While economic uncertainty is top of mind for most people going into this holiday season, people continue to shop and are being more intentional about the purchases they do make.
According to a Google-commissioned Ipsos Consumer Continuous study, 43% of consumers around the world said they like to keep an eye out for new brands, even if they are not planning to buy right then. Therefore, it’s critical for retailers to attract shoppers early on in their journey and reinforce their purchase decision throughout the shopping journey through digital. And digital resources are helping shoppers make more informed choices about who they buy from and what they purchase.
Brands have an opportunity to engage with shoppers to turn a moment of curiosity into a purchase. That holds true whether a shopper is searching for the best holiday present or watching a shopping haul to plan out the perfect outfit for the festivities this year. So whenever, wherever and however curiosity sparks, your brand should be ready with a message.
Let’s look at three key tactics to turn curious shoppers into customers this season.
Reinforce trust and confidence in purchase decisions
Video ads can help brands deliver relevant, personalized experiences to audiences to showcase their brand and product value. This can be true whether the shopper is watching a shopping haul or looking for inspiration from a holiday gift guide.
In a recent Social Commerce and Video study completed with TalkShoppe, having trusted information and confidence in purchases is more important to shoppers than ever before. And shoppers have confidence in the information they find on YouTube, with respondents in this study ranking YouTube No. 1 against other video services and social media platforms in finding honest and detailed information.
Engage and connect across channels with machine learning
Be ready to turn shoppers into customers by showing up for the 47% seeking gift ideas and the 44% starting gift lists, per the Ipsos Consumer Continuous study. Omnibuyers are paving the way for “intuitive shopping,” where people browse and find inspiration concurrently, online and offline, across multiple product categories.
These habits are built around convenience, as inspiration can strike at any moment. Use solutions like Performance Max to find valuable customers, create efficiencies throughout the journey, show up across all channels and deliver meaningful business results this season.
Provide shoppers with the best products, deals and experiences
Searches containing “cheap and best” have grown globally by over 40% YoY, per Google data. At the same time, the Google/Ipsos Shopping Tracker online survey shows that 76% of U.S. shoppers want to buy higher-quality products that last longer.
Whatever makes your business one-of-a-kind, showcase it prominently when people are making their buying decisions. Surface deals, shipping and return offers, in-store inventory, and store pickup options in your messaging and on search to make a window shopper into a loyal customer.
As the holiday shopping season ramps up, Google’s tools, insights and automated solutions can help you understand what your shoppers want and need.
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Jane Butler, VP, sales – retail ecommerce, is a 19-year veteran of Google and has held multiple leadership roles on the advertising side of the business.
