In a cutthroat digital market, it is now more important than ever for brands to really understand their customers. But consumer behavior and the decision-making process in an e-commerce setting vary greatly from the in-store experience. Historical insights and traditional methods of research can’t hope to translate into valuable data for e-commerce. The digital market requires cutting-edge techniques and expert interpretation designed specifically for evaluating the online shopping experience. That’s why, in the e-commerce space, eye tracking is a powerful and essential tool for truly understanding the shopper.
Tapping into the Growing E-Commerce Market
According to US Department of Commerce statistics:
- Total e-commerce sales for 2022 in the USA were estimated at $1,034.1 billion, an increase of 7.7 percent from 2021.
- Total retail sales in 2022 increased by 8.1 percent from 2021.
- E-commerce sales in 2021 accounted for 14.6 percent of total sales.
Although the statistics confirm that people still love to shop in brick-and-mortar stores, e-commerce’s share of overall retail sales is growing each year. During the pandemic, the original e-commerce superstar, Amazon, saw sales soar, while traditional retailers battled it out to create a new online shopper experience for the customers. Some are doing it better than others. A recent study uncovered that Walmart+ members are much more valuable than Amazon Prime members right now. They’re more tuned into social and political issues, report better financial health and outlooks, and register a stronger affinity for brands across most categories. They’re also more likely to spend more across most retail or service categories. Now that’s a consumer worth appealing to. But how?
Picture this: Online shopper, Jenny, is browsing the women’s sportswear category for a new pair of running shorts. She selects a pair, adds it to her cart, and navigates to the checkout. But within a few moments, she abandoned the cart and left the store. Something has gone seriously wrong. Has she changed her mind? Was there a glitch at the cart stage? Was the path to purchase too complicated? We could ask her, through an online survey. We could even interview her and others like her in a focus group or IDI. Or we could do one better and see for ourselves.
The Power of Eye Tracking Technology in E-Commerce
Eye tracking technology has been used for decades in research settings, but recent advancements in technology have made it more accessible for businesses of all sizes, shapes, and iterations – including e-commerce stores. Now, companies can use eye tracking software to gain valuable insights into shopper behavior, including how they browse, click, and interact with a website. This information can be used to optimize website design, improve user experience, and ultimately drive sales.
One key advantage of eye tracking technology is that it provides objective data on how users interact with a website. This data can be used to identify pain points in the shopper journey and make targeted improvements that lead to higher conversion rates. In addition, eye tracking software can provide insight into how different elements of a website, such as images, videos, and product descriptions, impact consumer behavior.
Here’s what eye tracking technology can tell us:
- How consumers navigate through an e-commerce store, following where their eyes rest, how long they spend on certain parts of the page, and what stands out to them.
- Which parts of a website are attracting more attention than others and which are being ignored?
- How long it takes a respondent to react to an area of interest after stimulus.
- In what order respondents notice, react to, or interact with stimuli.
Of course, the results yielded from eye tracking technology are only as good as the technology itself. That’s why it’s important to choose the right type of tech for the job. Webcam-based eye trackers are less expensive to utilize and make it quicker and easier to conduct a study in the respondent’s home. Yet, the quality assurance of proper calibration is reduced. Eye tracking headsets, on the other hand, are lightweight, minimally intrusive, and allow for very natural behavior whilst gathering extremely accurate data.
Eye Tracking Data is Only as Good as Its Interpretation
With limited timeliness, strict budgets, and internal pressures, e-commerce specialists need a vendor that can provide a consultative approach and one that employs the latest in eye both eye tracking and interpretation practices. While eye tracking data can help to streamline insights efforts by providing detailed analysis of consumer behavior at lightning-fast speeds, it is only as good as its interpretation.
Eye tracking data can show us how long Jenny spent perusing the running shorts category online, and how long it took her to find the product she was looking for. It can tell us which parts of the website she spent more time on, visually, and how she reacted to banners and messaging throughout the process. We may conclude that she knew which type of shorts she wanted before coming to the store, found the sizing chart helpful in selecting the right item, and spent a few minutes browsing through the ‘other items that may interest you’ section, which means she has room in her wardrobe for an additional sports bra. It can also tell us that when presented with a pop-up window at checkout about a promotion, she closed the window and exited the store. But the technology can’t tell us why.
Eye tracking software can be complex. It requires a knowledgeable vendor who can provide clear insights and guidance on how to make the most of the data collected and, importantly, interpret it with follow-up communications. A follow-up survey or IDI may reveal that the pop-up at checkout prompted Jenny that if she spent an additional $20, she’d be eligible for free shipping. This meant she wanted to spend more time looking at additional items but didn’t have the time at that moment. Or it might reveal that she went searching for an online retailer that offered free shipping on all items. After all, in today’s e-commerce market, finding an alternative is never difficult.
An expert vendor knows that eye tracking data is both objective and detailed but fails to give context around the shopper’s thoughts and motivations. Your research technology vendor should understand how to pair eye tracking data with follow-up communications such as online surveys or IDIs to give the data more context, color, and depth – creating a story around the shopper and their aspirations, motivations, behaviors, and decisions. This allows brands to quickly and accurately identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions backed by both unbiased eye tracking data and richer, more meaningful consumer insights analysis.
If You’re Not Already Using Eye Tracking for E-commerce, You Should Be
The power of eye tracking for e-commerce shopper insights cannot be understated. It provides valuable insights into consumer behavior and helps businesses optimize their online shopping experience. However, to truly make the most of eye tracking software, it is important to work with a skilled and experienced vendor that can provide clear insights and guidance on how to validate, enrich, and ultimately put to use the data collected. By doing so, e-commerce shopper insights professionals can rely on accurate, objective data to drive projects toward meaningful completion and truly represent the voice of the customer to stakeholders.
Want to win in the new E-Commerce landscape? It starts with asking the right questions and finding the best solutions. Our guide to E-Commerce Optimization Research provides detailed and specific knowledge to provide maximum ROI on your research investment.
