Cross-Channel Shoppers:
Are ROBO Shoppers Faking Out
Your PPC Conversion Rate?
By Karon Thackston
We've heard it for years. Heck, I've said it myself countless times before:
"Click-throughs are great, but it's conversions that really matter." However,
consumer research over the last several years has shown a growing trend that
most emarketers believed would have eased up by this date in time. Still, one
survey after another reports just the opposite: the trend is getting stronger.
What's happening is that consumers - in increasing numbers - are researching
online before buying offline (ROBO). According to ecommerce software provider
MarketLive (as reported in Internet Retailer magazine), "The picture emerging
from the data shows many consumers using the web to search for deals, moving
quickly from site to site, and often going into stores to buy after researching
online."
But, the ROBO trend isn't a new one and, while it may be spurred by the
current economy, that isn't the case in years past. The Pew Internet & American
Life Project reports an increase of 8% in this area from 2000 to 2007. As of
September 2007, 81% of Americans typically did research online for a product
they may buy offline. As many as 85% of those shoppers agreed with the
statement, "I prefer to see things I buy before I buy them."
In addition, Pew recounts that 47% of Internet users said that if a store
provided product information online, even if it didn't sell goods at its
website, they would be more likely to go into the physical store to buy the
product.
eMarketer agrees, reporting, "The most-trod cross-channel shopping path
starting online (i.e., from a Web site, e-mail or an online newspaper circular)
was browsing a Web site and then buying in a store (37%)."
So then, for pay-per-click (PPC) advertisers, what does this all mean? In
actuality, your conversion rate could be a good deal higher than your analytics
show.
Is Your Conversion Rate Skewed?
Web statistics only report what happens on your website. Visitors come and
are recorded as a click-through from your ad to your site. Visitors click to
different pages; the stats pick up on their movements. A conversion takes place
online; it's noted. But, what if the customer leaves to buy offline? Then, you
record a click-through, but no conversion. Instead, it can drive your bounce
rate up while stalling out your conversion rate.
Stats programs aren't capable of tracking offline movements. So, when a Web
searcher clicks from a PPC ad to your site and then leaves the site to purchase
in your retail store or calls your 800 order line, it isn't calculated. It still
counts, however. You made the sale. The person is arrives at your location to
buy… he just isn’t buying from your site. It's sort of like the old question,
"If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is around, does it make a noise?"
Depending on your definition of a conversion, you may be doing much better
than you think you are with your PPC campaign. Even if you have the most
sophisticated analytics software available today, ROBO shoppers could be skewing
your results. The problem is there's no accurate way to track offline
conversions.
How Do You Account for ROBO Shoppers?
There are a few things that might shed a bit of light on the impact ROBO
shoppers are having on your site. Here are two ideas.
#1 - Add a "Buy in Store" Option. On each product page, add a button
that reads "Buy in Store." When clicked, a message appears with a discount code
(best way to track), the store phone number, and a list of locations. When the
discount code is given to the cashier at your retail location, you'll know
immediately that this customer researched online and bought offline.
#2 - Offer In-Store Pickup. The customer would go through the same
motions as with purchasing online, but the "shipping" option would default to
in-store pickup. Shoppers would research and buy online then drive to your store
to pick up the purchase. Include a bit of copy that lets customers know, if they
don't like the item once they see it in person, a full refund will be issued on
the spot.
Although technology is getting more sophisticated by the nanosecond, it would
be unrealistic at this point to believe you can track all ROBO sales from start
to finish. Using a little creativity, however, can give you a better handle on
what's really happening with your conversion and bounce rates.
Before you throw in the towel from frustration over what you think might be a
slow PPC campaign, do a little evaluating to see if conversions could be taking
place offline rather than on.
If you can't get people to click your PPC ads, the game's over! It all starts
with your copy. Learn the easy way to write high click-through PPC copy with
Karon's book How to Write Successful PPC Ads, now in its 2nd edition.
Copyright 2009, Karon Thackston, All Rights Reserved |
