3 ways to shift your marketing strategy to adapt to the consumer journey

Ashley Wells: These days, the consumer journey  is more complex than ever. Trying to predict  
shoppers’ next steps can feel a little daunting.  But understanding the evolution of their unique  
behaviors can help you reach the right person at  the right time with the right messaging platform.  
So today we’re discussing three key behaviors that  make the consumer journey what it is right now.
You’ve reached the Insights Jam,  where the Global Market Insights  
team gets together to discuss consumer  insights and trends. My name’s Ashley.
Samantha Gelinas: I’m Sam.
Jessica Ciesielski: And I’m Jessica.
Ciesielski: So let’s dig into the first way  that the consumer journey has evolved. We’ve  
seen consumers are being more thoughtful  in their decision-making. Shoppers are  
more conscious of what, where, and how  they buy. Throughout the whole journey,  
from the moment of inspiration to  when they actually make the purchase,  
consumers are leaning on Google Search to answer  their questions that come up along the way.
So with that in mind, I have a question  for you. True or false? Globally,  
32% of consumers in surveyed markets are doing  more research on purchases while shopping.
If you thought true, you are correct.  So this tells us that it’s really more  
important to meet shoppers where they  actually are at in the process. So we  
recommend making sure you have a strong  and informative digital presence to help  
bring awareness to your business and show  shoppers how you can help meet their needs.
Really spend time thinking  about the value that you’re  
offering your consumers. How is your  strategy intentionally helping equip  
customers with more information to  support the decision to purchase?
Gelinas: Exactly. I have a great example  from Google Search that shows how people  
are doing their research. On average,  global search interest in “best time to  
buy” was higher in January compared  to the same time in the prior year.
But I think it’s important to call out  that when people are doing the research,  
they’re looking for more than  just pricing information. In fact,  
when we ask people what are the most helpful  things brands can communicate as they make  
decisions about items they’re considering  purchasing, the quality of an item was  
selected as often as deals and promotions,  by 46% and 45% of people, respectively.
The takeaway here is that while price  is obviously a very important factor in  
decision-making, discounts aren’t  the only tool in your toolkit.  
Make sure you’re communicating product  benefits, like quality, very clearly.
Wells: Well, let’s keep the ball rolling and chat  about the second reason the consumer journey is so  
complex right now. Consumers have more options  than ever while making purchasing decisions.
About a third of consumers globally in surveyed  markets are spending more time making decisions,  
considering more brands, and considering more  stores and retailers. And 47% of consumers in  
surveyed markets have purchased at least one  new brand that they’ve never bought before.  
So clearly, people are willing to roll  up their sleeves and do some research.
With so much information out there, consumers are  using Google Search as a tool to get reliable and  
diverse results. People are open to trying new  brands and products to best meet their needs,  
which means they have to work even harder  to narrow down the right choices for them.
And that begs the question: how many consumers  research online, even if they fully intend to  
buy in-store? Over half or less than half?  If you said “over half,” you are correct.
Sixty-five percent of consumers in surveyed  markets are more likely to research products  
online, even if they intend to buy in-store.  And 59% are more likely to visit stores to  
see or touch products, even if they plan  to buy online. So since the research stage  
is so important for the customer journey  right now, brands could spend some time  
thinking about how to drive more in-store  purchases through their online promotions.
Gelinas: Brands and retailers need to think less  about online and offline as separate entities,  
and think more about how the two work together  in a way that’s helpful for consumers.
Fun fact: in our holiday research,  we found that online search was  
used before 96% of in-store holiday  shopping occasions across surveyed  
markets. This really illustrates how  online and offline are colliding.
And over the past five years, global  comparison of search terms “near me”  
and “online” indicate a growing consumer  interest in getting things done locally,  
in addition to the sustained  interest in doing so online.
Let’s shift to the final behavior up for  discussion today. Consumers have access  
to and are using more resources to help them  decide what’s the right purchase for them.
They turn to a variety of online resources  to help navigate the decision-making journey.  
Across surveyed markets, 61% of holiday shoppers  use five or more channels like search, video,  
and social media to shop over a two-day  period. Despite all of these resources,  
though, consumers are still  hungry for more help. In fact,  
45% of U.S. shoppers wish brands  would help them shop more efficiently.
Wells: That’s right. Many Americans look  for brands that offer helpful products  
and services. Last year, almost 50% of  U.S. consumers said a website or app  
that makes shopping easier is important to them.
This year, what do you think? Did  the numbers increase or decrease?
You guessed it. It increased.  That number is up to 60% now.
There’s a big opportunity for brands here, because  there are many ways that they can actually deliver  
on this consumer need. For example, shoppers  in the U.S. are increasingly drawn to retailers  
that have a loyalty or rewards program that  makes their shopping experience smoother.
Ciesielski: So today, we’ve talked a lot  about what consumers are doing to research  
and find the best options for themselves.  But there’s really a vital role for brands  
to play in making sure the information  is out there for shoppers to easily find.
People are spending way more time in the research  phase than in the actual buying phase right now.  
Forty-four percent of consumers say  they spend more time planning their  
in-store shopping trips, and 50% say that  they spend less time browsing in-store.
Wells: Well, friends, today we chatted  through some really interesting findings  
from this year and were able to shed some more  
light as to why the consumer journey  is so complex and nuanced right now.
That’s all for this episode of The Insights Jam.  
We’re glad you could join us. Please  be sure to subscribe to the Think with  
Google channel to stay in the loop when  new content drops. See you next time.