Keeping consumer interests at heart of everything you do along the path to purchase is not a new theory but at times can be a tough one to crack. The modern consumer is more connected than ever before and constantly evolving in how they research understand experience and buy products. In adapting to this connected consumer market brands need to become more personalised in their interactions making it easier for consumers to experience products at every stage along the path to purchase. Interest is hard to grab and capitalising on this interest once you have it without annoying the consumer is key to drive sales.

So let's take a look at 6 ways brands can leverage consumer interest to influence the bottom line. ‍

1. Interest + Information = Decision. Interest and information go hand in hand to influence the final purchase decision. Once a consumer shows interest in your product the next step is providing key product information that will influence their decision to buy. This information needs to be easily accessible clear and concise. The most common ways of doing this is to have clear product descriptions return policies warranties out of stock info etc. Reviewing Amazon product pages is always a great place to start. Consider adapting and including 30% of what amazon has on your product descriptions and gradually keep improving and adding more relevant information. Also don't be afraid to try and test adding or removing content to see what works best and what has the most influence on final sales conversions.

‍2. Interest + Simplicity = Satisfaction.

After a consumer has done their research and they now want to buy your product the next thing you need to think about is how easy is it for them to purchase? Providing a quick easy and simplified two to three step check-out process will ensure you increase conversions when purchase intent is high and reduce the chances of shopping cart abandonment. Some easy ways to do this are:

1. Pre-filling information if the user has registered before
2. Guest check out options where consumers can always return at a later stage and their information is saved
3. Universal basket options with pre-filled products from last add to basket
4. Minimal steps in the check-out process from product review right through to payment confirmation

3. Interest - Hassle = Less Annoyance. It's highly essential to provide a frictionless consumer experience when it comes to both product research and purchase. Mobile has become the first preference for consumers to initiate product research and hence why it's important for brands to think mobile first in the customer experience. Some key things to keep in mind to ensure a mobile first experience are:

1. Responsive mobile website
2. Mobile ready hero product images
3. Quick mobile website load time
4. Easy and simple navigation
5. Avoid or limit pop-ups
6. Design with thumb scrolling in mind

4. Interest + Insights = Value. To further improve the experience it's important to utilize stats and insights to drive efficiencies and increase the probability of a consumer purchase or repurchase. Leveraging on data and insights iskey to help brands better understand the consumer and develop profitable relationships that last. Some simple ways of doing this are to incorporate into your product pages:

1. Relevant recommendations
2. Relevant cross-sell opportunities
3. Relevant offerings and more

In short understand what your consumers are searching for buying and abandoning and ultimately optimize your strategy accordingly to make their online shopping experience more relevant.

‍5. Interest + Choice = Decisiveness. It's a proven fact consumers want a more comprehensive shopping experience that involves shopping from both direct-to-consumer stores and various third party retailers. Amazon Alibaba Flipkart and many others have revolutionized the way people shop and brands need to take this into account. Choice has always resulted in more conversions! Implementing an online selling strategy that incorporates a direct-to-consumer and partner channel approach is the best way to increase market share. With ChannelSight's Buy Now technology many global brands have had huge success leveraging the power of partner retailers increasing sales conversions by 10:1.

The idea of choice should not be restricted to just your brand website it can be expanded to all consumer touch points including media content videos and much more where the primary goal is conversion. Ideally brands need to keep in mind if a consumer buys their product from Amazon rather than the brand website this is not a lost conversion it's a win for your brand!

‍6. Interest + Understanding = Relationship Lastly when product interest converts to a purchase it's essential to understand the importance of reviews complaints and feedback to keep the relationship going. A good after sales service is key to increase further recommendations and in turn future sales. Consumers will pay a little more for a better shopping experience so it's worth the investment to ensure a top class after sales service. Winning the digital consumer can be tough route to crack but it's not unachievable if you put the consumer and their interests at the heart of everything you do. With the global ecommerce market growing week on week this offers huge potential for brands to gain market share through unique customer online experiences.