Changes In Female Consumption Patterns

　　 retail The revolution of the market is going on quietly. It is not a change in the direction of technology, but a real change in the leadership of consumers. In the past, the consumption path of the retail industry was often centered on "retailers", forcing the behavior of consumers into the established path model. In fact, consumers will not be in the "well designed" route of retailers. Successful retailers put themselves on the path of their customers and closely follow their development and changes. In the era of mobile Internet and social media, the shopping mode and path of Chinese female consumers have changed a lot. Retailers need to explore these changes in time, redesign and establish a new shopping path model that is truly consumer centered.

Recently, Microsoft's advertising department and Ipsos jointly conducted a study on the retail consumption path of women. This study reveals the new shopping path change of Chinese female consumers, points out the way to meet consumer demand and shows new marketing opportunities, so as to provide consumers with seamless and personalized retail experience.

Before studying the female consumption path, the first thing to understand is that, in every stage of the consumption path, the "personality", "information", "richness" and "recognition" have a crucial impact on consumers' shopping decisions in the shopping decision-making ecosystem.

"Personality" - thinking about what can play a role and what products and services can do for me. How can this product be close to my life?

"Information" - gather more information to get a better understanding of products, including product characteristics and advantages. How does information stack up?

"Richness" - the product has a very well known cognition and touch experience. What is its essence and feeling?

"Recognition" - to get more support for my choice, preference and final purchase. Do I make the right decision? Does anyone else think so?

　　 Shopping behavior is not just driven by demand.

According to Ipsos study, most consumers are driven by "demand" when buying personal belongings. For example, when a cream is used up, it is necessary to add the same product, and there will not be too many thinking processes before they enter the store.

But in China, female consumption tends to be driven by "desire" rather than "demand", and "desire" is far more powerful than you think. For example, if Miss Lee sees a new face cream ad, she will probably do some research to decide which product is best for her. This process may cause her to give up the regular cream she first wanted to buy. At the same time, "desire" drives additional products to browse and consume, so retailers can boost sales by stimulating consumers' attention to new products. This mode of consumption can be called "open to all possibilities".

　　 Purchase and replacement decisions

In China, there are many ways to achieve "open to all possibilities". According to the Ipsos survey, the need to supplement the product is the main shopping driver (53%), while there is also a desire for new things (53%). Besides, advertising prompts (37%) and other people's recommendation (37%) also play a very important role in driving purchase behavior. {page_break}

For habituation consumption For example, consumers will decide whether to buy or replace them when they need to replenish their products or goods. At this moment, "longing for new things" often stimulates consumers' new or extra consumption, which is particularly important in China. But it is not enough to rely on "longing for new things". Retailers need to take the initiative to exert influence on consumers and provide support so as to maximize the "openness to all possibilities".

For example, Miss Lee's APP downloaded from her cell phone will remind her that she needs additional products by means of message reminders. The retailer gives her or her family the advice of offering other products that may be of interest, driving "open to all possibilities" and giving her the expectation of shopping trips.

　　 Assessment

According to Ipsos research, consumers' shopping path has changed greatly in the digital age. They usually do not make a purchase decision blindly. Instead, they will search for relevant product information on the Internet and check the product reviews to help her choose the best products and help her save time and money.

In the evaluation stage, "information" has a very important impact on the whole evaluation process. According to the survey of Ipsos, the "information" is the most important demand in the purchasing decision process of Chinese women when buying personal care (72%), while "personalized" (66%), "richness" (59%) and "recognition" (46%) also occupy a large proportion.

Because consumers have more tactile experience in the physical store, "information" and "personalization" are often ignored. For example, consumers will rely on their grocery stores to look for more personalized products. At the same time, consumers often seek advice from others when making purchase decisions. (2/5 of female consumers will take the initiative to seek advice in the evaluation stage), and the impact on this stage is far greater than other factors.

　 purchase

The Ipsos study found that when consumers enter the "consumption" process, their focus is on how to choose the right products, do some instant surveys, and search for product transaction information to ensure that they get the most cost-effective products. In the habitual consumption stage, consumers will enter stores to complete their shopping lists, and then they will pick some products that are suitable for them.

In the purchase stage, "information" is still the most important. Taking personal care products as an example, according to Ipsos survey, "information" is still the most important (72%) in the purchase stage, followed by "richness" (67%), "personalization" (56%) and "recognition" (51%). For retailers, consumers can make use of mobile phone applications to understand personalized information or enable consumers to get information about products they have contacted online. For example, scanning a cream that she likes can get a series of related products.

Meanwhile, according to the Ipsos study, Chinese female consumers are more likely to browse at random, although they have made a good shopping list, but only 30% of consumers will browse the shopping list. However, even if they prefer to browse freely, the pleasure of shopping is to find their target merchandise instead of wandering aimlessly. If retailers understand the needs of consumers before they enter the store and help them find other related products, they can help consumers reduce unnecessary confusion as much as possible. For example, retailers can encourage consumers to explore hidden products that they will be interested in through mobile phone and store hints; use data to remind consumers that they may forget something, such as "you last bought shower gel and conditioner." {page_break}

For example, Miss Li walked in and gave it to her. Coupon In a retail store, she will go directly to choose what she wants, but she still has time to browse other products. In the process of browsing, retailers provide quality shopping environment and provide information about other related products, which may exceed her purchase list and make it happen to discover more fresh products. It will play a certain role in inspiring her next shopping trip.

　　 experience

The influence of word of mouth is beyond doubt. There is no doubt that retailers should strongly encourage consumers to share a good product experience. Although face-to-face communication is very common, the way of online communication is also very popular nowadays. Marketers should promote the growth of this trend, which will enable consumers to enjoy more pleasure in shopping. According to Ipsos survey, 41% of Chinese consumers will comment on the products purchased online (21% of global data), and 36% of consumers will comment on the store online.

Encouraging consumers to write reviews and shopping experiences can make them feel confident about their choices and make them deeply impressed with the retailers.

The positive information of consumers after shopping reviews has great potential to promote product marketing. These users can share their shopping experience in the circle of friends to stimulate the desire of others to buy. According to Ipsos survey, 80% of consumers in China believe that friends and family recommend products; 64% of consumers believe other consumers' comments.

At the same time, the reminder of shopping experience has a positive impact on promoting re purchase. For example, when Miss Lee shoppers home, the retailer's mobile phone application will automatically prompt her consumption information, which deepens her positive impression of the shopping trip and makes it the first choice for her next shopping location.

In the era of mobile Internet and social media, consumers' shopping patterns and shopping paths have undergone significant changes. Retailers need to see the changes of consumers in a timely manner, closely follow consumers, and make use of new technologies to provide seamless and personalized shopping experience to cope with increasingly fierce competition environment.