electronic connectivity has moulded and transformed key aspects of human existence, such as communication, commerce, education, healthcare, travel, and warfare. The rise of all pervasive digital technologies has visibly impacted traditional retail shopping practices and introduced huge variations in consumer behaviour and shopping preferences. In this context, we note that new age shoppers have emerged as a significant (and growing) community that leverages information to arrive at shopping decisions. These shoppers represent a huge challenge and a significant opportunity for modern businesses because they feel more engaged and empowered in terms of their interactions with brands and businesses. Businesses must also realise that such shoppers have endless choices and therefore are less likely to be loyal to a particular brand or business. Therefore, business enterprises must closely analyse the shopping behaviour and spending patterns of these shoppers.
As part of their business practices, e-commerce operators harvest electronic information that helps them to decode shopping behaviour, customer preferences, and consumer mind-sets. We must note that modern e-commerce operators offer a wide range of merchandise to new age shoppers and the information emanating from such sales is deemed priceless in formulating future sales strategies and corporate policies. These shoppers are driving wide-ranging changes in electronic retail businesses and therefore, e-commerce operators must constantly refine their sales tactics and upgrade their value offerings. To that end, businesses can choose to deploy specialised software algorithms that monitor customers’ search activities and product viewing patterns and use said information to offer relevant suggestions to online customers.
The tribe of new age shoppers is more likely to choose sustainable products and services because they are sensitive to the preservation of the natural environment. Businesses must keep this trend in mind and can formulate selling campaigns that hinge on the recyclable attributes of certain product lines. For instance, clothing and assorted household products that are based on natural fibres can be prominently displayed in electronic shop fronts. These display plans can attract the sensibilities of new age shoppers and result in substantial sales because such product lines complement the eco-friendly lifestyles of said shoppers. Significant sales of such products can encourage online businesses to invest in the creation and marketing of similar product lines and thereby attain the desired business outcomes. We must note that this instance underlines the power of new age shoppers to determine (or influence) the fortunes of certain commercial enterprises.
New age shoppers tend to favour heavily connected lifestyles in their personal and professional lives. This attribute is manifest in their digital interactions with their immediate environment and on websites, blogs, social media platforms, etc. These shoppers display a marked propensity to assert themselves in online media and their common activities include blogging about their shopping activities, assessing the quality of the merchandise procured from online establishments, venting opinions regarding their retail experiences, etc. We must bear in mind that the ubiquity of the global Internet offers shoppers outsized avenues to reward, punish, or influence business enterprises. In light of the above, businesses should pay special attention to the opinions and experiences of new age shoppers and work to offer them an outstanding end-user experience. To that end, businesses can choose to chart a calibrated course of action that caters to the requirements of connected customers. We may state that the positive influence exerted by the legions of online shoppers can help to amplify a brand reputation, boost brand equity, and help brands and businesses to win the goodwill of new customer segments.
Cultivating an extensive brand presence on social media platforms can help brands and businesses to connect to new age shoppers. This assertion is premised on the fact that social media is an important part of the emerging lingua franca of modern commerce. When a business chooses to establish itself in social media, it is making a conscious choice to be part of the extensive electronic landscape that connects customers from all points in the globe. This strategy can be boosted by a corporate decision to actively engage with customers in social media and seek their feedback regarding products, brands, and services. We must note that such participation enables a brand or business to reach individual customers and sustain an exceptional level of connection. Interested customers can choose to offer suggestions and ideas to interested businesses; this information can be productively leveraged by enterprises to add direction in future business activities. In light of the above, we may note that this direct level of communication with clients and customers can work wonders (such as positive word of mouth marketing, referrals, and online reviews) for the commercial fortunes of a business enterprise.
Modern businesses can exert themselves to generate digital content in an attempt to connect with new age shoppers. This strategy hinges on the fact that such shoppers spend significant time in various online domains and therefore, original content can attract their attention to participating businesses. For instance, a brewery business can commission the creation of original content that details the various aspects of making alcoholic beverages, the history of such activities going back to remote antiquity, the various brands and choices available to customers, etc. The business can also arrange for a group of customers and clients to visit an actual brewery to observe the mechanisms that animate the industry. Artistic pursuits can also be endorsed by the said business in an attempt to draw art lovers into its fold. This strategy can be refined and diversified ad infinitum in order to boost the novelty factor of the campaign. We must note that creativity and imagination are essential to ensure the success of such multi-pronged customer facing campaigns, which are essentially designed to woo new age shoppers.
Transparency in business transactions represents a major plank that governs the behaviour of new age shoppers. Enterprises must therefore ensure transparency in their dealings with their clientele and must excise sleight of hand tactics from their marketing mix. This attitude should be reinforced across the firm and may win the special attention of business customers. A resolute approach to corporate transparency can also help to establish impeccable brand credentials, elevate the market reputation of a business, and accelerate the achievement of corporate objectives. We must note that connected shoppers have access to deep information regarding market offerings; therefore, a transparent value proposition should help a business to gain the confidence of all shoppers. In addition, transparency can help businesses to attract legions of new consumers based on an unadulterated brand promise.
In the preceding paragraphs, we have analysed some of the scenarios wherein new age shoppers can build or decimate the market prospects of corporate enterprises. This is a new reality, which pervades modern commerce and must be taken into account. Every brand or business should realise that the said segment of shoppers is an expanding entity that wields disproportionate power in the information age. Therefore, corporate captains and business managers should be acutely sensitive to the requirements and preferences of this shopping demographic. In doing so, they stand a fair chance of expanding the remit of their enterprise and fulfilling their corporate destiny.
