Data Security Can Help Merchants Swing Consumer Loyalty Their Way

As eCommerce merchants look to win the loyalty of customers who are on the fence, there are a range of factors that can be make or break at the point of checkout for these persuadable consumers.

For PYMNTS’ study “At The Checkout: Deal-Chasers Versus Loyal Customers,” created in collaboration with checkout.com, we surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. consumers to better understand what factors they consider before checking out, how they relate to different technologies and what the key drivers of loyalty are. The results illuminated many ways that merchants can secure the loyalty of persuadable customers.

The study designated three distinct personas of online shoppers — deal-chasers, persuadable consumers and loyal customers, with the categories accounting for 38%, 36% and 26% of shoppers respectively, per consumers’ self-identification.

While overall these groups tend to value different checkout features to similar degrees, there are certain ones that are especially important to specific personas. For instance, while only 48% of persuadable customers believe it is important to be able to access their digital profile, 62% of loyal customers said the same.

While loyal customers may already be decided about where they like to shop, and while deal chasers will just go wherever they can get the best price or value, persuadable customers represent an especially appealing demographic for retailers, open to trying new merchants without necessarily demanding steep discounts.

The study identified which checkout features are the most important to these consumers. Eighty-five percent of persuadable consumers listed the ability to use their preferred payment method as a key checkout feature important for their online shopping experience. Plus, an equally large share said the same of having their data protected.

Plus, 84% of persuadable consumers listed free shipping as an important feature, and 83% said the same of ease in navigating online stores and shopping carts.