Marketers for global organisations are faced with a wide variety of challenges: What’s the persona of our target market in a new region? What messaging will resonate most with them? How can we most effectively deliver our message? With technology helping retailers more easily expand their businesses beyond the borders of their native countries and to other parts of the world, more businesses are facing the challenge of marketing to a great, big world.
What virtually all global shoppers have in common
Fortunately, there are many similarities among global consumers. The 2018 Global Path to Purchase Survey conducted by iVend Retail by CitiXsys, polled 2,250 consumers around the world, confirming that shoppers in all regions of the world are convenience-driven and overwhelmingly omni-channel.
- Multiple Channels, One Purchase: A decided majority of shoppers around the world use more than one channel on the path to a purchase. iVend Retails’ research revealed that 91.4% of shoppers around the world ‘webroom’, researching products online before making purchases in physical stores. In addition, 83.8% ‘showroom’, browsing in physical stores before making purchases online, and 50% of shoppers have ordered online for in-store pick-up, known as Click & Collect or Buy Online Pickup in Store (BOPIS).
- Shopping by Phone has a Whole New Meaning: The majority of global consumers are also shopping on their smartphones: 71.6% say they tap the phone to shop at home, when travelling or during free time, and roughly 60% of consumers use their smartphones while shopping in brick-and-mortar stores – with most saying their motivation is to find the best price.
Differences among shoppers around the world
The results of the survey from a global perspective definitely have value for marketers, but we also found it intriguing to look at how responses differed from country to country. For example, webrooming shoppers’ primary motivations are different in different parts of the world. Most global shoppers said the main reason was that webrooming gives them the opportunity to take their time when deciding what to purchase. However, the majority (67.6%) of shoppers in the Philippines said they are motivated by convenience, and 58.8% of Mexican shoppers say they are looking for the best price or want to take advantage of in-store deals not available online.
The reasons behind consumer use of smartphones for shopping vary widely across countries as well. Consider how motivations for this behaviour differ:
- To research the best price: Mexico, 48% vs. UK, 25.6%
- Convenience: Philippines, 56.4% vs. South Africa, 43.6%
- Saves time for other activities: Philippines 51.6% vs. Canada 14.4%
- It’s fun leisure activity: Germany 36% vs. UK 12.8%
There were other notable findings that shed some light on consumer personas in different countries:
- Consumers in South Africa and UAE are more likely that most other shoppers in the world to use self-service kiosks.
- Consumers in the Philippines, Mexico, Canada and Germany are most likely to abandon items in an online shopping cart because they only use it as a ‘wish list’.
- Mexican consumers are most likely to click on retargeting ads.
- Only 6.4% of Germans join loyalty programs for a sense of community, but 25.2% say they join because “it’s like playing a game; it’s fun”.
- UK consumers are least likely and consumers in South Africa are most likely to respond to ads on social media.
Predicting what will resonate – and where
In addition to doing your research into factors such as internet and smartphone use, cultural and language differences and laws that regulate marketing communications, the iVend Retail Survey highlights the importance of also learning about consumers themselves.
It is also apparent that it isn’t enough to poll shoppers on their behaviours alone; what motivates them can be as much (if not more) telling about how they would define a positive experiences and what will resonate with them. For example, you may be incorporating your e-commerce site into your strategy to drive foot traffic to physical stores, but in the Philippines that would take using the website to make the overall shopping journey more convenient and, in Mexico, it would mean using it to showcase competitive pricing and specials.
Understanding shoppers on a deeper level can also mean delivering messages in a more effective way. If consumers in a particular region are known ‘showroomers’, equip sales associates with mobile devices so they can engage with and provide personalised offers while assisting customers in the aisles, at the point of decision. If consumers in another region favour self-service kiosks, craft digital messaging that will engage them – or perhaps consider deploying interactive digital signage for an additional touchpoint that may have appeal. Understand whether consumers in a specific area are responding to social advertising or retargeting ads because they function as a reminder or because of their enticing appeal.
You can also elevate your loyalty program beyond providing free items and discounts that are a motivation globally to appeal to the persona in a certain area, such as with gamification in Germany or by building a sense of community in Mexico.
The one, must-not-miss takeaway from the Global Path to Purchase Survey is that what works in one place may not work in another. By not varying marketing strategies, you could be missing great opportunities to increase revenues and build customer loyalty. With pressure to find ways to make your business stand out from the crowd, consider this approach: Be the brand that really understands your customers, no matter where they are.
Survey methodology
iVend Retail conducted the online survey from Dec. 18-21, 2017, of 2,250 respondents around the world: with 250 respondents each from Australia, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Philippines, South Africa, United Arab Emirates (UAE), United Kingdom (UK) and United States of America (USA). Survey respondents included both males and females, ages 18+.
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