There are many voices on the Internet who claim re-targeting and re-marketing are very effective. I have heard many comments like “it works” and “it’s low hanging fruit”. Assuming someone is interested in buying just because they clicked on a link is quite a leap by digital marketers. To me it means they clicked on a link.
Mis-reading the tea leaves
A series of actions could add up to buying intention, but we must let the consumer make that choice. It is fair to ask a person who abandoned their cart if you could ask why. How might we improve the process of purchasing our product? Did something turn you off during the process? I see many sites who hide the price and I have often abandoned carts just to find out what the price and shipping costs would be. I am not a “hot buyer”. I am simply curious about what that costs and how much I would have to pay for shipping.
Fact is, some users may find re-marketing to be intrusive or even creepy, as it involves tracking their online behaviour and serving them targeted ads. There is a risk of overloading users with too many ads or direct hard sell messages offering discounts, which can be annoying and lead to a negative perception of your brand. There is a good chance of forcing them to your competitors when it comes time to buy.
Who are you to determine WHEN a consumer should buy? Is that not their decision? By continually stalking them everywhere on the Internet are you telling them you do not trust their intelligence? I believe consumers are very smart and when they are ready to buy they no where to go, if MARKETING has done their real job. You cannot be “always closing”; always chasing the sale as people have always loved to think THEY make the buying decision.
What is Marketing?
Rather than taking my word for it, we should turn to the Father of marketing, Dr Philip Kotler;
“Marketing is the science and art of exploring, creating, and delivering value to satisfy the needs of a target market at a profit. Marketing identifies unfulfilled needs and desires. It defines, measures and quantifies the size of the identified market and the profit potential. It pinpoints which segments the company is capable of serving best and it designs and promotes the appropriate products and services.
Marketing is often performed by a department within the organization. This is both good and bad. It’s good because it unites a group of trained people who focus on the marketing task. It’s bad because marketing activities should not be carried out in a single department but they should be manifest in all the activities of the organization.
In my 11th edition of Marketing Management, I describe the most important concepts of marketing in the first chapter. They are: segmentation, targeting, positioning, needs, wants, demand, offerings, brands, value and satisfaction, exchange, transactions, relationships and networks, marketing channels, supply chain, competition, the marketing environment, and marketing programs. These terms make up the working vocabulary of the marketing professional.
Marketing’s key processes are: (1) opportunity identification, (2) new product development, (3) customer attraction, (4) customer retention and loyalty building, and (5) order fulfillment. A company that handles all of these processes well will normally enjoy success. But when a company fails at any one of these processes, it will not survive.”
With any perceived opportunity, ask the following questions:
Is there a substantial market?
What is the competitive landscape?
Can you develop a profitable business model?
Can you scale up quickly?
Notice this is all about the consumer’s needs, wants and desires and not about your quarterly sales objective? The leading brands like Apple take care of prospects and consumers. They respect them. They understand them. They are rewarded by lots of people choosing to buy their products even at a premium price. In fact the pricing strategy is part of their marketing!
Like a great salesperson, learn to LISTEN. Use gentle “trial close” techniques. You will hear the real objections which you can then deal with. If you hear the same objections, change the way you wrap, bag and tag that offering so people can purchase it.
I am not saying no to re-marketing. I am saying, ask the person who is abandoning your cart, if there is anything you can do to serve them better. Ask the person if they would like special offers in the future. If they say yes, only use their email address to send them special offers. In other words RESPECT them and their wishes. Some people like personalized ads following them around the internet but ask for consent to do that. Those who like it can love you for it. More important those that say no, continue to respect and love your brand for giving them choices and honouring those choices.
Promotion should ALWAYS be respectful.