States are reopening and brick-and-mortar stores are welcoming in shoppers with limited capacity and safety measures in place. However, our research shows that U.S. consumers are still hesitant to walk back through retailers’ doors.
Some retailers may not survive the acceleration of e-commerce — as many as 25,000 stores could shutter this year as a result of COVID-19*. The world of retail was already moving online before COVID-19, and the pandemic seems to have sped up that trend.
According to Resonate’s Recent Events Flash Study: Wave 6, 60.3 million U.S. consumers say their likelihood of purchasing products online will increase over the next three months. As a retailer, these insights are like a crystal ball. Who are these shoppers who plan on making even more purchases online in the next three months? What do they planning on purchasing? What are their shopping habits and product preferences? Only Resonate’s proprietary, up-to-the-moment data has the answers. Read on for our deep dive of this online shopping segment below.
WHO ARE THEY?
This segment of online shoppers is made up of married men and women ages 25-34 with at least one child and an annual household income between $25-50K. Their top personal values are the freedom to be creative, acquiring wealth/influence and maintaining a good public image. They’re personally driven by their devotion to their faith, having an optimistic outlook and respect from others. They’re 67% more likely than the average U.S. consumer to prefer low fat foods, 23% more likely to value athletic accomplishments, 48% more likely to watch pro sports online and 16% more likely to exercise 2x or more weekly. Clearly, fitness and clean eating is a priority for this segment.
Image source: Resonate Ignite Platform, August 2020
RETAIL HABITS AND PREFERENCES
When deciding where to shop, these consumers are 37% more likely to make their selection based on if whether a brand is a chain or franchise, 19% more likely to make their choice based on the brand’s reputation and 16% more likely to make their choice based on product selection. As for product preferences, these online shoppers are 38% more likely to prefer products that are produced sustainably, 21% more likely to prefer innovative products and 20% more likely to prefer safe products. When highlighting products on social media or in advertisements, be sure to highlight those that are considered high value to this audience. Draw attention to any products that are eco-friendly or ahead of the curve.
Image source: Resonate Ignite Platform, August 2020
When it comes to corporate responsibility, this segment is 26% more likely to prefer companies that reduce their energy use, 26% more likely to prefer companies that are honest/trustworthy and 20% more likely to prefer companies who treat employees fairly. These shoppers are also 54% more likely to pay more based on a certain issue, so if you support any initiatives surrounding energy efficiency, sustainability, etc., be sure your customers and prospects know about it. Consumers in this age group are more likely to do business with companies whose values align with theirs, so making sure they know about your commitment to eco-friendly initiatives will bode well with this segment. Consider sharing any information with customers and prospects surrounding your values-oriented action on social media, as this group is 45% more likely to follow brands on social.
FUTURE PURCHASES
Wouldn’t it be nice to know what purchases these online shoppers plan on making within the next three months? Using the Resonate Ignite Platform, you’ll gain exclusive access to insights like these.
These shoppers are 48% more likely to buy new bedroom furniture, 47% more likely to buy new entertainment room furniture and 35% more likely to buy a new home audio system. So, where are these consumers planning to buy these items? When it comes to bedroom furniture, they’re 14% more likely to buy it at Walmart. As for home audio systems, this group is 3,246% more likely to buy them directly from the manufacturer and 1,079% more likely to buy them from eBay. If you’re a retailer selling any of these future purchase products, consider a competitive conquesting strategy targeting customers of Walmart and eBay.
Image source: Resonate Ignite Platform, August 2020
COVID-19 SENTIMENT
It’s incredibly important for brands to keep their finger on the pulse of consumer sentiment as it relates to COVID-19. Resonate is closely tracking real-time data and measuring anxiety, behaviors and motivations around the coronavirus pandemic. According to our latest wave of data, these online shoppers are 72% more likely to be unemployed or furloughed due to the pandemic, 52% more likely to be concerned to a large extent about a friend or colleague contracting the virus and 44% believe it will be more than 1 year before life returns to normal. Clearly this group is being largely affected by COVID-19 when it comes to their livelihood and day-to-day concern. Having this deep understanding allows you to approach your marketing strategy more empathetically and keep these struggles in mind when coming up with offers and messaging.
Image source: Resonate Ignite Platform, August 2020
Marketing to This Online Shopper Segment
Want to learn more about how your target audience is feeling at this very moment? As a retailer, your first two steps should be our Wave 6 report of data on consumers during the coronavirus pandemic. And, if you’d like to dive further into a specific segment, contact us to request a demo today.
