Recently, i have been working on a couple of e-commerce websites and kept pondering whether 2012 will be the year e-commerce, due to its increased enquires from prospective clients. Despite its increased popularity, stats as shown that only four percent of visits to retail websites result in a completed shopping session.
Personally, i feel TRUST has always been an issue when it comes to online transactions most especially in developing countries where internet users would rather socialise than purchase online. It is interesting to note that few startups are interested in finding a solution to online retail problems.
As a marketer, it is important to understand social consumers in terms of behavioural patterns. In a recent survey, 1,500 participants were asked about products and services they recently researched online and how they went about it. According to data from M Booth and Beyond, different product categories compel people to seek information and reviews from different sources on the web. Consumers tend to go the company website for electronics, they rely on search for travel and they go to discussion forums to see what people think about different car models.
The top five influential online channels include search results, brand websites,news articles, product review sites, online ads respectively.
The infographic below explains where consumers go for product information — suggesting to marketers that some aspects of digital marketing deserve more attention than others. As a consumer, what influences you to buy online?
