Top 10 things to know about consumers’ purchasing behaviours

Consumer purchasing behaviours, along with plenty of other aspects of small business marketing, are quickly evolving. Some for the better, some we’re still getting used to and figuring out the best ways forward. As business owners we’ve changed, adapted, won some and lost some. The same can be said for how consumers view purchasing. 

Consumers are more informed about products and services than they’ve ever been and have an expectation that your product or service can be purchased online. Consumers’ purchasing decisions are shaped by information accessed from across multiple channels, including through friends, family and online influences along with developing new behaviours towards ethically sourced and sustainable products. 

So what does this mean for business owners and how does this affect the way we plan our marketing strategies? We do this by adjusting our strategies to meet our target customers' new requirements. Below are 10 things to consider when understanding consumers’ purchasing behaviours.

1. Get online

Consumers have always wanted convenience. Consider petrol stations as an example, a conveniently located petrol station will often win over brand loyalty. Convenience now means being online, and with Gen Zers not knowing anything different, even if you’re a service-based business, there needs to be an option to access you online somewhere. The role of physical shops has changed so you’ll need to adapt, get creative and find new ways to sell your business online.

2. Friends and family influence your buyers

Consumers are influenced by their friends and family. They’ll look to them to get advice and knowledge on purchasing decisions. According to Admass, friends and family have the heaviest influence at the awareness and purchase stages of the buyer’s journey. Often this influence comes from sharing their experience on social media, so it would be worthwhile encouraging customers to share their story and tag your business if appropriate. 

3. Get those reviews happening

A greater online presence means consumers have the ability to conduct more research on your brand and business. Potential buyers can access reviews, and testimonials and gather feedback. These information gathering exercises help toward building trust in future purchase decisions so ensuring you’re gathering reviews and testimonials at the post-purchase stage of the buyer’s journey should have a high priority placed on it. And while a bad review can be damaging, view your reply as an opportunity to expand on building trust and forming stronger, authentic relationships.

4. Think about user-generated content

User-generated content (UGC) is surpassing influencers and is being viewed as more authentic and genuine. This form of content is good at the consideration stage of the buyer's journey. When customers have defined their problem and are actively researching where to find the best solution, UGC provides further evidence around its trustworthiness, and offers a hands-on experience or paints a picture of its use or experience. You might consider implementing a strategy designed to generate more UGC with a giveaway

5. Build a strong brand

Your branding is key to ensuring your values are defined and they should be easily distinguished through how you position yourself. Because consumers purchasing behaviours are shaped by how they view your brand, building a strong brand reputation means firstly building a foundation. Aside from the physical aspects of your logo, brand name, colours and other elements, consider the deeper meaning you want your brand to hold with customers. Do you want to be remembered as relaxed, playful, serious or adventurous? What does your brand say to build trust? These connections need to build positive experiences in order to gain brand loyalty, repeat purchases and positive word-of-mouth reviews. 

6. Target audiences

Consumers’ purchasing behaviours are shaped by their age and will often dictate which platforms to market on. According to Blogspot, Gen Z is more likely to engage on social platforms than any other market segment and is drawn to platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. The Gen Z target market interacts best with content that is light-hearted, helpful, inspirational and informative. But if you aren’t targeting Gen Zers, those platforms and content streams may not be suitable.  It means carefully identifying your target audience and crafting messaging that is relatable - that could mean a static image with words over a full noise video.

7. Market across multiple channels

Consumers' purchasing decisions are influenced by marketing messages seen across multiple channels. If you want to gain trust and influence consumers at various points in their purchasing journey, advertising across three different channels is viewed as a good mix. Most frequently used are digital marketing channels, such as email, social media and text messaging. Again, choosing which channels to target will depend on your target audience and the platforms they frequent. Text messaging may not be the best option for a customer in their 70s, but emails may be more readily received.

8. Sustainable products are appealing

We are now seeing the influence sustainable brands have on purchasing decisions. There is new demand for sustainable and ethically produced brands. Consumers are more conscious of this in their purchasing decisions and the impact this has on their environment and surroundings. Consumers are considering things such as materials used, packaging, processing environments and long-lasting durability. If you haven’t already, now is the time to consider how your business plans to manage this.

9. Things might take a bit more time

Out-of-stock and supply chain issues have until recently been driving consumer spending, with concerns now moving towards rising costs of living and inflationary pressures. This will see consumers' discretionary spending habits change over the course of 2022 and 2023. Consumers are becoming more budget-conscious in their purchasing behaviours and taking longer to make purchasing decisions. Longer purchase lead times equals more work building brand awareness, educating customers, creating relevant content, and displaying positive testimonials and reviews for customers during the information gathering stage.

10. Small business value

Consumer spending continues to see trends to support small businesses. These smaller businesses are often easier to deal with, with some consumers preferring to buy directly from owners, thus providing the opportunity to form close and genuine relationships. And while convenience still is a key driver for purchasing decisions, consumers that have the ability to wait and have higher purchasing power will look to support local businesses over large multinational organisations.

Need more help?

If you’re unsure where to start or your current online marketing solutions aren’t achieving the desired results, reach out! We’re keen to ensure business owners are getting the right solutions for their business. Avoid throwing your marketing out into the universe and hoping something will stick. Let’s have a conversation to help move your marketing.