Your customers, along with their shopping behaviors, have evolved—and so should you. Discover how e-commerce outsourcing can empower your business amid the changing e-commerce landscape.
5 Post-Pandemic Consumer Types (and How You Can Capture Them Through E-Commerce Outsourcing)
The COVID-19’s demand for social distancing and safety protocols gave birth to new types of consumers all over the globe—consumers that are as demanding and empowered as ever, shaking the status quo and challenging businesses to rise above business-as-usual.
Brands that respond to the call reap rewarding opportunities. Start heeding the call by getting to know your modern consumers and how you can best engage them.
#1 – The Female, The Highly Educated, and The 25-45 Years Old
Trend spotted: Women, consumers with tertiary education, and those between the ages 25 to 45 are the highest demographics that shifted to online shopping since the pandemic.
While pandemic safety concerns are the primary triggers that drove these groups to flock online, hedonic motives drove their purchases. With limited leisure activities due to lockdowns, these consumers find enjoyment in shopping online.
Since the pandemic, 51% of women are hitting that ‘add to cart’ button more often than before. They also show higher hedonic motivation compared to men. And they are expected to continue to shop online post-pandemic.
E-commerce Strategy Tip
Another essential factor to note is 92% of female shoppers share online recommendations with others. Suppose you want to take advantage of the free powerful word-of-mouth marketing offered by this demographic. You need to elevate your e-commerce marketing and e-commerce customer service.
#2 – The Digitally Native Consumers
If there’s one thing that these consumers value the most, it would be the trustworthiness. Well, that—and a reliable internet connection.
We Know Technology Like a Book
Growing up teeming with computers and smartphones, the digital natives know how to use technology to their advantage. These hyper-connected multi-device users research, compare prices, and actively read recommendations from social media—which they use multiple times a day—before considering checking out an item from an e-commerce website.
Dare to be Authentic
The digital-savvy consumers couldn’t care less about sales tactics. If you want to tap into these consumers, save your sales pitch and focus on building genuine consumer relationships instead. Brush up on your e-commerce marketing and content strategy to make it more personal.
#3 – The Omnichannel Shoppers
Omnichannel consumers—which most consumers today are—want to interact with brands at their own pace, in their own time, and through their channel of choice. They use a combination of online and offline channels to complete a purchase.
Meet Me Where I Am
Customer experience is the rule of the game. If you want to elevate your brand, you have to meet your customers on their terms. They’ll make you pay for it if you don’t: 40% of customers won’t do business with a company that doesn’t support their preferred channel.
But Where Are These Consumers?
The answer is everywhere. Omnichannel consumers want brands to journey with them to the path less traveled—a non-straight path, for that matter.
- 64% of customers have used multiple devices to start and complete transactions
- 71% have used more than one channel to complete a single transaction
E-commerce Marketing Tip: Map Out the Journey
The customer journey is no longer linear, nor does it look like a funnel. A more fitting illustration is a maze, with touchpoints coming from anywhere the customers are.
If you want to stay under the radar of omnichannel shoppers—who averagely spend 70% more than offline customers—create a seamless customer experience for them. A forward-thinking outsourced e-commerce service provider can help you get started.
#4 – The Silver Surfers
The silver surfers, also known as baby boomers, found their way into the online shopping world out of necessity. And online retailers couldn’t be any happier. Spending 49% more online in 2020, this demographic is now the fastest-growing online consumer segment.
Rethink Your Focus
For the longest time, online retailers have focused digital efforts on tapping the millennials and Gen-Z. However, U.S. consumers between the age of 57 to 75 spend around $64,000 annually, making up for about 70% of all disposable incomes.
Make It Easy, Safe, and Convenient
While the silver surfers are making waves in the digital shopping world, don’t forget that they are still new to the platform. Drive continuous engagement by providing them with a user-friendly and safe e-commerce website. Outsourcing e-commerce customer service brings to the table a brilliant strategy to elevate buying experience not just for baby boomers but across multiple generations.
# 5 – The Gen-Z
Gen-Z is the youngest consumer sector today; the oldest Gen-Z is not even a quarter a century old. Despite their youth, this ethnically diverse demographic holds an undeniable power and influence in shaping the future of e-commerce.
A Strong Economic Force
Armed with $143 billion purchasing power and comprising 40% (2.56 billion) of the total consumers in the U.S, Gen-Zs are the consumers of the future. However, they are also the least engaged of all consumer types and pose other unique challenges for brands.
Cancel Culture Is Real
Surrounded by technology all their lives, Gen-Zs got a hold of gadgets earlier than their millennial counterparts. They are the most digitally adept of all consumers. They are also the most socially conscious buyers. Gen-Zs have no patience for poor digital experiences and hold brands accountable for ethical and social concerns:
- 64% of Gen Zs reported abandoning an e-commerce website that has no product photo or customer reviews.
- 37% will leave a slow-loading e-commerce website instantly.
- 75% believe that brands should take responsibility for promoting equality and building a better world for all.
E-commerce Outsourcing: Elevating Customer Experience Across All Generations
While different consumer types have varying preferences and buying behaviors, they have one thing in common: endless options available at their fingertips. All consumers expect brands to provide them with a shopping experience like no other. An e-commerce service provider that offers a full suite of solutions can help you respond to this call.
6 Functions You Can Outsource to An E-commerce Service Partner (And the Reasons Why):
#1 – E-commerce Website Development
User experience is a game-changer. Consumers expect to derive enjoyment and empowerment from a website. Otherwise, they’ll abandon it without batting an eyelash.
- 80% of consumers would likely buy from a website with photos and videos from real customers
- 76% of site visitors will abandon a purchase if they are not impressed with the site features
# 2 – Content Writing
Today’s consumers have an attention span shorter than that of a goldfish. Unique and relevant content is paramount to increase engagement.
- 74% of customers get frustrated with impersonal content
- Irrelevant content generates an 83% lower response rate
# 3 – Digital Marketing
Nearly everything has moved online, but consumers feel that businesses lag behind their digital marketing efforts. About 42% of marketers agree and say they lack the bandwidth to adapt to continuous market shifts.
Outsourcing e-commerce marketing enables you to sift through the global marketplace and target your ideal clients strategically and consistently.
# 4 – E-commerce Customer Service
Customer service is the new marketing, affecting purchasing and brand loyalty decisions to a whole new level. Outsourcing this function to a reliable provider is an excellent e-commerce strategy.
- 75% of customers will spend more on a brand with an excellent customer service
- 96% of global consumers agree that customer service drive brand loyalty
# 5 – Data Entry and Inventory Management
These two crucial administrative and logistic functions eat up time. But consumers today are after speed.
- 87% of online shoppers decide to shop with an e-commerce brand again that offers quick delivery
- 45% of consumers are willing to pay more for same-day delivery
Delegating these tasks to an e-commerce outsourcing partner will save you precious hours and enable you to respond to your customers swiftly.
# 6 – Accounting and Bookkeeping
A healthy cash flow is imperative to running an online business. An e-commerce service provider can save you up to 60% when you outsource accounting and bookkeeping services.
Why Outsource E-commerce Customer Service: Your Competitors Are Doing It
If you need more reasons to outsource customer service, this sentence says it all. The world is your marketplace in e-commerce. You have an equal number of opportunities and competitions to face.
Other e-commerce players are doing everything in their power to capture new markets and secure a better position in the current and post-pandemic e-commerce arena. It would help if you did the same.
Futureproof Your Business With E-commerce Outsourcing
Keep up with the demands of the current and future consumers. Contact SuperStaff to experience the multifaceted benefits of e-commerce outsourcing.
