Women who love to shop form the largest group of the female approaches to buying. Because they enjoy browsing, it makes them more prone to impulse buying. You can tap into this and help them make unplanned CBD purchases.
Online or instore they love to window-shop, browse and enjoy the process. While they make regular “need it” purchases, they also savor the social and emotionally rewarding side of shopping.
But to trigger those shoppers into unplanned impulse purchases, you need these five pillars in place.
Some online retail giants, like Amazon, have all these pillars perfectly in place. But size doesn’t make any difference. Every business can easily incorporate these and I’ll share them with you.
Table of Contents
I have a question for you…
Quick question for you…
When was the last time you bought a coat? What was that purchase like?
Last week as the thermometer took a dive, I realized that it was time to replace my winter coat. I had some very specific things I was looking for.
I live in Oregon so it needed to be rain resistant plus warm. Hoods are a bonus and an easy way to keep your head dry without “hat” hair.
A three/quarter length would be easy to drive in and provide protection. Fashion/style was also high on the list.
Avoiding the malls, I looked online. I’d received an unsolicited catalog that had cute styles.
In my information gathering, window shopping phase, I went to their website and signed up for email notifications. I browsed their content checking for sizing, materials, and care. A sale price always enhances the value.
Sure enough, I got a welcome email with a discount. The next day it was a holiday discount and don’t forget free shipping.
I started browsing their website. All of a sudden, ads for this company were showing up in any Google searches that I did. They were showing up in my Facebook feed. Everywhere I turned around, there they were…following me. Reminding me.
I got serious and started reading reviews from other purchasers.
I made a decision and tried to place my order. Their system failed me. It wouldn’t take my discount code and wanted to charge me full price plus shipping.
I called and a fabulous customer service person said, “No problem. Just cancel out of the site, we’ll do it over the phone.”
While winter coats and CBD are very different, there are some buying commonalities. I was looking for the best product I could find that met my needs…and my wants. Like your CBD customer, I needed information…
Your website needs to have really good content. Educational, informational, transparent, and validated.
CBD shoppers, regardless of the product they want, need a lot more information than the description provided for a coat.
Many people are just learning about CBD and have lots of questions. You need to become their trusted resource.
Let’s say the shopper wants a pain relief product. Does she need a topical or an oral product? What type of pain? What level of pain? Will it even be useful for her application?
You are going to need a lot of quality content so the education is there and clearly available. While no claims can legally be made, testimonials and product reviews let your guest see how others use it.
Quizzes help your guest with product selection. You need content that answers questions. The more transparent you are in answering questions, and sharing ingredient information, the more accurate a purchase the buyer can make.
A friend was looking for a topical product to use on a painful burn that had left her skin very sensitive. But products that she tried made her skin burn all the more.
Why? They were for a different type of pain. Muscle pain or joint pain products commonly add menthol, eucalyptus or other essential oils to boost the CBD and relieve the ache of arthritis.
Definitely not what you need for sensitized burned skin. She finally found a product, but it required phone calls to get information not provided on the website. The more information, the better.
In my shopping experience, as soon as I told google what I was looking for, it tried to help with other recommendations. Once I had been to a website, google remembered it. Then Google started showing me product image links that would take me back to that website.
A quick response to my signup put first a welcome email in my box and the next day a Black Friday weekend sale.
Every day I receive an additional email trying to tempt me back to shop more… "no minimum required, discount extended.”
Their goal? Keep me coming back, staying at the front of my mind and triggering the sale.
Female CBD buyers want the same targeted attention and responsiveness.
They are willing to invest time in finding the best product to solve a need. Suggested products must be based on what your visitor is searching for to be helpful.
When searching for a winter coat…we don’t want to see images of summer jackets or bikinis. CBD shoppers looking for a pain reliever don’t want to see skincare. Make sure your recommendations are relevant.
It doesn’t matter what a female shopping lover is after, she wants to know her credit card information and transaction are secure. Be sure and post your security certificates on your website.
Buyers want to know you are secure, trustworthy and reliable. Let them get to know you in a way that builds trust and confidence.
Including your product origin, local, regional or national certifications and product testing data builds trust.
When I had issues trying to get my discount code to process, having a friendly helpful voice on the phone quickly alleviated concerns and they got my sale on the spot.
Reviews from other customers assured me they had great customer service if a product needed to be returned or exchanged.
If there is one thing female buyers are looking for it’s a 4-letter word…easy.
Review, (or have an outside review) of your website, looking at it from the viewpoint of a new guest. How easy is it to get around? How easy to find what you are looking for? Are the tabs easily identifiable?
If there are quizzes to help her find products…how well designed and useful are they? I’ve checked out many in the past few months that really are only designed for very broad general categories.
Think back to the buyer wanting a topical cream for sensitive burned skin. I have yet to see a quiz that would let her know your topical products are only for arthritis type pain. Critical information.
Many buyers would happily trade glitzy animation or graphics for clarity, simplicity and easy navigation. It needs to be fun to spend time on your website. If it’s hard to get around on…the fun aspect is lost.
Use AI or cookies to track past purchases or identify the type of device being used. There is nothing more frustrating than to try to look up something on your smartphone that is only designed to be seen on a big screen desktop. Make sure your website works on all device formats.
Use the information you gather about your guest or buyer so you can stay in touch, or offer more information.
Whether it’s an abandoned cart or someone who browsed and left.. you want to send targeted or re-targeted information that will be relevant to what they were looking for.
Personalizing can increase ROI by 667%!!
Researchers have identified that women who love to shop typically also are very social. They like to browse and interact on social media sites.
They chat, watch videos, listen to music, surf and play games. So reaching them through social media channels can be very effective.
Retargeting via social media posts with graphics of the product your prospect was looking at trigger their desire button. It’s a reminder. The more times she sees your product – targeted based on what she was searching for, the higher the odds it will trigger the buy-now response.
Only when her need is fulfilled will you start slipping off her radar. Emails can keep the communication going. Likewise interactive social media sites can bring her back again. They cater to the emotional aspects of the shopping experience.
Social sites are also a key way shoppers share their influence. It’s common for an ad to show up in your news feed that indicates “friends” like this ad or this product.
The “like” from a friend enhances the perceived value of the product and ups the chance of an unplanned purchase.
Shopping lovers can be your best buyers if you meet their needs and preferences. When I work with clients we start by reviewing what is there and how friendly it is to these ideal clients.
If clients are starting fresh, we start by building out a plan based on meeting this client’s goals. Then add enhancements to focus on other buyer styles.
Judith Culp Pearson receives three top honors
at the annual Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals in
Ft. Worth, Texas - October 7-9, 2023
