What Is The ROPO Effect? - Semalt Expert
The e-commerce market is constantly growing, posing new challenges for entrepreneurs. It would seem that convenient online shopping is an extremely attractive solution for consumers - however, research shows that a significant proportion of customers still choose stationary stores to finalize their purchase. Are you wondering what the ROPO effect is and how you can fight it? We invite you to read.
Consumers prefer to buy stationary. What is the ROPO model?
ROPO, also known as Research Online, Purchase Offline, is a phenomenon that plagues many online stores. As the statistics show, customers search for information about the products they are interested in, but to buy goods, they go to brick-and-mortar stores.
What is this consumer behaviour related to? Experts note several relationships that affect the occurrence of the ROPO effect. When considering the purchase of a given product, the Internet user searches for information that interests him/her, such as product specifications, video reviews or user reviews.
It is a very quick and convenient way to obtain the necessary knowledge, which is not limited only to dry metric information, which is usually available in the case of the assortment in a stationary store.
However, even the most thorough research does not stop consumers from wanting to physically interact with the article. Stationary shopping allows for even more precise matching of the product and verification of possible deviations from the information provided on the product card.
The strongest effect of the ROPO phenomenon can be observed in the case of such product categories as construction and finishing materials, footwear and pharmaceutical products.
When does the reverse effect of ROPO occur?
Similarly to the Research Online, Purchase Offline phenomenon, the reverse ROPO effect can also be noticed in consumer behaviour - the customer looks at the product in a brick-and-mortar store to finalize its purchase electronically.
The main cause of the reverse ROPO effect is certainly the growing awareness of price differences among consumers. Online stores often offer more favourable prices than brick-and-mortar stores. This is related to both cyclical promotions and the discount mechanism used for new and regular customers, e.g. by subscribing to a newsletter or joining a group of participants in a loyalty program.
An increasingly common solution among Internet users is also the use of cashback tools, which enable a partial return of money spent when paying for online shopping.
The reversed ROPO phenomenon occurs primarily in the case of such product groups as cosmetics and perfumes, clothing, footwear and electronics/household appliances. It is worth noting, however, that footwear appears in both charts - this category is susceptible to both ROPO and its reverse effect.
What is ROPO and how can you deal with it?
Entrepreneurs who are struggling with the consequences of the ROPO phenomenon are wondering what steps they should take to encourage customers to shop online. Read what to keep in mind to increase the sales of your website.
Take care of an attractive price
The main factor that affects the purchasing decisions of customers and the ROPO effect is still the price of the article. To encourage the Internet user to finalize the purchase through your website, you must offer him/her a favourable price. This applies to both the price of the goods themselves and additional factors affecting the final state of the shopping cart, e.g. delivery costs.
Discounts for subscribers of the company's newsletter and bonuses for participants of the loyalty program may be an additional incentive to complete the order online.
Enter attractive descriptions and photos of articles
The selection of appropriate content on the website is one of the aspects that will affect not only the purchasing decisions of your customers but also the positioning of the entire website. It is assumed that the customer goes to a brick-and-mortar store to obtain more information about the product of interest.
It is therefore worth taking care of the selection of appropriate and unique article descriptions, which will contain detailed data. It may be equally important to attach photos of the goods taken from different angles to best illustrate the appearance of the entire product to the customer. The better the consumer will be able to familiarize themselves with the product via the Internet, the less likely the ROPO effect will occur.
Customize the business card of your premises in the Business Profile on Google
If you run both an online store and a brick-and-mortar store, a good solution will be the proper optimization of your business card in the Google Business Profile. When the ROPO effect occurs, you should ensure that the customer decides to buy in your stationary store, thus abandoning the competition's offer. A well-adjusted business card will cause more people to consider getting acquainted with the assortment of your premises.
Remember to properly optimize the website
To encourage customers to make a purchase on your website, it is worth taking care of the appearance of the entire website, which will allow Internet users to freely familiarize themselves with its content. If you want to generate more page views, you should remember its proper optimization both in terms of UX and technical construction.
When conducting electronic sales, building the trust of potential customers is a very important element. Make sure that Internet users share customer opinions about the services you offer. It is also a good idea to attach quality certificates with which your brand has been marked. Thanks to such activities, customers will perceive you as a reliable and credible entrepreneur whose assortment is worth investing in.
Quick and easy contact
Good communication is the basis. Especially in the case of more expensive things, the purchase of which involves making a well-considered decision. Customers may have various doubts and questions. A quick and comprehensive response inspires trust in the seller, which is extremely important if we want to minimize the ROPO effect. Keeping in mind that customers may have different preferences, provide different communication channels (e-mail, contact form, telephone, live chat).
Possibility of returns, clear rules for complaints
The inability to touch or try on the product before buying raises concerns that the purchase will be unsuccessful. This is one of the factors that discourage the use of e-shop offers. Do not make it difficult for your customers to return, they have the right to do so. Let them know how they can return the product if it doesn't meet their expectations, and handle complaints fairly.
Positive brand image
It is definitely worth building a positive brand image. It's not just about minimizing the ROPO effect. Users are more likely to shop with retailers they trust. Gain positive customer feedback, and ensure the highest quality of service. Satisfied customers come back for more purchases and recommend the store to other users. Building trust is conducive to, among others, professional-looking websites and publishing expert content.
Attractive promotions
The ROPO effect can also be minimized through various promotions. An attractive price can convince the customer to shop online. Don't forget about loyalty programs that not only help to encourage undecided users to buy but also build customer loyalty. Did the customer put a product in the cart? Show them related products and offer them a special discount.
Fast order fulfilment
For some customers, the problem when shopping online is the need to wait for the product. They often decide to shop in a traditional store, precisely because they do not want to wait for delivery. Make sure that the order processing time in your store is as short as possible (currently, the standard is shipping within 24 hours of placing the order). It is also worth establishing cooperation with a reliable courier company that will deliver parcels to customers on time.
Reliable product information
Although sometimes customers get information about a product from the web and make a purchase offline, you can't skip this element. Parameters, a detailed description written in the language of benefits and photos of articles are the basis for every online store.
Simple store navigation
Navigating the store's website cannot cause any problems for users. Difficulties in finding a specific product, a not very clear menu, the inability to continue shopping after adding an article to the basket or a complicated order form can be irritating and cause resignation from shopping.
VR and AR technology
Online shopping is associated with certain limitations, resulting primarily from the inability to interact with the product before purchasing it. VR and AR technologies, which are increasingly used in e-commerce, allow - at least to some extent - to overcome these barriers. Particularly attractive seem to be AR applications, which do not require the use of special equipment and allow you to virtually try on products.
Take care of the proper optimization of your website with the help of specialists and avoid the ROPO effect
Are you looking for a solution that will help you effectively influence the sales results of your online store? To ensure the potential of your e-commerce website, it is worth considering cooperation with experienced specialists who will comprehensively optimize the entire platform.
Our experts from Semalt offer professional support in the field of performance marketing, using modern tools in PRO versions like The Dedicated SEO Dashboard. We deal with both the positioning of online stores and the creation of unique content using the language of benefits.