Every marketer and retailer of consumables ponders “their shoppers.” And yet few realize there are two distinct psychological profiles when it comes to shopping, each with a distinct set of decision-making criteria and behaviors…
Mission shoppers:
Shop with a list.
Decide what they’ll buy well ahead of shopping (whether eComm or bricks).
Use verbal info (words and numbers) to quickly find what they want, and move on.
In other words, they determine a mission, then execute it.
Ambient shoppers:
Don’t use a list.
Walk the store (site taxonomy or planogram) and let their senses guide them / remind them of what they need.
Use sensorial info (pictures and feels) to discover what they want.
In other words, they engage in the experience of shopping and exploration.
We’re always happy to explain how we measure and track these profiles in our database – and the keys to connecting with each. But, at the very least, the next time someone mentions “shoppers” be sure to inquire “which kind?”
