Multi-Channel Shoppers Not So Hot
from the change-your-strategy dept
For a while now “multi-channel” (short form for retailers that have both brick-and-mortar stores as well as websites) retailers have been talking about marketing to those shoppers who use both channels (mostly to research online, but buy in person). However, a new study shows that, while plenty of people are multi-channel buyers, they often do their research online in one place, and buy somewhere else. Also, they’re mostly not loyal at all – they’re just looking for the cheapest price. I think I’m a reverse multi-channel shopper. I look at stuff in stores, and then go research (and often buy) online. Anyway, I thought this was a good example of the bad assumptions that many online retailers keep making in marketing to online shoppers. It seems they tend to make very simplistic assumptions about how people shop that don’t match what people do in real life. Then they wonder why none of their marketing strategies work out.
