The Evolution of Today’s Internet User (or How I Found My Holiday Party Dress)

Remember the days of yore, when shopping consisted of a trip to the mall and that was that? Well folks, those days are over. The options we have on where to shop, when to buy, and how to buy have increased exponentially thanks to online marketing. For many, the mall has become a last resort.

Consumers have evolved (and arguably elongated) their buying habits in step with the availability of new technology.

My recent shopping experience was a much longer journey than the drive to the mall. My first stop, the actual store. While in the brick and mortar store, I—like 50% of smartphone users—whipped out my iPhone for comparison shopping (known as showrooming).  I continued the search at home on my laptop to check my go-to online stores. Then via my email inbox, I clicked links to a few Cyber Monday Sales; and I even clicked on some well-timed retargeting ads in my Facebook newsfeed (well-played, Asos). After all of this, the purchase happened at the mall because once I found the dress, I had to have it and simply could not wait for shipping.

Long story short: since 1994, when eBay and Amazon launched and e-commerce became a thing, the places where a consumer can interact with your business have grown significantly. You have the opportunity to deliver great experiences to consumers on desktop, mobile apps, mobile web, Pinterest, Twitter, email, IRL (in real life)… just to name a few. And new channels keep cropping up.

The infographic below highlights some of the major milestones in this continuing evolution.

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How are you delivering the best experience to your customers? Download our guide, the Experience Optimization Playbook to learn how to turn more visitors into customers with experience optimization.