Types of buyers in online shops: benefits and differences

Every shop visitor explores an online shop in their own individual way. However, customers with similar or identical characteristics and behaviors can be grouped into buyer types. As a shop operator, it is important to know the different buyer types in your own shop and to respond to their individual needs so that every customer can find what they are looking for in your online shop. In this article, we will first show you what buyer types are, why it makes sense to use customer segments, what types can be distinguished, and how buyer types can be assigned to the customer journey phases. Find out now how buyer types can increase the success of your online shop.

Personas as the basis for buyer types

Before you start targeting customers, you first need to consider what your target group looks like. Personas can be developed for this purpose. These represent individuals in a target group and characterize them according to their characteristics. This concept serves to put yourself in the shoes of potential customers in order to identify their behaviors, goals, desires, and preferences. This creates as detailed a picture as possible of the ideal customer, to whom all measures can be specifically targeted. However, since the behavior of a persona can vary depending on the situation and intention, and a company can also define different personas, the customer segmentation model helps to highlight buyer types that can further concretize a persona.

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Optimize the online store

By tailoring your entire online shop to the different types, you can optimize it in various ways: The identified needs help you to target your buyer types, for example in the form of text or the appropriate choice of images. Furthermore, you can use the knowledge you have gained about the types in your shop to improve usability, optimize category structures, or make design adjustments.

Addressing customer needs in a targeted manner

Buyer types help you to form a concrete picture of your users and their needs. The more you know about your customers as a shop operator and the better you understand their different needs, the more specifically you can respond to them, which will lead to greater success for your online shop. For this reason, it helps to group users with similar behavior and comparable starting situations into buyer types. This allows you to address as many customer needs as possible in a targeted manner.

Customer segmentation according to TargetingMantra

The marketing agency TargetingMantra, for example, distinguishes between four different types of buyers in online shops. These include

• The Wish Lister is the digital version of the "window shopper." They would love to buy all the products. Since this is not possible, they at least save all their favorite products in their wish list.
• The Hesitant Twins are hesitant users. They want to make the best choice in terms of quality and price, which is why they compare products extensively and take a lot of time to find the best product at the best price. They often leave the store without making a purchase.
• The Passionate Purchaser is an impulsive mass buyer. They always want to own the latest products and fill their shopping cart with numerous items. Product photos and videos that show the product in use appeal to them in particular.
• The Busy Twins know what they want to buy. However, the twins' approach differs mainly in terms of completing the purchase. While the satisfied twin filters the product results according to his desired characteristics and then buys one of the top items, the rational buyer informs himself in greater depth based on various product characteristics and customer reviews. He only completes the purchase when he is completely convinced that the product offers him great value. If no suitable results are displayed after filtering the products, both twins leave the shop without making a purchase.

The above-mentioned buyer types are presented in detail and very clearly in an infographic by TargetingMantra.

In an article, the consulting firm ec4u also presents five different buyer types—specifically, the product fan, the browser, the research expert, the bargain hunter, and the one-time shopper —and provides insight into how they can be helped in online shops. Here, initial parallels can already be drawn with other customer segmentation models. For example, the product fan is similar to the Busy Twins, the browser can be compared to the Wish Lister, and the bargain hunter has similarities with the Hesitant Twins.

Classification of types into hunters, seekers, and gatherers according to Bernhard/Mühling

The book "Responsible AI in E-Commerce"¹presents another way of classifying customer types. It distinguishes between three types : hunters, seekers, and gatherers.

When entering the shop, the hunter has a clear idea of what he is looking for. Their journey through the online shop is purposeful, and they do not allow themselves to be distracted by what is happening around them. They leave the shop as soon as they have found and purchased the right product. If they are unable to find the product they want within a short period of time, they also leave the shop. This customer group also includes bargain hunters, who are particularly interested in low-priced offers.

The searcher does not yet know in detail which product they want to buy. Although they have a rough idea and an internal framework in mind, they would like to receive advice on their selection and compare different products. Once a searcher has decided to buy a particular item, they will also be interested in recommendations for suitable additional items.

Collectors develop their purchasing ideas while browsing through the product range and drawing inspiration from the variety of products on offer. Collectors also like to make impulse purchases without having a specific need for a product and would often like to buy more than their budget ultimately allows. This can lead to shopping carts being left behind.

This type of customer segmentation also shows that the different buyer types in the various approaches often have things in common. For example, the hunter in this approach is similar to the research expert in ec4u. The seeker overlaps with the hesitant twins in TargetingMantra, and the collector is comparable to the browser and wish lister in the two approaches already presented.

Buyer types in the various customer journey phases

When looking at the individual phases of the customer journey, different types of buyers can be identified. These buyers also have different needs depending on the phase. The following four types, which are based on the approaches mentioned above, can be distinguished:

• The expert: The expert is in the product research phase. This type of buyer knows what they want to buy and wants to find the desired product as quickly and easily as possible. You therefore need to provide them with guidance in your online shop so that they can find suitable items as quickly as possible. The expert is similar to the hunter type of buyer.
• The demanding buyer: This type of buyer is also researching products. They already have a clear idea of the functions the desired product should fulfill and want to search for it specifically. This also allows us to determine their need for guidance. This type of buyer can therefore be compared to the Busy Twins approach.
• The undecided buyer: This type of buyer does not yet know exactly which product they want to buy. They need advice and support in determining their needs. They are therefore in the product selection phase and need advice. The undecided buyer is similar to the searcher and the hesitant twins from TargetingMantra.
• The browser: This type of customer wants to be inspired by the online store, browse through the product range, and be made aware of different products. This means that the browser can be classified as being in the readiness-to-buy phase. Their need in this phase is inspiration. The characteristics of the browser can also be found in the collector and the wish list maker.

The following graphic provides an overview of the various phases of the customer journey and the needs associated with each phase.

Online customer journey: Customers have different needs depending on the phase they are currently in.

However, the customer's journey does not end with the purchase. As a shop operator, it is therefore important for you to continue to take action after the purchase. By continuing to provide your customers with content after the purchase, you can build a connection with them, strengthen trust, and retain users in the long term. You can find out what options are available for this in the blog article After the purchase is before the purchase: Successful after-sales measures for strong customer loyalty.

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Hybrid forms and fluid transitions

When distinguishing between buyer types, there is one thing you must not forget: not every online shopper can necessarily be assigned to one of these specific customer types, and the types rarely occur in their pure form. Some users may fall between two different buyer types or cannot be explicitly assigned to one of the types presented. So there are always gradations or hybrid forms. However, it makes sense to consider different buyer types. By being prepared for them, you can create a pleasant shopping experience for your customers.

The four buyer types presented—the expert, the discerning, the undecided, and the browser—can be used as a basis for targeted marketing in addition to general shop optimization. Personalizing the customer journey touchpoints plays an important role here. You can find out how to succeed with one-to-one marketing along the customer journey in our article on this topic.