The impact of reduced restrictions certainly is good news for stores. However, there are other considerations: The continued comfort and growth in online shopping and the impact of inflation on traveling to a store to purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The changes in shopping behaviors due to the pandemic gave people the opportunity to experiment with online shopping and gain a comfort level that helped to increase share of eCommerce as a portion of total dollars spent. Yet, according to McKinsey and others, although they have made online shopping a larger portion of their shopping dollars, they are also returning to brick-and-mortar stores\u2014which showed an 8% year-over-year growth in March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That means shoppers are spending more dollars online and in-store. They enjoy the online convenience and the prospect of less time driving, but in-store shopping also grew consistently in 2022 \u2013 eight percent growth March compared to the prior year, according to McKinsey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, omnichannel is the norm \u2013 three in four consumers say they are shopping across channels. In today\u2019s real-time economy, a unified approach across channels helps to deliver the brand message and consistency that shoppers are used to across all products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pandemic also caused shoppers to change their behaviors quickly. For example, in the US, 75% of shoppers tried a new store, brand, or different way of shopping during the pandemic. Even more, shoppers have shown a willingness to move away from once-preferred brands in favor of new ones that offer value or novelty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This means that consumers are more open to variety; therefore, the brands that can find ways to meet consumers where they are in their buying journey can benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u201cLoyalty Shake-up\u201d, as McKinsey calls it, is driven by several factors including seeking more value (perhaps due to inflation) and the availability of products (caused by demand and supply chain issues). Brand \u201cpurpose\u201d also has become less of a buying factor, while novelty has risen \u2013 so people are more willing to take a chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And according to Retail Customer Experience, consumers are shopping earlier to find deals and shopping online when it comes to purchase decisions. This leads to a need for marketers to promote in-market earlier and for longer periods, using more engaging and creative strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These analyses highlight the unique opportunity brands and retailers have to gain new customers as shoppers seek products that are valuable, innovative or different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the specific outcomes have yet to be seen, it is clear that shoppers will be using both online and in-store locations for back-to-school shopping, making it more critical for brands to take a unified approach to commerce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider your product detail pages (PDPs) as a platform to reinforce your brand\u2019s uniqueness. Although eCommerce retailers will want to ensure your content helps their site look consistent to their brand, there are plenty of opportunities within that framework to highlight your competitive differences\u2014and different is good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simply following the retailer\u2019s requirements and listing out product details, with a basic description and the required images, will not help you stand out from the crowd in the category. To drive awareness, engagement, and conversions, you need to connect with your audience\u2026and tell your story. The way to keep them on the page and maximize your opportunity is with custom Enhanced Content<\/a> that goes beyond the minimum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some excellent examples of brands working to engage while reinforcing their brand message online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we have seen, both in-store and online activity has increased year-over-year. But with consumers being more open to variety and different options, the online experience must able to connect with your shopper. A well-stocked PDP\u2014with additional creative imagery, comparison charts, usage examples and more\u2014will drive greater conversions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Syndigo has found that product pages simply featuring Enhanced Content convert at 90% higher on average than product pages with only the minimum required content. And once your shopper interacts with that Enhanced Content, conversions go even higher\u2014as much as 390% greater than pages with only base Marketing content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout this post you can see some real-time examples of back-to-school categories that drive conversion lift. Getting a solid return on your investment in eCommerce activities is a key metric for marketers today. So it is important to build your content to generate the most engagement across sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fortunately, with Syndigo it is easy to develop product pages that can create the engagement you need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Item Setup<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Syndigo provides vast capabilities for setting up new items or updating existing items. We can accept complete brand-created information, or create it for our clients<\/a>, whether that means building accurate 3D products from CGI files to capturing the actual item\u2019s features using photography and digitization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Content Readiness & Syndication<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Developing your base product information through Syndigo ensures that your items will be available to be shown through the largest global network of retailers and distributors<\/a>. Since we also work with many as clients\u2014banners like Amazon, Walmart, Lowe\u2019s, Target, Albertsons\u2014Syndigo also has the personal connections to understand a retailer\u2019s requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our cloud-native approach to managing information also provides many online dashboards and workflows, so clients know exactly which items meet the standard of each different retailer partner, and which elements may need to be updated<\/em>. This saves a great deal of time and headache, as some solution providers do not have this capability\u2026meaning your items may be \u201cpublished\u201d but may never appear on a retailer site due to incompleteness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Enhancing Content<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is where the fun really begins! Aside from helping to make huge gains in shopper conversions, the rich media and other marketing assets<\/a> a brand provides is what differentiates one product from the next (and often helps in the search rankings within a retailer\u2019s site). This Enhanced Content, as we call it can range from additional images, to product lifestyle shots, to comparison charts, 360-spin imagery, advertising video, or interactive imagery with hot spots to call out key features.<\/p>\n\n\n Looking for a checklist to review? Check out the\u00a0Enhanced Content list<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n Beyond what a brand can provide to entice shoppers, Syndigo also has developed a series of Enhanced Content modules that our retailer clients also employ. This makes it incredibly easy to deliver your content directly to your product pages on a retailer site, automatically configured, to ensure proper display. Things like Engaging Heroes, Contextual Hotspots, Interactive Toolbars, as well as in-line modules\u2026even \u201csmart\u201d formats that can change the images based on the size and type of device that\u2019s viewing your page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Optimizing Performance<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If that wasn\u2019t enough, Syndigo also helps our clients \u2018close the loop\u2019 by monitoring behavioral activity across billions of shopper impressions, to monitor conversion rates for our clients and <\/em>their competitors. Whether it\u2019s understanding conversion rates across different content types, items on promotion\/sale, product availability or out-of-stocks, or who is winning the buy box, Syndigo delivers these online insights in near real-time so brands can perform A\/B tests and make content adjustments on the fly, to maximize their online activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now is the time for brands to apply the insights available to them to help maximize their product performance, while reinforcing their brand promise across stores and online. Shoppers will be looking to prepare for the school season, and are more open to trying new brands, and different products. The savvy supplier will work with their retail partners (and solution providers) to ensure the most complete and engaging product information is helping them to drive more sales online and in-store.<\/p>\n\n\n With Syndigo\u2019s comprehensive content solutions, you can control your brand story across your entire retail partner network, and your product detail pages from top to bottom. By ensuring complete and up-to-date product information and Enhanced Content, brands can ensure higher conversions, and continually optimize performance with analytics. The back-to-school season begins the second half of the calendar year, setting the stage for other seasonal promotion periods that can help brands and retailers ensure profitable performance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n Sources:<\/strong><\/em><\/span> The past several years of \u201cunprecedented\u201d social and economic change have returned, in many places, to a more normal rhythm\u2014fewer restrictions, a growing economy (but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44398,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","_page_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[18],"class_list":["post-3311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-enhanced-content"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/syndigo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Consumer-Shopping-Behaviour-1-1024x600.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nNew Interest in Variety<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tell Your Story<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/syndigo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Enhanced-Content-2-1-730x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/syndigo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Ecommerce-Enhanced-Content-1-775x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMaking the Grade on PDPs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/syndigo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Enhanced-Content-Conversion-2.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/syndigo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Retail-Enhanced-Content-552x2048-1.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSchool is in Session<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/www.retailcustomerexperience.com\/news\/convenience-affordability-key-factors-in-back-to-school-shopping\/<\/a><\/em><\/span>
https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2022\/06\/28\/3-trends-to-watch-as-retailers-prep-for-back-to-school-holiday-shopping.html<\/a><\/em><\/span>
https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/business-functions\/growth-marketing-and-sales\/our-insights\/how-us-consumers-are-feeling-shopping-and-spending-and-what-it-means-for-companies<\/a><\/em><\/span>
https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/business-functions\/growth-marketing-and-sales\/our-insights\/understanding-and-shaping-consumer-behavior-in-the-next-normal<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"