Appealing to consumers on an emotional level is a one of the oldest aspects of brand and retail marketing. Emotions are the primary reason why consumers prefer brand name products. A nationally advertised brand has power in the marketplace because it creates an emotional connection with the consumer. However when it comes to online, emotional selling is forgotten.
An understanding of consumer purchase behavior must be based on knowledge of human emotion and include the influence that emotions have on decision-making. Most people believe that the choices they make result from a rational analysis of available alternatives. In reality, emotions greatly influence and, in many cases, even determine our decisions.
Most ecommerce companies think they can predict consumer behavior by viewing the consumer through the lens of digital technology and analytics. However, they misinterpret the consumer’s activities as being valid insights into their decision-making and purchasing process.
On the other side ecommerce is all about the ease of shopping and purchasing, so any attempts to create an emotional experience online can impact the “easy buy” of the consumer who has already made their buying decision.
So how can an ecommerce shop connect with a consumer on an emotional level yet also provide an easy shopping experience? We came across that same challenge when developing the latest Extreme Food Web site for Blair’s Sauces & Snacks. The solution: A dual shopping experience using the same cart across two completely unique shopping interfaces.
The Anatomy Of Extreme Food Ecommerce Experience & Emotional Buying
Since hot sauce and heat related products are very much an emotional purchase and since Blair’s products are very much all about the brand, we focused on the emotional buying experience upon entry to the site. Users can scroll or click through a series of large screens with high-impact graphics and simple movements all geared toward the emotion experience. Each “page” is focused on one product or product group with the ability to add the product to the consumer’s shopping cart without detracting the user from the brand experience.
For the shopper who knows what they want, we provide them with the standard shopping experience, however both the experiential and straight-forward shopping experiences use the same shopping cart. This keeps the product, user and order management easy and allows the consumer the ability to shift from an emotional experience to straight shopping at anytime.
So when creating your next ecommerce experience don’t make the mistake that many others are making online, connect with your user on an emotional level.
Check out the Extreme Food shopping experience.
Reference: How Emotions Influence What We Buy