News

Survey reveals diverse online shopping personalities

May 18, 2011

According to a survey by SteelHouse, an eCommerce solutions company, Americans’ online shopping personalities and buying behaviors are both diverse and distinct. In conjunction with Chicago market researcher Synovate eNation, SteelHouse asked 1,000 Americans: “What kind of online shopper are you?”

Some surprising findings from the survey, such as 25 percent of men saying they would buy premium brand name products compared to just 16 percent of women, show that the behaviors are not easy to predict. Similarly, those in the highest income bracket ($75,000+) look for coupons and require discounts and free shipping more than people who make less money.

Overall, while nearly 40 percent say they always shop with a purpose to find something in particular, 30 percent say they regularly browse with no intention of buying.  Making a marketer’s job even more challenging: 12 percent say they never buy from a website during the first visit, even if a discount is offered. 

Here are some of the findings:   

• 44 percent said I read product reviews before I buy.

• 39 said I always shop with a purpose – I look online only when I’m searching for something in particular.

• 32 percent said I check out coupon sites to get the best price.

• 30 percent said I browse products regularly, even when I have no intention of buying.

• 28 percent said I buy only when there’s a discount.

• 27 percent said I buy only when there’s an offer for free shipping.

• 20 percent said I buy premium brand name products.

• 18 percent said I often start the checkout process but don’t end up purchasing.

Retailers will spend $5.73 billion making offers online this year, according to eMarketer.  Typically, marketers blast the same ad with the same offer to millions of consumers, according to SteelHouse CEO and online marketing technology expert Mark Douglas.   

“It’s clear that simply giving the same offer to every online shopper is not the way to increase sales,” said Douglas. “We’re people, we approach shopping just like everything else – based on our personalities and ingrained behaviors. Retailers that understand and act on these different shopper personalities in real time are the ones that will be successful.”

According to the SteelHouse/Synovate survey, women feel more strongly about discounts and offers than men. One-third of women say they only buy when there’s a discount, and nearly that same amount say they only buy when free shipping is part of the deal. Less than one-fourth of men say the same. 

Women are more likely than men to investigate coupon sites before buying (37 percent of women say they do, compared with 26 percent of men).

The SteelHouse/Synovate survey has a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.