Identifying different types of eCommerce visitors to run targeted ads or refine your marketing strategy.

Visitors to your website are at different stages on your funnel. Each one of these individuals has a different understanding of what you do, how you do and why you do it. However, when it comes to converting them into paying customers or repeat customers, a number of strategies come into play. It is indeed difficult to understand which ones to use for whom, which tone or message should I put on my website, or even run paid ad campaigns.

In today's post, I wrote about 6 different types of eCommerce visitors that you may come across and what you should do in order to boost your revenue.

1. Newcomers on your website

You need to be able to identify first-time visitors to your site easily and quickly, above all other visitors. Customers in this demographic may not be familiar with your company or its website, so you should tailor your messages accordingly so they're able to stay aware of you and also the unique selling propositions of your products or services.

Additionally, you may also consider adding your return and shipping policy and showcase some testimonials to build authority at this stage. It's your website, so guide them in the way they're more likely to convert from the website’s standpoint. Likewise, show marketing messages that are going to most likely resonate with them.

Well, for now, let's leave the marketing message conversation for another post.

2. Customers who have visited your eCommerce site before but have never bought

Repeat visitors who have never made a purchase from the site are also a sizable demographic. These visitors do not need to be welcomed unlike newcomers as they are already familiar with your eCommerce brand. Instead, show them products that are new to your site to see if they're interested in them or not.

Likewise, you may wish to conduct an analysis of this subset and ask:

• What makes them different?
• Do they share the same demographics as my existing customers?
• What kinds of campaigns can be run to boost conversions from this audience?
  

3. Shoppers who bought products from your eCommerce in the past

It is possible to recognize your true customers by their purchase history. This subset is your true customers and will give you enough insights to conduct further analysis to generate sales from your non-converting clients. Study this segment to get a better understanding of your eCommerce business and what's converting audience and what's not.

A few data which you may find worth finding out from this segment:

• Compare their actions to those of people who have never shopped before.
• Who or what led them here (i.e the traffic source)?
• Were they interested in any particular pieces of content that non-buyers weren't? (You may use this data to drive traffic here which will nurture, build authority, and what not to generate sales)

Besides, you may already have their email address where you can upsell complementary products to what they previously bought.

4. Repeat customers

This set of customers is similar to that of the previous one; however, what differentiates between them is that they are repeat buyers compared to the previous ones who only purchased once.

It is crucial to identify your most loyal customers. With this information and knowledge, you can send them a personalized email offering exclusive deals and early access to your services.

In addition, you can add sophisticated features to your eCommerce website (such as discounts for repeat purchases or redeemable points) to make your loyal customers feel appreciated and encourage them to return.

To learn more about how to attract and retain such high-value customers, you can compare and contrast their buying habits with those of first-time buyers. Customers who are considered loyal are those who not only return to the site frequently but also spend a disproportionate amount of time there compared to casual browsers. However, since every business operates with a unique customer base, it is essential to define what customer loyalty means to you before you set out to establish this subset.

5. Cart abandoners

A whopping 70%+ customers leave the cart page after adding product(s) to their cart. These types of shoppers usually leave the cart for a few common reasons: to compare prices, websites forcing them to open an account, shipping issues, etc.

Conversion rates can be increased through a variety of strategies. You can establish your credibility by doing things like displaying multiple verification badges, creating a sense of urgency or fear of missing out through the use of various visual tactics in eCommerce development, keeping the checkout process smooth with a guest checkout option, partnering with multiple shipping companies, offer several payment methods, etc.

We know enabling guest checkout comes at a price, but to solve this, you may collect email using a different tactic (i.e giving out free digital resources or a small lump sump discount). Likewise, to prevent from shoppers leaving the page at all, you may also consider triggering a pop-up when the shopper is about the leave the page or presses the 'x' button from their tab. In this way, you can create an irresistible offer (such as a 10% discount, which expires in 10mins).

Ultimately, the types of customers you serve and the nature of the industry in which you operate will determine the most effective strategies for increasing conversion rates. Read our full guide on streamlining the checkout process for a low checkout or cart abandonments if you're interested in this topic.

6. Location

It is genuinely important where a business is located to serve the local community in the most efficient and smoothest way. Depending on your business type, you may want to target separate groups from separate geographical areas while targeting sales.

Geo-targeting is one of the most prominent technologies that's been used recently at various places. For a quick example, Uber. Just like Uber knows when you're out and may need their service, you should know about your customers too. Well, I am not talking about any machine learning or complex technologies that need to be added to your website. But as an entrepreneur at the basic level, you should take advantage of the location data of customers once your business reaches a certain level to offer goods or services to them through your website.

Here's how it can help. Let's say you own a card printing business and there's Diwali going on in India, would you rather craft special messaging for Indians and show it to everyone or not display it at all? What if you could trace people who live in India and then show Diwali messages & offerings of specific cards only to them and not the whole world? Wouldn't it be great?

It's nothing new, big companies are already using it and you should take advantage of it too. Even if you're done with developing an eCommerce website, you can always upgrade it to take advantage of wonderful things (i.e showing location-based content).

Final Takeaway

While this article has focused on six distinct customer types and some strategies for increasing sales through targeted marketing, there are many additional avenues that may be explored to boost an eCommerce store's revenue. For one brand, for instance, it is possible to create hundreds of different types of segmentation.

Therefore, a more tailored strategy should be deployed depending on the nature of the business, its size, the sector in which it operates, and a few other variables. The ones I've listed above are the most common ones to watch out for!