Engaging The Digital Window Shopper

Digital Media Solutions^® (DMS) and Jornaya recently partnered to host a webinar on “How To Engage The Digital Window Shopper.” Rich Smith, CMO of Jornaya, Joey Liner, CRO of DMS, and Kathy Bryan, CMO of DMS, discussed the shopping trends of consumers throughout the last 12 months and how to nurture shoppers stuck in the “window shopping” phase. 

The Digital Window Shopper Was Bored, Browsing & Not Buying

The story of the pandemic for advertisers and marketers was the massive adoption of online shopping and ecommerce in every industry. From life insurance to groceries, consumers moved online. However, not all online activity produced sales. With more time spent online, many consumers became browsers, filling out forms out of curiosity rather than urgency. Time spent filling out individual lead forms remained a good indicator of intent, with more consumers spending less time on forms compared to before the pandemic, indicating lower intent or interest from consumers.

Nurturing Window Shopping Consumers Requires Segmentation & Personalization

The demands of the last year forced marketers to respond to unprecedented shifts in consumer behaviors, leveraging data to create agile, tuned-in responses to new ways of browsing and buying. However, data alone isn’t enough to engage consumers. Smith noted that marketing strategy shouldn’t be focused on consumer behaviors, but instead on “consumers behaving” as individuals.

A monolithic pay-and-spray marketing technique based on some data points and wide segmentation is archaic, delivering a disappointing user experience. “If brands aren’t architecting [their] business to react at a consumer level [they’re] behind the times,” said Smith. Liner agreed, noting, “if you misuse your consumer’s attention, they are going to stop giving it to you.”

A successful relationship with consumers that leads to conversions requires understanding behaviors, world events, competitors and outside factors that impact actions. That data and information should inform a digital advertisers segmentation and routing strategies for engagement and nurture campaigns.

Advertisers Can Nurture Window Shoppers With Digital Strategies

Converting a shopper from a browser to a buyer requires nurturing through every stage of the funnel, from consideration to ongoing engagement after the decision to buy has been made. 

• Scoring leads and putting consumers in “buckets” based on data points and behaviors can help marketers customize routing and outreach. 
• Reaching out to consumers right away who exhibit “immediate intent” signals can get the ball rolling and make these consumers feel attended to. Meanwhile, email and push strategies can nurture consumers with lower intent.

Understanding which consumers are just kicking the tires and which consumers are ready to take action is essential to executing a workable strategy. Tracking touch points of the consumer journey can help marketers know when and how often to reach out. 

Consumers are increasingly going digital with their insurance buying. Liner also notes that insurance brands tend to effectively gain consumer attention when advertising campaigns are funny and attention grabbing. Ecommerce consumers are motivated by easy-to-see and use calls to action (buy now!), plus reviews and clearly articulated benefits that convince them they are making the right purchasing decisions. For consumers slow to act, retargeting via email and push messaging can encourage consumers to click through and complete their purchases.

For all verticals, personalization powered by data is the key to successful engagement, conversion and loyalty of consumers, even those pesky window shoppers. If brands don’t want to leave money on the table, especially during this ecommerce boom, they’ll lean into digital strategies that keep consumers on the inside shopping instead of on the outside looking in.

Are You Looking For New Ways To Reach The Digital Window Shopper?

Digital Media Solutions (DMS) is a technology-enabled, data-driven performance advertising solutions provider connecting consumers and advertisers. Contact DMS today to learn how our first-party data asset, proprietary technology and expansive digital media reach can help you scale your customer acquisition results.