It is critical for your company to understand the wants and needs of your customers and to correctly identify the market you address. If you determine the necessary strategies according to the wants and needs of your customers and address them correctly, you will be successful. At this point, you should analyze consumer behavior in order to determine the right strategies.
By reading the 15+ consumer behavior statistics we have prepared for you, you will be able to make the necessary inferences and get ahead of your competitors. You will learn what consumer behavior is and why it is important by examining the facts about the decision-making process. Now let's move on to our article that will give you ideas:
What is consumer behavior?
Consumer behavior is a concept that explains the decisions of consumers to purchase products and services and the factors that lead to these decisions.
Consumer behavior can result from many different causes and is instructive for companies. Understanding consumer behavior enables companies to determine effective marketing strategies and reach the right target audience.
6 Consumer behavior examples
There are many different factors that influence consumers' shopping decisions. Personal preferences and needs, influences of the social environment, cultural habits, and economic factors shape consumers' behavior and decisions. Here are some of the consumer behavior examples you need to analyze:
Examples of consumer behavior
1. Brand loyalty
Brand loyalty is the continuous preference of customers for a particular brand when shopping. It occurs as a result of customer satisfaction. Consumers' loyalty to a brand directly affects their behavior and encourages them to recommend that brand to their family and friends.
2. Reading and writing reviews
Consumers can learn about a particular product or service through the reviews of consumers who have already purchased it. For this reason, customer reviews shape the behavior of consumers both negatively and positively. By improving the customer experience, you can receive positive comments and increase your sales.
3. Social media shopping
Thanks to social media platforms, consumers can instantly access the products they want. Therefore, social media platforms are frequently preferred for shopping. You can easily reach your target audience in this area with your social media marketing strategies.
4. Abandoning shopping carts
Customers abandon their shopping carts during online shopping because of hesitation or unexpected situations. To reduce the cart abandonment rate, you should adopt the principle of transparency toward customers and prevent them from facing unexpected costs.
5. Price comparison
Price comparison is one of the most basic consumer behaviors. Consumers tend to research prices and choose companies that can provide the same product and service at a more affordable price. Competitive pricing policies and periodic discounts will ensure that consumers prefer your brand.
6. Online vs. In-store shopping preference
Online shopping has become popular due to the convenience and the opportunity to save time. It also allows easy access to the products and services offered by many brands. In-store shopping, on the other hand, allows customers to touch and try the product they will buy. This situation arouses a feeling of trust in consumers.
15+ Essential statistics about the customer behavior
By analyzing consumer behavior, you can see the products your target audience chooses and the standards they expect. Thanks to the 15+ decision-making statistics we have prepared, you will have detailed information on the subject. You will also get the necessary information through consumer behavior survey questions. Now, let’s move on to our statistics:
1. 87% of customers prefer digital channels when searching for products and services.
Digital platforms shape and drive consumer decision-making processes. Salesforce shows the preference rate of digital platforms in purchase decisions based on their statistics. According to them, 87% of consumers begin searching for products on digital channels, up from 71% last year. These statistics show that you need to increase your marketing activities on digital platforms.
The biggest reason for this situation is that digital platforms provide convenience and save time for consumers. In addition, customers can make comparisons using social media platforms and websites and choose the most suitable product for themselves. You can increase your sales by using social media ads effectively and improving the user experience.
2. Customers expect quick responses to their questions from brands.
HubSpot has published enlightening data about the expectations of online shoppers. 82% of customers expect a brand's response to their questions for sales or marketing right away. Providing fast and effective communication to your customers will increase your brand awareness and customer loyalty.
Investing in customer service and providing users with good experiences in this regard will meet their expectations. By responding quickly to their questions, you can eliminate all question marks and encourage them to shop from your brand. In this way, you can get ahead of your competitors and increase your sales.
3. Consumers tend to spread negative experiences more than positive experiences.
Positive and negative experiences that companies give to customers affect their future. Apher Consulting notes that a satisfied customer often tells 4 to 6 people about their experience, whereas a dissatisfied customer typically tells 9 to 15 people. Negative experiences can spread to the masses and damage your reputation.
Positive experiences lead to positive reviews, which increases brand awareness and conversion rates. In addition, customers who have positive experiences recommend the brand to their friends and families and bring new customers to the brand. In this way, you can reach your target audience and make them trust your brand.
4. 43% of the US consumers prefer shopping online.
The United States has the largest preference for online shopping as of early 2023. About 43% of customers in the US state that they would purchase products primarily online rather than in physical stores. This statistic of Statista shows you that you should focus on your online retail services.
Thanks to the digital shopping experience, you can ensure that your customers can access your products without time and space restrictions. Therefore, it will be a good decision to focus on digital marketing and increase your investments. You can grow your company by determining marketing strategies to reach your target audience on digital platforms and direct them to buy from you.
5. Young adults prefer social media platforms for shopping.
Social media platforms have become the number one shopping channel for young adult consumers. According to Forbes, 55% of adults between the ages of 18 and 24 in the United States have made a purchase through social media. The fact that one in every two young adults prefers social media platforms for shopping shows that you should focus on social media marketing.
Social media platforms allow online sales companies to reach thousands of users worldwide. In addition, thanks to these platforms, you can analyze the wants and needs of your target audience and develop marketing strategies for them. By using methods such as influencer marketing, you can highlight your company on social media and increase your sales.
6. 3 out of 4 customers prefer personalized services.
Providing customers with personalized experiences will make them feel special and encourage them to choose your brand. Wifitalents' statistics show the effects of personal experiences on online consumer behavior. More than 3 out of 4 (77%) customers say they have preferred, paid more, or recommended a brand that offers personalized experiences or services.
Providing personalized services has a significant impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty. Customers who receive personalized services increase their loyalty to the brand and their recommendation rates. By collecting and analyzing your customers' data, you can provide personalized services for them.
7. 95% of consumers read online reviews before making a purchase.
Comments on products and services play an influential role in customers' decision-making process. Globe Newswire found that before making a purchase, 95% of consumers read reviews on online platforms, and 58% say they would pay more for a brand with good reviews.
Especially in online purchases, positive comments on products and services encourage your target audience to prefer your brand. These comments strengthen your brand's reputation and increase its reliability. For this reason, you can strengthen your brand awareness by increasing customer satisfaction and receiving positive comments from your customers.
8. 46% of customers prefer physical stores for shopping.
Although online shopping is becoming more popular day by day, many consumers still prefer physical stores. Retail Dive's statistics also provide essential data on this subject. 46% of consumers said they would rather make their purchases in a physical location. Consumers prefer face-to-face shopping in stores because of the feeling of trust.
Face-to-face shopping in stores offers consumers the advantage of being able to see and touch the product they will buy. In addition, getting information about the product from sales consultants instantly is one of the reasons why they prefer it. Increasing the quality of the services you offer to customers in your stores will cause consumers to choose your brand.
9. Customers will be loyal to companies they trust.
Salesforce revealed the relationship between customer behavior and trust with their valuable statistics. 95% of customers are more willing to remain loyal to a company they trust. Moreover, 57% of customers stopped doing business with a company because a competitor provided a better experience.
Ensuring that your customers trust your brand will make them both loyal to you and recommend it to their friends and family. You can make your customers trust your brand by being transparent and consistent with them and paying attention to privacy and data security.
10. 50% of consumers aged 25 to 44 shop from eco-friendly companies.
Brands‘ contributions to environmental protection and sustainability affect consumers’ behavior and preferences. If you are curious about the rate at which customers prefer sustainable and environmentally friendly brands, you should examine Intelligence Node's statistics. Their survey shows that 50% of consumers aged between 25 and 44 prefer to shop from eco-friendly and sustainable brands.
Developing your strategies for eco-friendliness and increasing your efforts in this regard will increase your customers' loyalty. In addition to the quality of your products, the materials you use and the eco-friendliness of your production process will make you stand out.
11. Every 2 in 1 customer is willing to pay more for preferred customer service.
Apher Consulting published a statistic showing that effective customer service significantly shapes consumers' shopping decisions. Their data shows that more than 50% of customers are willing to pay a higher price for guaranteed preferred customer service. Consumers expect effective customer service from companies offering the products and services they seek.
As you can understand from this statistic, providing effective customer service to your customers will put you ahead of your competitors. Also, it will increase customer loyalty and conversion rates. For this reason, you should invest in customer service to satisfy your customers and increase your sales.
12. High shipping costs and unexpected charges negatively affect customers' shopping decisions.
You might be wondering about the factors that affect consumers' shopping preferences negatively. According to Statista, in 2024, more than 41% of global online shoppers abandoned their carts because delivery fees were too high. Another 30% of consumers abandoned their carts because of unexpected checkout process costs or because they discovered goods that were cheaper at other locations.
By checking out this statistic, you can see how big a role delivery fees play in influencing customer decisions. In addition, customers' shopping decisions are negatively affected when they encounter unexpected charges and discover more affordable products. For this reason, being transparent to your customers and determining strategies by analyzing the pricing of your competitors will make customers prefer you.
13. 90% of customers use their mobile devices for shopping.
Mobile devices are frequently used for shopping because of their convenience. Pew Research Center revealed the prevalence of the use of mobile devices for shopping with its remarkable statistics. According to their data, more than 9 out of 10 customers make online purchases using their mobile devices.
To prevent your company from falling behind in the competition, you should make your mobile-compatible website and application available to consumers. By making your website mobile-compatible, you can offer your customers the opportunity to shop from anywhere at any time and increase your sales.
14. Offering new products and services to your customers increases your sales.
Wifitalents published an eye-opening statistic on consumer behavior. According to their statistics, 63% of customers prefer innovative businesses that provide new products and services. This statistic shows you the significant impact of being innovative and staying up to date on consumer behavior.
Offering innovations to your customers will meet their expectations, and in this way, you can ensure customer satisfaction. In addition, by standing out in the market with your innovations, you can access new customers and increase your brand awareness.
15. Customer experience is as important as products and services.
It is very important to determine the wants and needs of your customers and offer products accordingly. However, it is not enough to provide the right products to the right audience and the quality of your products alone. According to Salesforce, 80% of consumers think that the experience companies offer is as important as their products and services.
Companies must be attentive from the pre-shopping process to the shipping of products in order to improve the customer experience. The care you show to your customers will satisfy them and ensure that you receive positive comments. Providing fast customer support and paying attention to feedback improves the customer experience.
Key points to take away
Analyzing consumer behavior allows you to improve your products and services according to your customer's expectations. Thanks to the 15+ in-store vs online shopping statistics we have prepared for you, you will be able to make the necessary comparisons. You will also learn why customer behavior analysis is important and see examples.
Now you know what consumer behavior is, and you are ready to increase your sales by making the necessary inferences!
Fatih is a content writer at forms.app. He is also a translator and interpreter. Fatih loves reading and writing. He is passionate about exercising and traveling. His specialties are surveys, statistics, and translation.
