2. Confidential | SMITH
8 emotional modes of shopping
Know-it-all
I’m shopping for information more
than I am actually buying something.
Needs validation
I’m shopping by opinions – yours,
mine, his, hers … everybody’s opinion.
Got to be first
I shop and buy cool.
Want some fun
Shopping is a hobby and I like to have
fun.
Avoid Remorse
Shopping is a chore for me. I’m
looking to buy on the most easiest,
trusted path.
Decision anxiety
I get overwhelmed when I shop. I
want to take my time.
I’m special
I expect the product and shopping
experience to be top of the line.
Buy and be done
I get easily frustrated when I shop
because I don’t get why I need all
these extra ways to shop.
3. Confidential
Emotions Matter. From shopping to buying,
consumers rely on emotions to drive their
decision-making.
Read this report to:
• Discover your target audience’s emotional mindset. Understand how consumers’
emotional states influence their purchase decisions.
• Optimize beyond clicks. Having a better understanding your consumers’ emotional
mindsets will enable you to create holistic experiences that convert shoppers regardless of
shopping channel.
• Identify your influencers and influencees. Use a consumer’s emotional mindset to identify
which consumers are influencing purchase decisions and which ones are wanting to be
influenced.
SMITH executed a qualitative and quantitative survey in 2014. We surveyed 500 people across North America with
detailed questions pertaining to 12 unique product categories: Apparel, Electronics, Grocery, Appliances, Automotive
Supplies, Beauty, Wireless, Jewelry, Home Remodeling, Furniture, Software, and Restaurants.
4. Confidential
The emotions that influence shopping
decisions
Know-it-all
I’m shopping for
information more
than I am actually
buying something.
Decision
anxiety
I get overwhelmed
when I shop. I want
to take my time.
Avoid
Remorse
Shopping is a chore
for me. I’m looking
make a trusted
purchase.
Make Better Marketing and Retail Decisions
While the omnichannel enables retailers to create a holistic shopping
experience, more than ever, it requires them to make that experience
relevant to consumer shopping needs. It’s time to optimize beyond
“clicks” and “bricks” and find a better way to connect with consumers.
We have found that consumers are humans, and humans make
emotion-influenced decisions.
Connect to the Emotional Consumer
The latest SMITH Strategy & Insight research discovers the emotional
drivers of shoppers, which we call modes. These shopping modes
reflect a consumer’s current attitudinal mindset, and those emotions
are influencing how they are making purchase decisions.
Optimize by Your Consumer’s Emotional Mode
Consumers can shift between modes based on their current mindset
or shopping category. Understanding the modes that consumers
experience enables you to better tailor your retail and marketing
efforts to your customers.
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Overview
• Understanding the voice of the customer
– Emotional modes that influence shopping decisions
– Getting human: We shop with our feelings
– Emotional Modes influence decisions and gives insight consumer shopping wants and needs
• Leveraging modes for better shopping experiences
– Emotion modes that drive the electronic shopping experience
– Influence of Modes on channel feature preferences
– Knowing your mode indicates where to Make content investments
– Modes allow you to identify the influencers and influences
– Insight into designing better omnichannel experiences
– Total mode immersion through Mode profiles
• Summary
– Optimizing the marketing experience Across purchase journey
– Enabling the emotional connection
– Appendix of Category Information: Apparel, Grocery, Appliances, Automotive Supplies, Beauty, Wireless, Jewelry, Home remodeling, Furniture, Software, Restaurants
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Our approach to Research
We deliver human-centric-designed results.
Everything SMITH does is grounded in human-centered design. We do this because
empathy is the secret sauce behind great user experiences.
The more we know about the needs and behaviors of our audiences, the more we
succeed at driving positive results and deepening relationships with brands.
And it just so happens, engaging with insight and emotion is more important than ever
in consumer and B2B marketing.
We are experts at research-driven customer insights and strategic brand-engagement
experiences across all marketing channels.We only work with clients for whom we can do
our best work. Our goal is to foster enduring, meaningful relationships.
SMITH has 5 offices across the U.S. and Canada (with the Seattle and Ottawa offices
serving as country hubs) and has delivered work, from local to global, in three key
categories: Strategy & Insights, Experience Design, andTechnology.
Forrester describes us as a Service Design Agency. “Service designers define and
implement interactions that span time and multiple touch points — as well as the behind-
as the behind-the-scenes activities and systems that enable firms to deliver those
those interactions as planned.”
Motivation
BehaviorGoals
Empathy
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Getting Human: we shop with our
feelings
“You get frustrated and don't like not being able to ask questions. You
talk to your screen. Siri and you are not friends.” – husband, Spokane
“You like shopping in stores because you want to prove your are smart
and think the sales clerks will have specialized knowledge of the
product you might be interested in, like running socks or high-quality
steak knives.” – wife, Atlanta
“Actually, I think you like spending time with me when you shop. You
like the act of being together while looking at stuff.” – boyfriend,
Seattle
“You get overwhelmed. I think when you walk into a department store or
Target, you don’t know where to start.” – wife, Chicago
Who knows you better than your browser history? Your significant other. And your significant other reveals
that when you shop, you get emotional. We discovered that shopping can make us feel frustrated, energized,
dominant, and overwhelmed.
Our Approach
At SMITH, we like to “qualify before you quantify.” We spend
lots of time talking with consumers to gain directional insight
before launching a quantify survey. Some of the consumers we
spoke with:
After speaking with consumers across the country, we drafted a
50-question survey, which drew 561 respondents (67% United
States and 33% Canadian).
A grandmother on an Iowa farm who still has a flip phone, but just
got an iPad.
A new mom in Minneapolis who used to buy everything online but
now buys everything in a retail store.
A Seattle husband who hates shopping. Unless it’s for running
shoes.
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8 emotional modes influence decisions
11% - Know-it-all
I’m shopping for information
more than I am actually
buying something.
20% - Needs
validation
I’m shopping by opinions –
yours, mine, his, hers …
everybody’s opinion.
12% - Got to be
I shop and buy cool.
9% - Want some
Shopping is a hobby and I like
to have fun.
9% - Avoid
Shopping is a chore for me.
I’m looking to buy on the
most easiest, trusted path.
17% - Decision
anxiety
I get overwhelmed when I
shop. I want to take my time.
16% - I’m special
I expect the product and
shopping experience to be
top of the line.
10% - Buy and
done
I get easily frustrated when I
shop because I don’t get why
I need all these extra ways to
shop.
Through SMITH proprietary research, we made an important discovery: consumers shop according to 8
emotional mindsets. We call these emotional mindsets modes. Some shoppers shift between modes
depending on product category, while others shop in one mode only. Nevertheless, our research indicates that
modes drive shopping preferences. Below, the 8 Emotional Modes and the mindsets that define them.
**% average distribution within North American population
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Emotion modes that drive the electronic
shopping experience
The key to creating purchase experiences that convert shoppers is by
crafting shopping experiences that are connected to the emotional state
of the shopper. The research that follows demonstrates the preferences of
the electronic shopper by emotional state in different channels.
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Influence of Modes on channel feature
preferences
Know-It-
15%
Needs
Validatio
26%
| Features the influence
purchase
61% Want to know Product Availability
43% See & Feel an Item In-Store
53% See & Feel an Item In-Store
20% Knowledgeable Sales Associate
Avoid
Remor
15%
Buy
Be
13%
Features the influence
purchase |
Security of Purchase Channel 59%
Free Shipping 68%
Ability to Quick Search and Find
Specific Item 32%
Security of Purchase
Channel 76%
Free Shipping 63%
Free Return 46%
Top Modes of the
online Shopper
Top Modes of the
Store Shopper
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Mode
Channel Preference differ by mode,
journey stage.
Web
65%
In-Store
61%
In-Store
76%
Home Delivery
54%
In-Store
89%
Online Review
19%
Research Purchase Delivery Return Post
Purchase
Inspirati
on
% preference when Buying Electronics
Know-
it-all
Needs
Validatio
n
Mobile
13%
Advertising
11%
Mobile
18%
Home Delivery
53%
Mail Return
27%
Shared on Social Media
19%
Web
56%
In-Store
28%
In-Store
61%
In-Store
67%
In-Store
77%
Online Review
24%
I’m
Special
Want
some
fun
Digital Offline
Friends/Family
17%
Website
44%
In-Store
63%
In-Store
60%
In-Store
84%
Recommend to
Others
29%
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Know-It-All
Avoid Remorse
Needs Validation
Decision Anxiety
Got to Be First
Want Some Fun
Buy and Be Done
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Different content appeals to different
modes
%ofmodethatresearchproductdescription
andkeyfeatures
% of mode that researched price
Researched Features vs. Price when Shopping for Electronics
Heavy Content Consumption:
Balance of product research
and pricing information
Focus on Product:
Prioritize product
features over pricing
Focus on Shopping Experience:
Favors experiential over digital
content
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Social media is more relevant to
specific modes.
%ofmodethatsharedtheirpurchaseonsocialmedia
% of mode like to learn about new products through social media
Social media influence when shopping for Electronics
Influencers
Know-It-All
Avoid Remorse
Needs Validation
Decision Anxiety
Got to Be First
Want Some Fun
Buy and Be Done
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
Influence Absorbers:
High participation with
shopping experience
Influence Opinionated:
The product talker/sharers
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Each mode can be profiled across a
category and journey.
I’m overwhelmed when I shop. It takes time and effort in a store
to make decisions. I just want to sort through product options
and take my time. I don’t always know what information I may
need or when I may need it. I would rather have products
delivered so that I can spend time elsewhere instead of
shopping in stores where I am stressed out.
When you are shopping with decision anxiety, you
are feeling:
• Showcase easy ways to sort through different products.
• Have one-click sales person chat.
• Reassure that online shopping is a secure.
• Emphasize delivery; make easy delivery options a part of
the purchase.
My ideal shopping experiences are:
Mobile
12%
Website
44%
Website
37%
In-Store
60%
In-Store
84%
Recommend to
Others
29%
Research Purchase Delivery Return Post-PurchaseInspiration
Buying Electronics
The Decision anxiety mode profile for Electronic
shopping
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Insight into Designing better omnichannel
experiences
Mode profiles present a complete picture of an emotional mode, helping
brands understand the different touch points and nuances that are key
characteristic of the mode. By using a profile, brands can optimize the
purchase journey for the experiences that will connect with the customer
in their current emotional state.
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Emotional Modes matter when it comes to
shopping and purchase.
As shoppers become more and more exposed to unified shopping platforms they are going to
expect not just demographic personalized experiences but experiences that resonate with their
emotional mindset. We believe that the 8 Emotional Modes will allow you to connect to the
emotional side of shopping and identify shopping characteristics which can be used to optimize
your offline and online retail experiences.
Through our empathic understanding of key emotional drivers we are providing insight into what
type of emotions consumer commonly have when they are shopping and how those states
translate into key design features and content experiences. By leveraging the emotional state
brands can resonate across the purchase journey. The more we can connect with the needs, wants
and behavior of the shopping audience the more success we will have at creating purchase
conversion and deepening our relationship with the consumer.
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Learn more
Would you like a shopping experience consultation using the 8 Emotional
Modes or more information regarding our report? Contact us at
marketing@smith.co or call us: 425.519.7700.
