Do you know How Internet Affects a Customer's Buying Process?

by Mauricio Romero Mauricio Romero | Jul 16, 2019 3:27:01 PM

increase sales online

It's an undeniable fact that the way in which we buy things has changed. We are better informed buyers now, we are smart and informed buyers these days. Do you want to know how does a customer decide whom to leave his money with?

He who has the information, has power. With all the information that the Internet has to offer on services or products, this has become a reality. Information has changed the buying process forever.

 

 

Most buyers have already traveled more than a halfway of their information journey before contacting a sales representative.


Not so long ago, if we wanted to buy a product, we had to go to a sales representative first, because he had all the information. Today, we don't contact a salesperson until we have all the information. Therefore, it doesn't matter much what you are selling, since many others offer the same kind of productor service that you do; what matters now, is how you sell it.

The first stage of getting information is now done on the internet.

The buying process today goes as it follows:

buying process on the internet
  • Acknowledge a need- The person finds has a need and Googles about it. Doesn't quite know how to solve it or understand the solutions that this search might bring yet. This person wants to be educated with information on the matter so he can have an informed opinion about it. The level of commitment that he has with the brand, product or service that he saw on the Internet is low.
  • Look for information- This person starts understanding how to solve his need. Understands the available options. Has more focused questions. His commitment level to a brand is low-medium.
  • Evaluation of alternatives- The person has now a buying criteria based on the information he found: quality, price, convenience, etc. He doesn't want to miss any of these aspects. His commitment to a brand is now from medium-to high. He is almost ready to buy.
  • Buying- In this stage, he filters the sellers, he compares them, and looks for more information. The decision here isn't based on the product itself rather on how you sell it. What matters is the chemistry he finds with the company; its service, its philosophy, the way it treats him. He evaluates the full experience since he began with the recognition of his need. The company that will score is the one that worked on its straff's spirit of service.
  • After buying- He keeps coming back to the company that worked well for him.

Buying decision percentage

All this process used to be guided by the seller at the point of sale. Today the client sells to himself. How? with the information he finds on the internet. This trend is so strong that the Nielsen Research Company carried out a very interesting study that it showed that the buying decision is mostly taken on internet.

selling online


If what you are doing is within this graph, you'll see how important it is to provide your potential clients with information. They won't come to your shop, they won't call you, until they've gone though all the information filters that can be found on the Internet.

  • It's not by chance that Content Marketing has become the marketing technique that offers the best results.
  • It's not that traditional marketing doesn't work anymore, it's just that it has tired us with their constant interruptions. Specially when we are just trying to entertain, inform or educate ourselves. We are bored with non-personalized publicity.

So now you know it, it's not enough to train your sales team based on the old selling philosophy style, you must inform your customers in a smart way, creating value for your brand based on the content they'll find online, before coming to your store.

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