Meet The New Marketing Persona Whos Not Afraid To Shop During Work Hours
The definition of the "workday," once a strict 9-to-6 divide, has grown to include laptops on kitchen counters, guest rooms used as impromptu workspaces, and anytime conference calls to the dog.
On the Internet, these boundaries are even more blurred. People switch between work and consumption modes throughout the day, skipping calls and then quickly browsing their favorite online store.
In today's age of remote work, consumers have developed new habits and preferences. To analyze and understand this shift, Microsoft commissioned Forrester Consulting to assess the consumer behaviors behind this work-life conflict and analyze the growth of consumerism in the workplace. The study showed how brands have adapted their online advertising strategies and the role computers play in this puzzle.
Forrester conducted an online survey of 5,329 adult professional consumers who made online computer purchases in the previous six months, and 1,301 CEOs, vice presidents, marketing directors or brand advocates worldwide.
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The growth of the daily consumer.
Nearly two-thirds (62%) of consumers surveyed said they regularly search for or purchase products and services during work hours, and more than half (51%) said online purchases made during work hours have increased since the start of the job. the pandemic .
Called the Workday Consumer, this new behavior typically mixes work and personal tasks on their to-do lists and sees work and personal tasks equally during work hours.
For convenience or breaks from work, the Workday consumer can order groceries online, plan weekend events, or try an all-day home office upgrade.
Work style and mindset are only a small part of the picture, other metrics like demographics, online behavior and time to purchase also play a role. Although consumers have a work mindset, they buy eye-catching products highlighted by a task mindset.
The Workday consumer is looking for personalized service and sophisticated shopping, and despite the rapid growth of mobile commerce, the computer remains a key touchpoint in their journey. While 76% of all respondents reported using a combination of devices when searching for and purchasing products and services online, device preference indicates a preference for the computer for complex and engaging purchases.
The everyday consumer is not a temporary development that will disappear with a pandemic. In fact, 44% of respondents expect to increase the number of online purchases they make during business hours in the next 12 months.
Labor Day Consumer Appeal: What's Stopping Us?
In recent years, brands have begun revamping their marketing and advertising strategies because pre-pandemic tactics and basic buyer assumptions no longer measure up.
But despite significant changes in the way marketers do business, most brands still rely on traditional factors like demographics, device and channel preferences, and historical customer behavior to determine market share.
When defining target consumer segments, brands rarely take into account how a consumer works, e.g. Whether you are in the office or remotely, your thoughts or activities, e.g. B. if you are doing productive work or surfing during lunch hours or free time during the day. . Day.
Research by Microsoft shows that 52% of Australian consumers work from home (3% above the global average) and 63% use their work computer for personal tasks.
39% of consumers spend more than an hour on personal tasks during work hours, with the most common work-time tasks being: trading, investing or other investments in stocks (54%), researching products/services (48%) and social browsing. . networks media. networks. Networks (46%).
The three most popular products or services Australian consumers search for/purchase are: food/groceries (76%), clothing/shoes (67%) and cosmetics (59%). Australian consumers are the biggest purchasers of financial services products on business days (35% more likely to shop during business hours). When it comes to travel equipment, Australian consumers are most likely to use a work computer (25%).
Brands can engage new and emerging personalities throughout the online shopping journey, engaging and re-engaging consumers as they transition between work, life, research and shopping. Think about campaigns that respond to this segment's desire to save time, and make sure all images are meaningful and engaging for these high-value users.
Brands still use traditional factors to attract consumers. These are: demographics (60%), device purchase preferences (57%) and past purchases (51%).
Nick Sekold, vice president of Asia Pacific at Microsoft Advertising said: "So much has changed in our lives since the first impact of Covid that it is forcing us to reinvent the way we live and do what we once did because it was necessary."
"We work differently, we relax differently, we shop differently, so it's surprising that 60% of brands in the Forester study said they are still using a pre-Covid strategy when developing their marketing programs," he said.
“Marketing has always been about meeting your customers where they are and making your messages relevant and valuable. If you work in marketing and don't plan to develop your strategy to serve today's Workday customers, you're missing out on a great opportunity. Big rewards await brands that embrace these changes.
However, data shows that brands are not fully utilizing this huge opportunity and are therefore missing out on a significant portion of sales. Outdated strategies and consumer image issues have led brands to put their digital marketing on autopilot instead of developing their marketing to capture each individual's unique work schedule.
Ultimately, brands need to update their persona design assumptions and rethink their online targeting strategies to attract, convert and retain new people like the Workday consumer. There's a huge untapped opportunity in this new consumer behavior, and brands that take it seriously are reaping big rewards.
To learn more about Workday Consumer, download the Forrester study and learn how your business can succeed.
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