Last September, the survey institute OpinionWay analyzed the French consumers’ expectations regarding their post-lockdown consumption habits. They asked 1007 French consumers about their purchases of home appliances, DIY, and healthcare products. Let’s go through 8 best practices directly tied to what we learned from this survey !
1- Do not lower your prices by reducing your product’s quality
These past few years, inquiries including the word “cheap” have multiplied online. Showing us the consumers’ need to purchase while managing their budget. Even if the Price remains a fundamental criteria for 55% of French buyers, for 64% of them it’s reliability that prevails ! Which often implies more production costs.
This study shows that consumers tend to accept higher prices if that means their purchase will last longer. To conciliate reliability and price, criteria that can be contradictory, French people proceed in two steps : they first ensure themselves of the reliability of the product by looking for information such as availability of spare parts in case of a problem, and then compare promotional offers between brands and retailers. The goal being to purchase a product with a long lifespan at a reasonable price.
We would advise you to offer quality products, even if this means raising your production costs and retail prices a bit. To convince the consumer despite a higher price, insist on having spare parts and on the services that will spare him future expenses ! He will be relieved not to have to reinvest in a new product in a few years. The bonus : you will become an ally to the anti planned obsolescence consumers !
2- Help your client extend its purchases’ use and lifespan
If consumers accept to pay a higher price, they want to be reassured regarding the possibility of extending its lifespan. That’s why availability of spare parts is an important criteria for 70% of the respondents.
Still in the aim of being reassured, they express the need to be helped in managing their purchase entirely. They even are 70% to declare that they would buy faster if a brand or retailer communicated on their services to help them optimize their purchase’s lifespan.
Which also includes the warranty duration of a product, important for 85% of consumers, and after sales services which, if favorables, accelerate the decision making process of 82% of them.
You understood it, every brand and retailer which can reassure their clients about the durability of their products, the warranty and after sales services in case of a problem, will accelerate the buying process.
3- Inform the customer about the availability of your product in a close physical point of sale
As we know it, consumers compare your product with your competitors’ products, along with their prices.
After that, they are 79% wanting to know the availability of the product in a close physical point of sale before buying it. For 84% of the respondents, the criteria would accelerate their buying process. Even the less than 25 years-old, generation used to buying online, are 80% to express the need to physically go into a store to see the product and ensure themselves of its availability.
By that we mean at the same time the possibility of exchanging with a salesperson and of possibly testing the product. They would even be 45% willing to test it directly at another client’s home near them.
Then, if you redirect the client towards the different points of sales where your product is available, and inform him·her where to test the product, you will meet a strong consumer’s expectation. As a bonus, you will generate qualified traffic towards your retailers, online or directly in store.
4- Highlight your customers’ reviews on your product to reassure the buyer
As we mentioned before, the consumer accepts to spend more for a high-quality product. But to be certain it is one, he·she needs to be accompanied and to hear customer reviews at different levels.
Usually, during an important purchase such as home appliance products, DIY products or healthcare products, the consumer turns towards acquaintances to hear their feedback. They are 62% having this reflex. 60% of French consumers also look at the brands and retailers’ websites to find customer reviews.
As for influencers reviews, they are relevant for 43% of the 18-24 year-olds. That same target also contacts after sales services. Surprisingly, young people (55%) contact them more than the more than 50 year-olds (40%).
As for professional advice by salespersons, more than 1 out of 2 French consumers find these exchanges necessary, including 65% of the 18-24 year-olds. Generation for which we tend to underestimate the need for direct exchanges.
If professional advice is usually legitimized by its expertise, its objectivity is more and more contested. It is easier for a consumer to trust the experience of another consumer, than to trust an advisor paid by the brand. That’s why 49% of French Consumers declare that if the brand gives them the possibility to share experiences with another consumer, this would accelerate their decision-making process.
We advise you to bet on reviews sharing and to facilitate customers exchanges to accelerate your sales and reassure your clients.
5- Enhance your customer experience by offering additional services
This possibility to test a product is part of what the brand can offer to enhance its customer experience. Whether it is by testing it with another customer, or directly in store, 66% of the respondents tell us that would accelerate their decision-making process.
These are not the only services to help the consumer make their decision and buy more quickly ! You can also offer product installation (wished by 85% of consumers), give advice to optimize its use (75%), suggest additional accessories (71%), deliver at more flexible time slots, etc.
65% of the respondents even tell us they would be willing to pay for these additional services ! The goal being to enjoy a better experience.
You can therefore offer “getting started” help including technical support. All the services to accompany your clients in the use of their purchase will make you the privileged choice of consumers !
6- Promote a more responsible consumption to help customers in their decision making process
A few years back, consumption took a turn towards more responsible purchases. Evolving alongside customers’ raise of awareness regarding these issues. According to our survey, 86% of French people declare they inspect the energy consumption of a product before buying it, 57% say they would buy more quickly if the brand offered them the same product reconditioned with a warranty.
Therefore, making efforts to offer less energy-consuming products by limiting their environmental footprint or by giving used products a second life, are initiatives directly impacting consumers’ opinion of your brand. 59% declare they would decide more quickly if the brand facilitated the comparison of energy-consumption between its products and others.
Making your product environment-friendly, communicating on it and centralizing these information will help you become the customers’ choice. As a bonus, you will help the planet !
7- Offer different financing options to conciliate your clients need to consume responsibly and to manage their budget
Even if financing offers are less and less attractive for French consumers, for 40% of the respondents a subscription or rental option would accelerate the buying process, especially for the 25-34 year-olds. It’s in the healthcare sector that these options interest the most buyers, with 45% interested.
Offering subscription or renting options is a way to preserve raw materials by focusing on the product’s use. Indeed, it will be possible for it to be used by various people in its lifespan, which fits perfectly the environmental consumption trends.
Therefore do not hesitate to offer subscriptions or rentals for your products ! You will convince the small budgets, the buyers with a temporary need, of those who wish to consume more responsibly !
8- Simplify the buyers’ journey by centralizing these information
The purpose of all of our advice is to help you raise your sales and better meet your clients’ expectations.
Our recommendation is to centralize this information on all of your digital communications to simplify your buyers’ journey. No matter whether they are on your e-commerce or non e-commerce website, or any of your digital communication campaigns. To give them quick access to this key information will help you qualify your traffic. And good news ! If you don’t know how to centralize this, we have the ideal solution !
The Where to Buy solution simplifies the buying process by centralizing in one place all of the key information that will help the buyers decide.
This translates into a “Where to Buy” Call-to-Action on any of your digital communications, including your website. To sum it up, in one click, the buyer has access to all of the retailers where your product is available. With any distribution channel available : physical stores, drive, delivery, click&collect…
We invite you to take a look at our dedicated page on our website to learn more about our solution and see a standard implementation example !
Our goal is to adapt to yours while meeting your clients’ new expectations to quickly have access to key information such as reviews, opening hours of your retailers, etc. Soon, maybe we’ll add together the length of your warranties, the prices of your additional services, the opportunity to contact you… ? If you want to discuss your Where to Buy needs with our team, do not hesitate to click below ↓
