The customer is always right; this is one of the key tenets of retail. But the customer is rarely the same. Indeed, every customer is going to be a different individual with different needs and desires. But it would be impossible to target individual shoppers.

We’ve put together some lifestyle and shopping habit groups that can help retailers (both online and offline) create targeted marketing content that guides bargain hunters toward the right deals and turns lookers into buyers.

Examining the grouping will help you engage these different types of customers; identifying where such promotional investments are to be made and aiding decision-making on the right resources.

Lookers

We all like the go window shopping but a looker is someone who likes it a little too much. The looker is the kind of customer who likes to browse but doesn’t like to buy and converting them will be one of your more difficult tasks. The key here is not being too pushy as that will almost certainly turn them away.

Instead, try to create relevant content and resources that resonate with them and remove any obstacles to purchase. Being proactive with customer support is also crucial. Some might simply so “no thanks” whereas others will genuinely appreciate the guidance.

Bargain Hunters

We’ve all seen those shoppers who only come out when there’s a bargain to be found. They’re the kind who hit the streets at 5 am on Boxing Day every year for the sales and refuse to reach into their wallets unless there’s a 50% off tag attached to an item.

Thankfully, these types of shoppers are already in the mindset that they’re going to buy something. You just need to steer them in the right direction. This means personalising deals by sending emails or social media posts to those that have shopped during sales in the past and highlighting for sale the items you want to sell.

Buyers

This is your bread and butter as impulse buyers are probably going to buy something. All you have to do is appeal to their whims. These are the kind of buyers that will be coerced by emotion and will be receptive to recommendations, which makes them ideal for upselling or cross-selling.

The best way to target these customers is to instil some urgency into proceedings. Use timed offers to make them feel like they have to make the purchase sooner rather than later and cut down the steps to purchase as much as possible. Also, these customers tend to get overwhelmed by too many choices, so try to limit their options, wherever possible.

Loyal customers 

Your goal should be to turn all the above into loyal customers. This can be done by keeping in touch, customer loyalty schemes, and generally offering more to those that keep coming back.