Skip to content

Do You Understand the Different Types of Buying Behaviors?

Do You Understand the Different Types of Buying Behaviors?

When we talk about how our customers behave online, it’s easy to divide them into two groups – seekers, who come to your website without much in the way of an agenda, and buyers, who have a specific intent that’s brought them to you.

A buyer knows what they want. How exact their knowledge is, can vary.

Some buyers are thinking in broad, sweeping terms when they begin their search. For example, a buyer might need an impressive piece of jewelry to serve as the perfect holiday gift, or someone to help them fix whatever’s wrong with the garage door opener, or a summer camp that’s not completely booked already. And sometimes buyers know precisely what they want – the only grain-free, cruelty-free, all-organic food their dog will eat, delivered in small bags because the big bags go stale too quickly.

The more precise and focused a shopper is when they begin their search, the more important convenience becomes to the online experience. Our pet parent has zero interest in any other type of dog food, because this is the brand their dog eats. They buy the same food over and over and over again. This is a habitual buying behavior.

For other examples of habitual buying behavior, think of anything that Amazon lets you subscribe to. Everyday essentials that are sold this way include things like trash bags, laundry detergent, and diapers.

Think about your business. Do your customers have habitual buying behaviors related to your business? We look at the data for the answers. Paying attention to how a customer comes to your website, what page they come to, and what actions they take upon reaching that page can reveal patterns of customer behavior. If we see a significant percentage of customers coming directly to a product page, rapidly adding that product to their shopping cart and checking out, it’s a good indication that there’s some habitual buying going on.
The data may show your customers aren’t engaging in habitual buying behaviors. Their route to purchase isn’t short and direct. Instead, we see website visitors spending time exploring your website – as evidenced by doing things like watching videos or reading blogs, as well as going between different product pages or even categories before they make a decision. These buyers may not even make a decision on their first visit to your website. They may visit your website and your social media several times before taking action. That’s because they’re making a complex purchase – which is defined as being expensive and emotionally important, with complicating factors like budgets and timelines to consider.

Every business is different. Your customers may be primarily habitual buyers. Your customers may be exclusively complex buyers – real estate and car sales are great examples – or your business might serve a mix of both types of buyers. Your data is going to have these answers for you.

Once you know what the situation is for your customer audiences, you can use this knowledge to refine your website design. Streamlining the path to purchase for the habitual buyer is good customer service and demonstrates you’re listening to them. Honoring the complex buyer’s need for information to make better purchasing decisions always pays off. Integrating both approaches into one website is a balancing act made easier with the use of data.

Share This:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

Book FREE Trial

We know that getting back into fitness is tough! Let us help you achieve your weight boxing workouts.

Creative Director/Senior Designer

Tom DiGrazia

With over a decade and a half of professional design experience, Tom brings his knowledge of design principles and focus on user experience to every aspect of his contribution to TTG. Paying special attention to each client’s brand, personalized needs and individual interests, he strives to create compelling concepts utilizing intuitive and highly-refined design solutions. In addition to traditional and digital design work and oversight at TTG, Tom also boasts a wide portfolio of web development projects with the company, allowing him to stretch his CSS and HTML skills across multiple platforms and disciplines. He feels that being a designer in the digital landscape of websites, eCommerce solutions, email marketing platforms and social media, it is important to understand the code that goes into these areas as it assists his ability to tailor designs specifically targeted to achieve the best end result and further builds understanding and communication with backend development teams.

In his off hours, Tom is an avid pop culture enthusiast, staying up to date on the latest shows, films, comics and games. He can also typically be found taking part in a whole host of artistic activities that help him further stretch his creative legs. Regardless of the activity, Tom is always accompanied by his dog, Eli, and his cat, Tib.

Specialties:
Design, Photography, Illustration, Digital Imagery Manipulation, Wesbite Development

Platforms/Tools:
Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom, HTML/CSS, Wordpress

Analyst/Strategist

Courtney Dumont

As Senior Marketing Strategist & Analyst at Technology Therapy Group, Courtney is energized by the ability to flex both her left and right brain daily. Courtney discovered her passion for Marketing at Bryant University, where she spearheaded research on students’ perceptions of Social Media Marketing for her Honors Capstone Project. After graduating Bryant in 2012, she joined the Technology Therapy team, where she’s honed her skills in social media, search and social advertising, email marketing, SEO, and more.

Since joining the team, Courtney has created digital marketing strategies and managed campaigns for clients across the country, ranging from plastic surgery centers, to jewelry stores, to construction companies. With a cohesive, cross-channel approach and a focus on data-driven decision making, she has increased their leads by up to 217%. But Courtney doesn’t leave her zeal for social media at the office; she also runs a local foodie Instagram account with her husband to document their meals across Rhode Island and beyond. Check them out: @hoppilyfed.

Specialties:
Marketing Strategy, Data Analysis, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Social Media

Platforms/Tools:
Google Analytics, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Facebook Creator Studio, Instagram, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Emma Mail, Google Data Studio, WordPress, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Microsoft Office