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Capgemini Invent Ecommerce Marketing

Shoppability: the secret to becoming a leading brand online

By Carolyn Purdy

November 10, 2021 | 7 min read

It’s a crucial time for brands as we enter a digitally-enabled future and grapple with the challenge of retaining shoppers gained during the pandemic. Shoppers have benefited from brands’ adoption of digital experiences, with 70% of Britons now preferring to shop online and via mobile.

Capgemini on reimagining shopper experiences and understanding the convergence of context, content and commerce.

Capgemini on reimagining shopper experiences and understanding the convergence of commerce, context and content

Although e-commerce acceleration has been prolific across markets, the focus on experience will need to be magnified as shoppers expect it to be relevant, personalized and frictionless, with an estimated 40% of marketers now using shoppable media.

What is simple for shoppers is complex for brands and retailers

There is an opportunity for brands to drive convergence between commerce, context and content, and this is where shoppability comes in.

Shoppability is the process of curating the shopper’s path to purchase from engagement through to product discovery and conversion, with the main ambition of shortening the funnel and reducing friction. It focuses on joining the context of retail, channel and shopper dynamics with the data-richness of commerce and the personalization of content while building a brand and driving sales and conversion.

While shoppability might seem complicated and mundane compared to traditional advertising, it goes beyond a ‘Shop Now’ button on Facebook.

Shoppability means achieving the right blend of commerce, context and content.

1. Enable shopper psychology to inform commerce, context and content decisions

Shoppers are complex. 95% of purchase decisions are made in the subconscious. In the physical environment brands utilize the store to influence behavior; however, it’s more complex to captivate shoppers’ senses within digital. By understanding shoppers, you emphasize the purchase decision, focusing on ROI.

Generation Z shoppers expect seamless interaction across the path to purchase. Considering their psychology and how brands use technology to enhance their experience empowers them to engage with the brand on their own terms.

One brand leveraging psychology and experience to drive conversion is Lush. Lush entices shoppers in-store with fruity scents and product engagement to amplify experience. Online, they have relaunched their website based on their Digital Ethics mission. The brand incorporated this to leverage testimonials to provide honest and trustworthy depictions of the brand to create a personalized experience.

By tapping into psychology and forming more emotional connections, shoppers are three times more likely to repurchase, and less likely to purchase from competitors.

2. Align commerce and context to a tailored content landscape

From Tesco’s guided selling recipes to Ikea’s experimental social commerce and more recently Boot’s shoppable TV, one could argue that retailers are leading the way in shoppability by being more focused on shoppers.

This changing media landscape has opened opportunities for tactics to attract shoppers, such as consultive selling and shoppable livestreams.

Chinese platform Douyin believes its success is down to relentlessly focusing on ‘interest e-commerce,’ which “aim[s] to satisfy consumers’ implicit needs while improving their life quality.” In 2021, Douyin capitalized on this, launching flagship store media options for brands. They have reportedly predicted that their gross merchandise value (GMV) is set to reach 600 billion RMB (£67.81bn).

Not everyone has Douyin’s tech; however, understanding where you can overlay the shoppers’ missions with the power of great content in the right media format can unlock growth for commerce.

3. Drive commerce, context and content in a data-driven channel-less world

Driving engagement in-store has changed as more shoppers view a channel-less world when purchasing their favorite brand. However, many brands still view digital as a channel rather than being an “enabler of user-first experiences that boost loyalty.” This shift in thinking will enable brands to spend more time understanding channel mix and the role of data-driven insights to ensure a seamless path to purchase.

As social media platforms enter commerce and quick commerce continues to grow, shoppers’ convenience expectations are changing. HubSpot indicates that 50% of shoppers have purchased a product from at least one social media platform in 2020. Ensuring your channel mix is strategic and shopper-centric will enable you to activate your brand where shoppers expect to find it, rather than being in channels that result in limited conversion and higher stock returns.

Understanding the role of data collaborations within channels and improving the measurement of shopper expectations is key. As a brand, you have the power to leverage first-party data and build retailer relationships to collect second- and third-party data, which will provide a strong hold on your digital future and enhance your connections with shoppers.

Shoppability to be a part of existing capabilities

Having the right capabilities in an offline world was once a competitor advantage. Brands need to enhance these capabilities by leveraging teams with hybrid skillsets that understand the above and various martech stacks.

Shoppability might seem complex; however, as time progresses it will be the brands that have spent time understanding the convergence of commerce, context and content that will win shoppers and ultimately lead to conversion. The past year has offered a valuable nudge to reimagine your shopper experience.

For more information on Capgemini Invent and Frog, visit our site and get in touch.

Carolyn Purdy, marketing consultant within Frog, part of Capgemini Invent.

Capgemini Invent Ecommerce Marketing

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