There’s massive potential for targeting impulse buyers online

If you are anything like me, you are in full online shopping mode. After warming up with Black Friday and Blue Monday I am finalising my Christmas shopping this week. While shopping online you can’t help but notice the massive increase in retargeted banners from companies like Takealot, Kalahari, Superbalist and Zando (these are the banners that follow you around the web reminding you of items that you looked at but didn’t end up purchasing).

While these banners can be a little annoying, they are often deadly efficient and result in a high amount of sales for the online stores. There is a very good reason for this; it’s intelligent impulse targeting.

We are all familiar with impulse purchasing, we all do it and good marketers know that we do. You only have to walk in to a supermarket to notice the tills that are packed with chocolates and sweets begging you to make a last minute impulsive decision and pop one in your trolley. The stores are optimised to increase the effectiveness of this impulsive behaviour. If you now step into the online shopping world, that optimisation opportunity increases exponentially.

Imagine if you are shopping in the real world and started moving towards the till in Woolworths, making your way down the snaking queue of delicious treats. When suddenly the items started shifting and all your favourite snacks began appearing in front of you as you walked. The snacks presented would be based on your buying history, the time of day and items that you may have picked up to inspect in the past. This gives you a taste of the potential that online retargeting can deliver and an understanding of why those little banners can be so effective.

Understanding the impulse trigger, increasing relevance and minimising the barriers to completing the sale will ensure that you as a marketer can make the most of retargeting within the online environment.

So next time you see a retargeting banner, stop and take a moment to think about the marketing opportunities and evaluate how important that item is to you before you click.