We commented last week on the $1.6 billion that will be spent by Black Friday online shoppers in 2013. I closed the blog by saying the retailers who are going to fare the best are those who provide an immediate response. There will be shoppers in the stores, and when ready for check-out they hope to hear someone say, “Register 6 no line, no waiting!” This saying applies even more for an online response.
It is imperative to understand that the shopper utilizing their computer at home has been joined by the shopper on the move. Adobe estimates that 20 percent of online sales will take place on mobile-optimized sites (up 50 percent over 2012). But in both cases, there is no physical line and in our online shopper’s mind they are the number one customer you have. So they feel justified to say, “I want it and I want it now!” Product information, a price, delivery arrangements or whatever it may be, it rings true that immediate answers will result in confirmed sales.
RPM is a measurement for the performance of a car engine and I now suggest RTM as the measuring stick for your online performance: Response Time Metrics. How long from when your shopper hits “Send” until they see “You’ve Got Mail” from your end?
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John Paul Strong
John Paul Strong combines his two decades of automotive marketing experience with a team of more than 150 professionals as owner and CEO of Strong Automotive.
