Our Shopper Influence Study among 6,000 recent category purchasers revealed nearly half (48%) of consumers do not have a brand in mind at the start of their shopper journey. Instead, their purchase decisions are influenced by a vast number of contextual factors. Alter Agents’ Chief Innovation Officer, Michelle Castle and Chief Analytics Officer, Casey Willard, write more about this reality for their latest article for Total Retail, called “Want to understand shopper decisions? Context is the key.” Total Retail is the go-to source for executives looking for the latest news and analysis on the retail industry.

Casey and Michelle cover how the shopper journey looks now with access to nearly unlimited, in-the moment sources of information about any planned purchases. In addition, they touch on consumer expectations for innovation, and the swift decline of brand loyalty. “All of these factors have come together to create a perfect storm: something we call the ‘promiscuous shopper.’” This ultimately creates a landscape in which it is hard to predict behaviors – both for brands and for consumers themselves, who often have aspirational intentions for purchases, but are often disrupted in action by “circumstances in any given moment.”

They also cover the way shoppers think about brand loyalty, and how they seek information for any planned purchase. Because consumers are seeking multiple information sources for purchases across categories, they are generally very well-informed, even if they consider themselves to be impulsive shoppers.

This creates implications for retailers, brands and market research teams alike. Casey and Michelle say that ” it is difficult to overestimate the importance of situational context, the prevalence of information, and the openness to influence – or promiscuity – along the shopping journey.” They conclude the article with some best practices to keep in mind when trying to understand shopping behavior, including breaking from more traditional research models to garner the best insights.  “Turning to a consumer-centric model that seeks to understand shopper motivations and behaviors within a specific context can help provide the insights necessary for informed decision-making across organizations.”

Read the complete article here: https://www.mytotalretail.com/article/want-to-understand-shopper-decisions-context-is-the-key