Behavioral marketing in eCommerce
Laia Ordoñez
04/04/2018
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Use the behavior of your visitors to give them a unique shopping experience with Behavioral Marketing in your eCommerce.
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Some time ago, I spoke of behavioural content which adapts dynamically to the user visiting a website. On this occasion, we want to go a step further and explain how to apply it and what possibilities Behavioral Marketing can offer you in e-Commerce. Pay attention, we are ready to start.
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What is behavioral marketing?
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In the introduction to this post, we have already mentioned. However, we are going to propose the following definiton to clarify the concept: it is the business strategy that uses the segmentation of clients based on their actions and behaviors (behavioral targeting) instead of just taking into account the pages visited.You may be wondering what data is used by systems to interpret the user´s behavior? Well, in this case behavioral marketing feeds on web analytics of course, but this by itself brings more context than behavior. That is the reason why data is enriched through the crossing with cookies, search or purchase histories (here a good CRM can be important). Also an external software with their own algorithms is used.Under segmentation defined by its behavior, not its context, we can proceed to the automation of processes both page-level by modifying certain sections of the owneCommerce, and at external level, creating campaigns in other channels with what we know about the customer.
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Behavioral marketing within an online store
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When we perform behavioral marketing actions in store what we are pursuing is that every customer experience is unique and personalized. Ideally, we talk about almost an own shop for each buyer.Clarifying this, I mean that the content of each page will change at the level of product. That does not mean to affect the look and feel of the store or add different sections. The best example of this is usually Amazon.
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It is as simple as entering this site without signing up and then, what happens? Well, we move from a series of recommendations based on the best sellers in categories as diverse as toys, books,fashion, or a ranking of vacuum cleaners (I guess so because they are interested in giving them out at this moment) to a very diferent content.When you login the store all start working automatically and it leaves out what they know about you. Standard recommendation modules disappear and we can then see (in my own case):
- Recommendations based on your wishlist: really well played, if you have that information of an user you will play it safe. You have a handful of ideal products to apply upselling and cross selling to sell more and better.
- Kindle Recommendations: Amazon knows that I usually buy eBooks. Their recommendation algorithms are able to analyze the entire database and find related books that I bought previously and find buying patterns of other users that can work with me.
- Recommendations of specific categories: As I have recently purchased a tool , it suggests me the latest in DIY, home and garden. It is actually based on my recent behaviour and the hypothesis is that, although since I have the account I think that I have never bought a tool, this is changing recently (in this case, it turns to be contextual/situational again. However, there is a clear behaviour background)
- Book recommendations: it uses a similar logic to that used in the case of eBooks. It also recommends me books on paper.
After, two more modules are added: "featured products for you" and "what's new for you" -in this case it cannot be clearer even in the copy. They are products present in different categories which Amazon considers they may be me of interest based on what they know of me (which is enough).
We can say that whenever you visit the shop you will find something different and ultra segmented... and this is only the homepage. Of course, they use behavioral marketing in the datasheet similarly and they add similar recommendation modules based on the browsing history and shopping. -
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Applying behavioral marketing globally
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As I said, and we have just seen with this example, this strategy can be used from automatic content personalization. This is great but we should go further.You can use audience segmented by their behaviour by defining some actions that you expect or not of it, and depending on these conditions enable different resources.One of the most efficient is the internal search engine. If we want to extract from it the insights and customer search intention, we can act accordingly. It is extremely effective in this case to catalyze what has been obtained (searched products that do not end in conversion, the point where left navigation or carts) and provide response through automated email marketing strategies.Do you want some examples? It is easy, look at these quick options:
- Customers who abandon products and categories: send them an customized email with the products he had searched, and other related. If he does nothing, you can go beyond and even send a coupon if he does not respond positively.
- Visited out of stock products: obviously you can notify him when you receive more units.
- Buyers who do not repeat purchase for a while: send them a reactivation email, a discount, recommended products (you know, up and cross selling) or consumable parts and products of high turnover he may need to restock.
- Shopping: if once the customer has purchased again, ask him for some feedback and offer related products related. By doing this, you may get more sales. You have to take advantage of that transactional email to sell more, do you agree?
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In addition to email marketing other tactics can be used, in fact almost everything is likely to go through behavioral marketing screening. For example, the classic exit intents that launch a pop up when you browse to the top of the screen. If we take this opportunity to provide customers with products of his interest we will have more guarantees of stay than if he is just asked not to leave.
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What do you think about behavioral marketing for eCommerce? Is it interesting for your online store? How would you apply it? Let us know in the comments and social networks!
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Images | Fotolia, Amazon and Unsplash.