
How to Reach the Online Supershopper This Holiday Season
In today’s digital world, with smartphones in nearly everyone’s hands, we all have the potential to become “supershoppers”—those s savvy online shoppers who know where to find the best deals, latest products, and coolest gift ideas. As e-commerce continues to grow, more and more consumers are doing product research and making purchases entirely from their phones and tablets.
For retailers, this presents an incredible opportunity to reach these informed shoppers before, during, and after the busy holiday shopping season. But it also means the competition is fiercer than ever, with so many brands vying for people’s attention across various websites and apps.
In this updated guide, I’ll share the latest insights and tips for how to effectively target and engage the modern “supershopper” both this holiday season and beyond. With a focus on mobile optimization, discovery-focused marketing, and quality customer experiences, you can help your brand stand out from the crowd.
Let’s get started!
Who is the online supershopper?
The online “supershopper” is someone who is always on the lookout for new products, unique gift ideas, limited-time deals, and creative ways to get the best value. They may not be the most loyal brand advocates, but they appreciate quality, value, and convenience above all else.
Some key characteristics of today’s online supershopper include:
- Constantly researching on their phone: 64% use mobile devices to search for shopping inspiration before visiting stores.
- Open to new brands: 50% were willing to purchase from a new retailer last year.
- Pursuit of “the best”: Mobile searches for “the best gift” grew 70% YoY in 2015.
- Inspired by user reviews, mobile watch time for product reviews on YouTube grew 60%.
- Value new ideas: Searches for “unique gifts” grew by 65% and “cool gifts” by 80%.
By understanding what motivates these influential shoppers, you’ll be better equipped to attract them throughout the entire customer journey.
Prioritize Mobile Optimization
With 64% of smartphone users researching purchases on mobile before visiting stores, having an optimized mobile experience is non-negotiable for reaching today’s shoppers. Some crucial mobile optimization tactics include:
- Responsive design that looks great on any device screen
- Fast loading times (under 3 seconds for pages)
- Large taps targets and one-handed use in mind
- Smooth product browsing and filtering
- Seamless checkout and purchasing flows
You’ll also want to optimize your paid media by using mobile bid adjustments in search ads and ensuring all links and ads send users to optimized mobile URLs.
For example, you could promote a collection of “Top 10 Gifts Under $50” with unique mobile product pages and video reviews. Make it easy for shoppers on the go to discover new items that fit their needs.
Leverage Video and User-Generated Content
Supershoppers value authentic user opinions above all else when researching products. That’s why video is so powerful—it brings a personable element that builds trust.
Some effective video marketing tactics include:
- Professionally filmed product demonstration videos
- User-submitted photo and video reviews on your site
- Promoting top customer-submitted videos on YouTube
- Encouraging video testimonials on social platforms
- Livestreamed “unboxing” videos around launch dates
You can even create video-based ads that summarize top reviews or pose common questions answered in snappy clips. Don’t forget to optimize videos for mobile playback as well.
User-generated content from actual customers and influencers helps supershoppers feel confident in their purchase decision. It shows them the care, attention, and seamless experience they can expect from your brand.
Promote Helpful Product Information
Today’s savvy shoppers want more than just a product description; they’re looking for credible specs, comparisons, and advice to ensure they’re making the right choice.
Focus on enhancing your product pages with:
- Detailed specifications tables
- Side-by-side comparisons of similar items
- Frequently bundled/purchased accompaniments
- Pros and cons list from customer feedback
- Helpful tips and usage recommendations
- Professional or user-submitted photos from all angles
- Easy to understand warranty and return policies
Give shoppers confidence in their purchase by making thorough, well-organized information readily available. Considerations like these will help convert casual viewers into loyal customers.
You can even extend this helpful approach to your website navigation with sections like “Gift Ideas For…”, “Popular Items This Month”, or “Top-Rated Products Under $50”. Make it simple for supershoppers to find what they need fast.
Leverage Targeted Advertising Strategies
Beyond optimizing your own site and content, paid media is a must for reaching supershoppers in their preferred online channels. Some effective advertising techniques include:
Search ads:
- Target keyword themes like “unique gifts”, “best headphones under $100”
- Use Smart Shopping campaigns for automatic optimization
Social media ads:
- Promote top pins or posts to audience interests
- Measure website traffic vs. sales for best approach
Retargeting:
- Retarget abandoned carts and site visitors
- Offer discounts or bundle suggestions to re-engage
- Cross-promote popular items between sites
Shopping/product listing ads:
- Bid on competitive keywords and categories
- Highlight promotions or top-sellers to drive clicks
YouTube/video ads:
- Promote video content before long-form videos
- Consider TrueView for ideal low-cost engagement
With the right combination of channels, ads, and offers tailored to shopping missions, you can connect supershoppers to your brand at the perfect moment. Don’t forget to optimize for all devices as well.
Create Helpful Supplemental Content
Beyond just selling products, supershoppers appreciate brands that provide credible information to simplify their shopping experience. Consider developing additional written and visual content types like:
- eBooks/guides: How-to’s, gift ideas by occasion, product comparisons, etc.
- Blog posts: Industry trends, reviews, behind-the-scenes features, Q&As
- Video tutorials: Assembly help, common questions, use tips
- Infographics: Fun facts, lifestyle stats, how it works visually
- Newsletter: Exclusive offers, new products, buying advice
Distribute this helpful content through your website, social profiles,[9] and other relevant industry sites/forums. It builds authority, tops of mind awareness and allows supershoppers to self-educate on your terms.
Focus on the Complete Customer Experience
While research and discovery are clearly important phases, supershoppers also appreciate seamless checkout, easy returns, and post-purchase support. Consider your whole customer experience:
- Streamline sign-up/checkout with pre-filled forms
- Offer flexible payment options like PayPal, Klarna, etc.
- Provide order updates via email/text for transparency
- Outline clear return/exchange policies prominently
- Respond to reviews/messages within 24 hours
- Send timely shipping confirmations automatically
- Offer post-purchase support via chat, phone, social
Creating frictionless purchasing and after-sales care helps maintain strong brand loyalty – even for picky supershoppers! Always be available however your customers prefer to communicate.
Key Takeaways
To summarize some of the key tactics covered:
- Prioritize an optimized mobile experience
- Leverage user-generated and video content
- Provide thorough, credible product information
- Use targeted advertising and retargeting strategies
- Develop helpful supplemental reference content
- Focus on the complete customer experience
By understanding who the modern supershopper is and what motivates their purchasing decisions, you’ll be well equipped to attract, engage, and convert more of these influential shoppers every step of the way. Commit to continuous improvement, and you’ll build lasting brand loyalty this season and beyond.
FAQ
Q: What’s the best approach—on-site ads or off-site ads?
Promoting products on your own website through internal links and targeted on-site ads certainly has its benefits. However, reaching supershoppers where they are already researching, like search engines and social media, can be more effective. A balanced approach using both on- and off-site advertising is ideal.
Q: How do I optimize for all devices at once?
Focus on responsive design principles like flexible layouts and scalable assets that dynamically adjust based on screen size. For ads, use smart bidding strategies that automate bids based on conversion rates across devices. And test creatives optimized specifically for mobile versus desktop.
Q: What’s the best place to promote video content?
YouTube tends to be the top destination for researching product videos. However, also promoting videos natively on your website, in social media ads and pins, and via TrueView in-stream YouTube ads helps expand your reach. Measure the performance of each channel to see what drives the most engagement and conversions for your buyers.
Q: Is it okay to promote on third-party marketplaces?
Having a presence on major third-party marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and eBay can absolutely help reach more active buyers, as long as you also drive them back to complete purchases on your own online storefront where possible. This allows you to fully optimize the experience and collect valuable customer data and reviews.
Q: What should I focus on for social media marketing?
Leverage visually appealing pins and posts highlighting your products in real-life settings and user-generated content. Prioritize Instagram and Pinterest, where visual discovery shines. But also engage customers through encouraging reviews and questions on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Develop a balanced social media marketing strategy rather than relying on any one channel alone.
Q: How often should I run promotions?
Offering occasional limited-time sales and bundles can help draw in supershoppers who are always on the lookout for a good deal. However, over-promoting can seem desperate and train buyers to only purchase on sale. Experiment with finding the right cadence, like 20% off sitewide for 72 hours once per month, followed by targeted retargeting. Consistency in pricing builds more trust overall.
External References
[1] Google, “The Year of the Mobile Shopper.”
[2] Marketing Charts, “Online Shoppers Open to New Retailers”
[3] Google, “Holiday Shopping 2015”
[4] Google, “The Year of the Mobile Shopper.”
[5] Google, “Holiday Shopping 2015”
[6] Google, “The Year of the Mobile Shopper.”
[7] Google Ads, “Shopping campaigns”
[8] MarketingLand, “The Anatomy of Retargeting”
[9] Sprout Social, “20 Social Media Marketing Tips”