How Does Your Audience Buy Online So You Know How to Connect With Them Better

Looking at your business did you create your brand styles, content and personality to attract your ideal audience to find you?  With social media becoming a popular research platform to review products, services and other topics of interests, the best thing we can do in business is to understand who your audience are, and why they use these tools in this way so you can market more effectively to them.

How does your audience buy online?  What are their demographic? What do they like to do in their free time? What are their interests before, after and during work hours? How do they use the internet? And what draws them to your business like honey to a bee?

Introduction

Recently I’ve specifically been interested in learning more about the different generational groups and how they use the internet and in particular search engines like Google to find what they’re looking for online. I want to know how they research, book and buy online in 2024, and if this will change going into 2025.

Each group has grown up with their own challenges, influences, lifestyles and norms that has impacted how they approach the internet, and buy products and/or services. Some demographic groups look at fashion, beauty and new clothing as essential, while other demographic groups value high-quality long-lasting items that they know in the long run will save them money, as they won’t fall apart or no longer be in trend.

In the first half of 2024, eCommerce spending in Australia reached close to AUD $35 billion according to Rablio, which is a 12 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2023. Each generation attributed to this; some by making small but frequent purchases while others made larger but essential purchases to justify the price.

How does your audience buy online and how can you connect with them better

This is the part where you sart to get to know your adience better. Ask them questions about what they like and what they don’t like. Ask why they like those certain things, in the words of Simon Sinaek Start With Why.

Understanding who your audience are, what influenced them to think in this specific way (upbringing, cultural norms or other) will allow you to gain a deeper connection with them by making your marketing more specific and talk in their language. This will make selling to them much easier.

Analysiing the below details on what different age groups EXPECT and look out for when they shop with a brand will allow you at add specific things to your marketing that will make them want to come back time and time again (which is what we want, right?)

Take note of cultural changes in today’s society too and if you see a shift in cultural norms changing for a demographic group, such as young Gen Z men. Previously they would have been seen as more progressive that previous generations but with the influence of social media since 2016 (a formative year for that group) they pivoted due to this influence from centre-left to the right and some even further in a negative direction.

This being said, no one knows your audience quite like you, interact with them, get curious and highlight any common themes that come up. This can all go into your marketing messageing and keyword research later on and get closer to understanding how your audience buy online so you know how to connect with them better.

Understand how the different generations buy online, and how your audience book, buy and subscribe via your website.

As Australians we use our mobile phones  regularly throughout the day to accomplish many tasks on our to-do lists and to instantly solve our current problems that circulate our minds in the most efficient and convenient way possible.

We use our smartphones for searching for a specific product or service, social media and messaging apps for an average of three hours each day for play, work, and catch up with friends and family. If you’re anything like me it might be closer to 5 hours a day because there are many apps I use during the day for work purposes like invoicing, learning, writing content ideas, scheduling social media posts, and taking notes whenever inspiration hits.

Research shows that we also use our phones for taking photos, digital payments and money transfers, checking news and weather, tracking health and fitness, and gaming. Mobile phones used for entertainment, such as watching live TV (45%) and streaming.

Let’s look at each generation’s values and spending habits in more detail (take note of any ideas you can use in your own marketing campaigns):

Gen Z Shopping Habits

Gen Z’s Born 1997 – 2012 (12-27 yo)

• They’re values-based shoppers who look for brands that show authenticity and inclusivity,
• They’re more likely to purchase from a brand that is sustainable, socially proactive and responsible,
• They look for ease and convenience while shopping,
• They research brands using social media (mainly TikTok) before making a purchase,
• They’re risk-averse and don’t like to use credit cards, so they’ll only purchase if they have the money in their debit account.

Millennial Shopping Habits

Millennials Born 1981 – 1996 (28-43 yo)

• They like to shop from local, Australian brands,
• They’re the biggest spenders having spent a total of $22.1 billion in 2023 on online shopping alone,
• Millennials prioritise convenience, a personalised experience and look for previous shopper reviews,
• They value convenience so fast delivery, instant gratification from purchases and a hassle-free experience are important to them,
• Millennials prefer to shop from their mobiles, using both mobile-friendly websites, and social media feeds like Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Gen X Shopping Habits

Gen X’s Born 1965 – 1980 (44 – 59 yo)

• Gen X are our latch-key gen who value stability, and therefore buy from non-political brands,
• They discover new brands while shopping in-store, Google search, TV ads, and lastly social media ads,
• Two-thirds purchase online using their mobile device, instead of computer or tablet, but 78% still prefer to make a purchase in-person,
• They trust the people and brands they follow and usually make a purchase within 3-months,
• And Gen X will always choose quality over price, even when the economy is shaky.

Baby Boomer Shopping Habits

Baby Boomer’s Born 1946 – 1964 (60 – 78 yo)

• Baby Boomers (or Boomers) value transparency when making a purchase,
• They want VIP treatment, exclusive offers, loyalty programs, discounts and personalisation,
• When they shop they generally have one of the highest average basket sizes for online purchases ($110 per order vs Millennials’ $98),
• They may be resistant to change but they spend 2 hours more on the internet than Gen Z,
• Their preferred social media platforms are Facebook, Instagram and TikTok,
• They’re an the most loyal demographic to a brand or business.

After reflecting on this, what can you do to connect with your audience better?

Perhaps if your audience is 60+ you could add a loyalty program to your business, or send them a discount code on their birthday. Boomers love to feel like a VIP and they’ll be your biggest cheerleader and loyal customer if you make them feel special.

Or if your audience is Gen Z, you could donate or partner with a business that offsets your business’s carbon emissions, or take it a step further and get BCorp certified, use recyclable materials or ensure your packaging is compostable or made from plant-based materials. They look for sustainable responsible brands. This is how to create loyalty with them.

What are you going to add to your client/ customer experience and increase trust and loyalty for your business?

Conclusion

When looking at the business marketing and unique brand that you’ve created, please reflect on how you can adapt it to your clients, now that you know how they shop online. Learn what they like and how you can tweek and adapt your brand to them.

Perhaps you could add a loyalty program to your business or send them a discount code on their birthday. Or perhaps partner with a business that offsets your businesses carbon emissions by planting trees so your audience feels good when they purchase from you. You could even take it a step further and get BCorp certified. This will show your audience that your business is not just community-focused but the entire supply chain considers its impact on the planet, implements ethical practices and supports the community.

I should mention that although I’m a millennial and identify with some of their characteristics, I also identify with Gen Z as I’m a few years away from that category. This might be similar for your audience too, so if they’re close to another age range consider if there is any overlap in identities and cater to their values and influence also.