Search Me!

How do prospective shoppers go about finding your store? Online information provider About.com sponsored a study which identified three patterns called Answer Me, Educate Me, and Inspire Me.
     The study was conducted by Latitude Research, which advises companies on advertising technologies. The sample included 928 Americans, ages 21-54, with an annual household income of at least $50,000. The methodology was purely qualitative, and the sample was not necessarily representative of American adult consumers. I consider such studies to be most valuable in providing suggestions rather than firm conclusions.
     Here are the three patterns, augmented with reliable consumer psychology research findings:

• Answer Me. About half of all searches have as an objective getting just enough information to direct further actions. Keep it quick and direct. These are not necessarily urgent searches, though. The consumer is often willing to come back for another brief shot later. When placing website ads, you might want to use graphics and animation to draw attention, but it is the informative text shoppers will focus on. Easy interaction means making it unambiguous what can be clicked and what the click will give you. Higher income consumers, men, and older consumers are especially likely to be Answer Me searchers. Searches for fashion, beauty, and entertainment retailers tend to be Answer Me.
• Educate Me. About one-quarter of searches aim for a comprehensive understanding and varying perspectives. The consumer is willing to do repeated searches, spend time on each search, and explore associated topics. In your internet ads, give plenty of links to related material, but have those open in separate windows so the consumer will be back to you when done with the rest. Women are more likely than men to be Educate Me searchers. Searches for health care and finance retailers tend to be Educate Me.
• Inspire Me. The other one-quarter of searches are done with no narrow goal in mind. These consumers welcome having the search results guide them toward how to make a purchase selection, not only what to purchase. The Inspire Me consumers start with brief exploratory searches and then, as they better articulate their goals, they’ll probably migrate toward the patterns of Educate Me and Answer Me consumers. Excite the imagination of these searchers by offering many alternatives. Younger consumers are more likely than older consumers to be Inspire Me searchers. Inquiries to find travel and home/garden retailers tend to be Inspire Me.

For your profitability: Sell Well: What Really Moves Your Shoppers

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