Pay Attention To The Emotional Connection And Enjoyment Factor Of Shopping--So Says Gartner

Marketers need to pay attention to the emotional connection and enjoyment factor of shopping--especially among what research firm Gartner calls "Social" Internet shoppers. They say the emotional connection is as important as the actual purchase.

A Gartner analyst says that websites should add the following features to woo these shoppers: a simplified buying system; a mix of shopping and nonshopping features; information from multiple sources; and links to other sites.

From Adweek:

According to the study, released May 22, there are two kinds of online shoppers. First is the goal-oriented solo shopper, who has an immediate need that leads to a specific objective and "has a good idea where the item will be found. The solo hunter wants to find the item quickly and leave with the catch," the study said.

The other is the social shopper, who seeks a pleasant experience and emotional connections to other shoppers—via such things as reviews, bulletin boards, blogs and shared videos—as much as they seek out a specific item to buy. "Social shopping can often lead to purchases that the shoppers had not planned to make," read the study. These shoppers make up an equal or larger pool of customers, according to the study, and are currently being underserved by online marketers.