With gas prices rising and inflation showing no signs of stopping, customers have been changing their shopping habits accordingly. It might not be what you’re thinking, though.
To help cut costs, shoppers have been turning more and more to ecommerce. However, shopping online offers more than the convenience of staying at home and saving money on gasoline.
Read on to learn why some consumers are preferring to shop online right now and how you can adapt your business to these difficult economic times.
Why do customers prefer to shop online?
It’s convenient to make shopping lists:
This is especially true if you have an app. If you have a grocery store, consumers can add items to their shopping list whenever an item comes to mind as they go about their week. If they learn about a new recipe or get inspiration, they can create a list immediately to avoid forgetting it.
They can make fewer impulse purchases:
On an online store, shoppers can search exactly what they’re looking for instead of getting distracted in the aisles and picking up impulse buys. This leads to the next benefit, there are no small items that tempt them at checkout or throughout the store (like those sweet candy bars or cold beverages). While these small buys might not seem like much, they can add up. Avoiding them helps consumers to save just a bit more.
It provides a better shopping experience:
Customers can sort and filter inventory in a way that makes sense to them. Shoppers looking to save can sort products from low to high. They can also find all sale items in one place, where they can explore discounted items and your store’s best deals. For those looking for a specific brand, finding what they’re looking for becomes faster.
How to adapt your online store during inflation
Create daily or weekly deals:
Smaller brands are turning to deals to compete with the more prominent brands. Depending on your business type and the marketing platforms you use, you too can get creative. Offer a free item on Mondays or run a flash sale on the weekend. You can send digital coupons in your weekly newsletters or share a code on your social media accounts.
Offer a membership:
Even though paying extra may seem counterintuitive to consumers, showing them how it can reduce their overall costs may change their minds. It could be free or reduced delivery and service fees or a special gift with purchase. Take notes from companies similar to yours who offer memberships. How can you save customers money yet keep them coming back to your business?
Sell in bulk:
If you sell nonperishable goods, this one’s for you. When you sell in bulk, you save money on packaging, per-unit prices, and shipping costs. For customers, that translates to lower prices and less trips to the supermarket.
Is your ecommerce store ready to stand up to inflation? We can help.
Contact us today, and let’s get planning!
