Blog articles about eCommerce

Generational insights that will impact your subscription marketing

Generational insights that will impact your subscription marketing

By Mike Mabey and Brady Silva on July 14, 2022

TLDR

  • Understanding generational differences in subscription behavior is critical to success with FMCG subscription marketing and channel strategy.
  • Millennials have more subscriptions than any other generation.
  • 80% of Millennials said they subscribed to make their life easier.
  • Millennials use introductory offers and often stick with a subscription after being gifted it.
  • Keeping Millennials requires a subscriber-centric strategy that includes a subscription hopping portfolio.
  • SKIM uncovered insights about subscription use, attitudes, and expectations with 16,000 consumer interviews in five countries.
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Product subscriptions: 3 surprising reasons behind consumer choices

Product subscriptions: 3 surprising reasons behind consumer choices

By Mike Mabey and Brady Silva on April 11, 2022

For CPG brands and retailers, the subscription model offers tremendous opportunities for recurring revenue and consumer connection. But what is fueling consumer choice in the subscription economy, specifically for FMCG products, and how can brands capitalize on it?

It’s tempting to assume that consumers choose product subscriptions primarily to save money (think Amazon’s Subscribe & Save). However, our Subscription Lifestyle research revealed otherwise: in almost every category, consumers, especially those with multiple subscriptions, valued other subscription benefits more than a lower price.

Do you know what drives consumer choice for product subscriptions in your category? Is it convenience, cost, quality, or surprise? Getting it right is critical for your Go To Market strategy.

Our latest research explored consumer behavior and attitudes towards subscriptions across a variety of CPG categories. The results have revealed some surprising factors driving consumer decisions in these categories.

Read on to learn what subscription benefits consumers value most and the marketing implications for your brand

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The subscription lifestyle opportunity: Create direct relationships with customers

The subscription lifestyle opportunity: Create direct relationships with customers

By Mike Mabey and Brady Silva on March 21, 2022

Have you ever opened your door and wondered: “What is in the package that just arrived?” Not since the early days of Netflix, when those red envelopes containing DVDs arrived in the mail, have so many consumers been confronted with a huge question mark at their doorstop.

This shopper phenomenon has been caused by an explosion in digitally enabled subscriptions for nearly every imaginable FMCG and Direct to Consumer category, combined with the popularity of Amazon Prime Subscribe and Save.

How is your company tackling the subscription economy? Do you know how the subscription lifestyle is impacting shopper journeys in your category?

Perhaps your team is already experimenting with a direct-to-consumer offer, or maybe you’re in the early stages of mapping out your subscription strategy.

Either way, it’s important to understand exactly how subscriptions are shifting consumer behavior and perceptions.

Read on for our latest insights on the ubiquity of the subscription lifestyle and five issues your team will want to address to succeed in this channel.

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6 steps to identify and untangle today’s consumer decision journeys

6 steps to identify and untangle today’s consumer decision journeys

By Mike Mabey, Laurie Gaby and Michael Hetherington on April 12, 2021

Uncovering more accurate and actionable consumer decision journeys

Nearly all consumer decision journeys have shifted over the past year – new journeys have emerged, while others have been reshaped.

You may be wondering how to best drive consideration and purchase of your brand. For many of our clients, the answer lies in untangling the messy omnichannel decision journey.

With an abundance of online and offline triggers, touchpoints, transitions, and interactions, that means an equal number of paths-to-purchases for consumers. How can you gain clarity here and take action to influence their decisions?

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Drive digital marketing success by unlocking the mind of online shoppers

Drive digital marketing success by unlocking the mind of online shoppers

By Marina Georgieva and Chrislyn Tang on February 11, 2021

Psychographics offer brands valuable, but often overlooked, clues about how consumers make decisions online.

When looking to understand and influence the online shopper journey, there is often a tendency to focus on touchpoints, like social media, reviews and online retailers. However, there is another alternative view of segmentation digital marketers could consider – psychographics.

Because consumer journeys are highly personal – as they are dependent on traits, habits and context – consumer behaviors aren’t homogenous. Psychographic segmentation (personality traits, beliefs, values, etc.) can add another level of accuracy to predicting online decision behavior. Your digital marketing strategies and spend could be more impactful, generating greater online conversion and loyalty, when truly customized to “best fit” your audience.

Read on to learn how different personality traits can affect online decision making. Understanding and applying these insights can give you a competitive edge to ensure consumers choose your brand online.

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Lessons learned: 3 pitfalls brands should avoid post-crisis

Lessons learned: 3 pitfalls brands should avoid post-crisis

By Arne Maas on June 18, 2020

People are poor predictors of their own behavior. Context changes corrupt their intentions. A context change may be as simple as a product discount, or as complex as a severe crisis. In both situations, the question is whether behavior changes, and particularly whether it will subsequently stick. We argue that, after the current crisis only a few new routines will establish. Trend lines from before a crisis will be similar after the crisis, maybe somewhat mitigated or accelerated.

Here we reflect on past crises and share 3 pitfalls consumer brands should avoid in preparing for the recession.

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How to optimize eCommerce strategies amidst disrupted consumer behavior

How to optimize eCommerce strategies amidst disrupted consumer behavior

By Mini Kalivianakis and Mike Mabey on April 15, 2020

COVID-19, stay-at-home guidelines and in-store shortages triggered and forced a dramatic change in consumer habits and choices. A massive acceleration in online behavior is one of the most visible changes. Whether the choices that consumers make during the COVID-19 crisis become a new habit or not, understanding online consumer behavior will be increasingly important in the future.

We recently hosted a webinar where we explored what the new normal may look like and what eCommerce actions you should consider. Watch the on-demand webinar here or read on for three proven eCommerce strategies that can drive online engagement and conversion.

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How brands can be relevant during the COVID-19 crisis

How brands can be relevant during the COVID-19 crisis

By Arne Maas on April 8, 2020

Consumer behavior is usually embedded in daily habits; sometimes consumers make more deliberate decisions. COVID-19 triggered a dramatic change in the context of consumer decision making: Many daily habits have come to an abrupt halt; more decisions are now deliberate.

Your company is probably feeling the immediate impact of these behavioral shifts and you may be charged with adapting short-term marketing strategies accordingly.

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Marketing strategies post COVID-19: What you should know about decision behavior

Marketing strategies post COVID-19: What you should know about decision behavior

By Karin Lieshout on April 2, 2020

COVID-19 has radically changed the context in which we make decisions, disrupting many habits. No one can predict if the behavioral shifts will last or what the recovery period will look like.

Online shopping and media consumption will undoubtedly continue to grow (as it was pre-COVID-19) … but to what degree? Will brand-loyal consumers who switched brands due to limited stock eventually return?

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Increase online conversion by reducing psychological distance

Increase online conversion by reducing psychological distance

By Paul Janssen on October 24, 2019

From clicks to cart: making smarter use of product images

In today’s crowded online marketplace, we all face the same challenge: how do we attract and convert shoppers? While increased media spend is an almost guaranteed way of attracting more people to an online platform, getting them to actually buy is a whole different ball game. Many online retail giants aren’t forthcoming with behavioral data, so knowing how visitors think and behave from the time they land on the platform until they check out, is a blind spot for many of us.

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