Starting a Retail App, Product, Website or Business?
What’s the first step in launching a business? It’s the discovery session, where you define who your target audience is, draw a user persona, map out their entire lives. Why? Because everything you do from then on, is to grab the attention of that select group of people.
As a technology solutions company, we often work with startups on the discovery session. Understanding their ideal customer is important for us to design the UX and UI of the online product, which can be a mobile app or a website. While a lot is involved in the discovery process, here’s a dialed down version of the final user profiling for a retail app.
The image gives you a sense of the different customers that could come to the website or app.
The reasons that drove them to the app is defines by the Goals and Shopping Motivators
The reasons that made them buy a product is defined by the Purchase Influencers
How to get them to purchase once on the app is defined by the Ideal UX
The Shopper With a Plan
This person shops when they need something. They don’t browse the mobile section of Amazon to see what’s the latest, they visit the mobile section of Amazon only once their current mobile breaks, or is outdated, and they need a new one. Their goals and motivators are clear, it is the need to purchase.
These people often open multiple websites to weigh their options. They are not necessarily looking for the cheapest option, rather for the best product at the most valuable price. 90% of the time they know what they want to buy, the model, brand, colour etc. The have done their research. The only thing that influences buying now is the price and perks alike an offer.
The best UX for this group is one which gives them the most information with the minimal hassle. They just want satisfaction that your website is the best option, and that happens once they see all the details, like price, wait time, etc. Finally, once their mind is made, they want to be able to place the order as soon as possible.
The Window Shopper
This group is on Amazon, Flipkart, and other shopping sites everyday. If they see an interesting item on social media, they will follow the link to the shopping site and then continue to peruse items. They are not necessarily looking for something, but they can be influenced to buy. Social media and communication like emails from brands/websites generally motivates them to visit shopping sites.
Once on the shopping site, they can be convinced to buy through captivating images and copy. If you can describe why your product is necessary for them, chances are, they’ll buy it. They need constant touch points and enforcing, which can be done with pop-ups and chat windows. Seasonal offers and sales are great influencers of purchase.
The best UX design to promote sales to this group will involve showing many options and variations. The more they see, the more curious they become. Also, the more items you show them, the more chances of them finding something they needed but forgot about. They also make decisions based on testimonials.
The Shopaholic (or The Loyal Customer)
This group buys often, and mostly a certain product or brand. For example, electronics enthusiasts who love owning the latest mobile phone, or sports lovers who enjoy Nike’s products. They love broadening and updating their inventory.
While this group tends to log in to shopping sites often, communication about the latest products are the best way to grab their attention. This can be done through, social media, emails, etc. They also have a fear of losing out on great deals, and often purchase items they might or might not need, just because there was a sale.
The best UX design to influence this group to purchase involves showing them items similar what they previously purchased. They also want to contribute to the reputation of their favourite brands, through reviews and feedback.
How to Stitch Them All Together
As a retail app or business, you of course cannot favour any one type of customer. They all are prospective buyers. The ideal UX for retail, then, contains a blend of all three. The purpose of discovery and customer profiling is to list out all that will work, and all that won’t. Now that you know what influences each particular group, your job as a UX designer is to mould the three together.
Are you looking to develop an app or website for retail? Drop us a message and we’ll tell you exactly how to get started, and how we can help.