Marketers tasked with generating revenue through ecommerce hubs are in luck: Millennials increasingly up the amount of time they spend shopping around for products. According to a February 2013 survey conducted by Urban Land Institute, 45 percent of 18- to 35-year-old web users spend more than an hour per day checking out retail sites. This data supports previous insights reported by Brafton, which noted that Millennials spent 25 percent more time surfing the ‘net in 2012 than in 2011.
To reach these deal-hungry consumers, brands must evaluate their content marketing options and leverage channels that younger buyers flock to for information. A DDB Worldwide study noted that consumers between the ages 18 and 34 are more likely to shop online than their older counterparts, but the avenues to reach these prospects vary by audience. Google’s analytics tool – The Customer Journey to Online Purchases – shows the steps return customers took before conversion, which can help marketers pinpoint media that drives transactions.
However, reaching these impressionable leads may rely more on intuition than savvy analytics evaluation. Because Millennials are spending significant time online engaging with branded websites, marketers must develop media to satiate growing palettes for web content.
Imagine an online shopper visits an ecommerce menswear stie. That person can shop around, look at different products, compare prices, check out sales and make a mental wish list about what to buy, but there is little room for nurturing.
Marketers would be wise to produce blog content around highly trafficked product pages. For example, a brand could link to a how-to post about ways to wear a specific item or fashion trends around innovative pieces. Perhaps these additional updates would compel online shoppers to convert. After all, Brafton reported that 47 percent of ecommerce conversions take place within a day of product research.
