What type of customers are there

This customer also rarely, if ever, makes purchases on impulse. Advertising sales is the best way to appeal to those in this customer group.

Wandering customers are somewhat related to impulse shoppers, but they're much less likely to make purchases. This type of customer is more prevalent in brick-and-mortar locations, but they do stumble into online retail venues on occasion. It's sometimes possible to make a sale to those just wandering through provided you can stimulate their interest, but keep in mind that many of them are simply attracted to the social interaction of shopping and have no intention of making a purchase.

As the name implies, need-based consumers are driven by the need for a specific product or service. Although these customers generally make purchases decisively and quickly once they find what they're seeking, they're easily lured away by competing businesses. However, they're frequently converted into loyal customers.

They often have practical questions or concerns that can be addressed with a proactive social media presence. As you can see from these consumer buying behavior examples, different marketing approaches work better for different consumer groups.

Today's businesses have more marketing options than any of their historical counterparts, but many are unsure of the best way to use these resources. Generally this is some one who has signed up for something, but has not engaged with your marketing just yet. They may also be brand new to your list ie. You need to work hardest on developing a relationship with these unknowns. How to segment Prospects out: Prospect is your default position - these people are invariably brand new, and not had a chance to engage with you or your content and services.

It's up to you to wow them and knock their socks off, to get some engagement, or get them to show interest in your offerings. You can segment your prospects out by finding your newest subscribers, and treating them like the new person at the bar. Get to know them and start building a relationship. Once they have engaged, they become a lead. Suspect How to define a Suspect: A contact that fits the profile of current customers. This is an extremely valuable prospect type to track.

They are also incredibly useful for super targeted advertising. An example of this is Facebook's lookalike audiences. How to segment Suspects out: Suspect segmentation can be a tough nut to crack. The simplest way to reliably identify your suspects is to deconstruct the behaviour of your current customers - then create mechanisms to track this behaviour. When a new prospect or lead then behaves in the same manner, label them as a suspect.

Then give them some extra loving to convert them. Leads How to define a Lead: Prospects who have performed a specific sales related Micro conversion , such as signing up to the leadmagnet of a sales funnel, and giving you some personal information in the process. They are much more qualified than prospects, and require quicker actioning than suspects. How to segment Leads out: Leads are your prospects whose behaviour dictates they are specifically interested in a specific product or service.

In order to segment them out, you need to identify which of your Micro Conversions specifically relate to your sales process. Once a prospect signs up for one of those items, or performs one of those specific actions - they are a lead.

Label them appropriately and have processes in place to action on the opportunity such as passing the lead onto the sales team if you have one. Micro conversions are considered actions such as: Clicking on a link Opting-in for something Showing interest in a specific product Newsletter sign ups Looking at specific pages on your website Watching Videos Social Media Engagements such as likes, follows, shares, comments etc Time spent on your site above average Visit Frequency and Recency above average All of the above are considered engagement activities.

There are two broad groups of Micro Conversion: 1. Process Milestones 2. Customers: The good. Macro Conversions being your end goal: Most often the purchase. Tracking and engaging new customers and welcoming them on board uniquely can guarantee a second sale, and a loyal customer.

New customers should be defined as a customer between a certain range of time, ie 30 to 60 days, depending on your sales cycles I advocate running specific welcome campaigns just for New Customers to help Wow them and get a second sale. How to segment New Customers out: Identify and label all your customers that have converted in the last 30 to 60 days. These are your New Customers, onboard them and nurture them just as you would a prospect and you will have a happy customer, happy to spend money with you again and again.

Active customers How to define Active Customers: Customers who have made one or more purchases from your store, and are currently active, ie they are within the "normal" or "average" recency and frequency range. How to segment Active Customers out: Define what your average purchase frequency amount of purchases and average purchase recency time between purchases is. Your customers that are active and fit within that criteria are your Active customers. You should be nurturing and loving these customers just as you would your prospects - as this will ensure you keep them as a customer.

Here a little bit of handholding or extra "how to" information can go a long way to creating engagement and an advocate customer. A substantial one. However, any entrepreneur knows that a discount is not a sound business strategy.

There are tricks to postpone discounts. Try to offer a discount but only with the second purchase. You can also prepare bulk goods, providing discounts only for larger quantities. Offer discounted products without some features. This way you are not actually losing money and still keep Discount Hunters happy. OK, so you managed to attract customers into buying your product or service.

Do your current customers have the same needs since they are buying the same product? Nope, nope, nope. First of all, you have new customers that just purchased the product; they are not really familiar with your brand and features. They are going to need a different approach than returning or active customers. Those types of customers heavily rely on excellent customer service and the quality of the product.

Imagine when you get in contact with the brand. Are there other products that compliment this one? Can you do anything extra with your new toy? Additional guidance would be nice, right? If they are new to your brand and offer, they would need some assistance.

Channels allows you to provide customer support worldwide with international phone numbers. Using such a solution you incentivize your customers and leads to make a call whenever they feel lost or need a piece of advice. They are not using your subscription service, but they are coming back from time to time to buy a new product of a few months of your service.

They are coming back for more, does it mean you have given them more? Yes, products need to change with expectations and technologies. It means you spent more, but on the same side, you earn more. Keep your offer up to date. Offer some kind of discount for returning customers or prepare exclusive deals only available for this type of customer. Active customers are money makers. However, they are also your most prominent critics. They already know your brand and product, they expect quality.

Those two types of customers create a massive chunk of your customer base. They will be responsible for most of your income. Prepare offers to give additional value to your active and returning customers.

Maybe some discounts? New pricing plans? Exclusive training video materials? Keep these types of customers well taken care of, and you can sleep soundly — your business is going to be safe. No matter the type of consumer, customers are more and more self-aware. They are tired of advertising and marketing; they want genuine information and good customer service.

Not only that, they will express their frustration. With social media, any words of disgruntlement are going to be well heard by others. They are not ready to leave yet, but they are already signaling their disappointment.

They may have lower their subscription, make fewer purchases, contacted your customer service. Your business is not something set in stone; it has to improve and evolve. Monitor your customer service channels and social media for any signs of trouble.

They have already left, but are they truly gone? You made them angry, and they shut the door on your brand. All doors can be opened. You have one key advantage over the competition.

They already know you. We humans, we like familiar things. We hate changes in general. If you manage to eliminate any problems, your customers may return. Before you reach out to lapsed customers, make sure you fixed all problems and then some. There will be no third chance, so timing is crucial. Prepare some exciting sale or new product, make well known that your problems are gone. Then ask customers to join you once again. After all is said and done, how do you want your brand to be remembered?

If you manage to gather enough social trust, you can benefit from customers long after they made their last purchase. They are here for as long as you sell. They are not only customers; they are fans! Good job, kudos to you! Your job is to help them do that. Primary conversion tactics for researchers: Provide plenty of dimensions, instructions, details, data, — anything and everything a prospective buyer might need to make an informed decision.

Your job is to determine the kinds of things researchers will need to know, then make it easy for them to access that information. Many ecommerce researchers especially enjoy sizing guides, high-quality photography, and videos while B2B researchers often appreciate downloads and white papers. Brick and mortar teams do that by being available to answer questions, with no-hassle returns, and by genuinely expressing gratitude to those who shop with them.

People who feel valued will be back for more. I admit that some people are difficult to deal with and impossible to please. If you hear repeatedly that your packages are arriving damaged, stop blaming it on the carrier and take a close look at your fulfillment procedure. Dissatisfied customers help you find problems and fix them. Primary conversion tactics for dissatisfied customers: Be quick to listen to bad reviews , and be absolutely sure you understand the complaint before responding.

This presents an interesting and valuable truth for many ecommerce operations: Your loyal customers are the bread. The rest are the butter. I was traveling considerably at the time, and Marriott properties were among my top choices for lodging.

I had been elevated to Silver Elite level. On check-in, the desk clerk cheerfully thanked me for being an Elite member. That was a learning experience. It worked.