SEO Reseller News: The Future of Retail Study 2014 (Infographic)

Many white label SEO resellers have a love-hate relationship with the months November and December, which are collectively called the “holiday shopping season.” Yes, they have more business than ever because online retail sites are booming, but at the same, they also are loaded with so much work. Well, they can expect this same “relationship” to continue this year. Just take a look at this infographic on the Future of Retail 2014, courtesy of Walker Sands.

Private label SEO reseller provider Endlessrise published a few weeks ago a blog post on 2013 online holiday shopping trends. Citing comScore data, the company wrote that U.S. holiday desktop e-commerce retail shopping was expected to jump 14% to the tune of $ 48.1 billion in November 2013. And if the findings of a new research are any indication, we are likely to see better figures in the 2014 holiday season.

E-Commerce: A Normal Shopping Activity

According to the Walker Sands 2014 Future of Retail Study, less than 1% of the 1,000 U.S. consumers surveyed said they do not shop online. Majority of consumers (40%) said they shop using the Internet once a month. Another 22% say they do it more frequently, shopping at least 1-2 times a week. Some 5% shop more than twice a week. In total, 62% of respondents shop online at least once a month. The remaining 38% shop less frequently, with 20% of all respondents saying they do so 7-12 times a year.

The report said this “pivotal tipping point” demonstrates a major opportunity for retailers who already have strategies in place. Consequentially, the popularity of internet shopping to consumers means white label SEO resellers and online marketing consultants will have more business to handle. Retailers will need support from agencies and consultants to implement strategies, especially if they do not have sufficient in-house marketing manpower.

What Consumers Buy Online Today

If you are an SEO reseller and online marketing consultant, it is important to know which products consumers are likely to buy online. Knowing what percentage of prospects buys online will help you better advise your retail clients. For instance, in the survey, it was found that 69% of respondents shop online for consumer electronics – making it the most popular online shopping category. In this case, it might be more advisable for your client to sell products directly online instead of trying to convince prospects to drop by and purchase in-store. Other popular online shopping categories are books (67%) and clothing & apparel (63%). 

On the other hand, some 37% of surveyed consumers said they have not purchased food and groceries from Amazon. Luxury goods also seem unpopular as online shopping goods at 29%. The rest of the categories like sporting goods and pet supplies hovered around the 10% mark. In this case, it might be wiser for a private label reseller to convince the client to subscribe to local marketing or Local Buzz. This unique online marketing service encourages an online-offline buzz through reviews, maps, local listings, and most importantly, check-ins via Foursquare and similar geo-social networks.

How Much They Spend Online

Consumers, despite being more and more accustomed to purchasing via the Internet, still are careful when it comes to whipping out their wallets. It’s no surprise therefore that the biggest group (45%) spends only between $100 and $500 for a product they have yet to see. Another 16% mark their budgets at $501-$1,000 while only 10% of consumers will pay greater than $1,000 for a product they have not yet seen.

(Image: Walker Sands)

Interestingly, percentages for high-ticket items rise when retailers offer consumers free shipping and free returns. From only 10%, the percentage of consumers willing to pay over $1,000 for a product rises to 29% with free shipping and returns. The mid-range group’s budget adds five percentage points to reach 21%. On the contrary, the percentage of people willing to buy items priced $100-$500 falls to 37% once free shipping and returns promotions are offered.

Based on these figures, white label SEO resellers can categorize their retailer clients’ customers. This will allow the client to offer free shipping and other promos only to the customer groups that would want those promos.

How to Make Consumers Buy Online

While free shipping and free returns can impact product or customer groups differently, they are among the many promos retailers can implement to help spur online purchases. As a private label SEO reseller and online marketing consultant, you can recommend these promotions to your client. According to research, consumers are more likely to purchase from an online retailer if that business offered, first and foremost, free shipping. An overwhelming 80% of respondents said so.

Some 66% of respondents also said 1-day shipping will drive them to buy online. Meanwhile, free returns and exchanges will push 64% of customers to buy.

Final Reminders for Online Retail 2014

Let’s close this post with two reminders. First, ensure your retailer client’s website, whether e-commerce or not, is mobile friendly. The best configuration is mobile responsive, which allows the website to load properly on all screen sizes and devices. This setting will allow your client’s site to accommodate mobile traffic. According to Google, 75% of consumers prefer a mobile-friendly site. Ask your white label online marketing and web resign reseller provider for custom WordPress sites that are mobile responsive.

Second, optimize your retail client’s online and local presence through Local Buzz, which is the optimization of maps, local listings, check-ins, and reviews. Remember that while nearly 100% of consumers have purchased an item online, not everyone does so all the time. Consumers also like researching online before buying locally, and in this case, Local Buzz is the best optimization approach.