Is a Lack of Discoverability Costing You New Customers?

Contributed by Slickdeals

Although window shopping has always been one of the most delightful parts of the shopping experience, consumers are now more interested in finding new brands and products than ever. The Covid-19 pandemic was a major contributor to this focus on product discovery, as it altered the needs of the average consumer. Shopping lists changed forever, and they continue to evolve today. Pitney Bowes reported that even during the recent Delta surge, 55% of consumers said they expected to discover new brands and retailers while shopping online.

Yet, the element of discovery is oftentimes missing from online shopping journeys, which can make trying a new product or brand difficult for consumers. Likewise, without facilitating discovery– and more specifically, deal discovery– retailers and brands may find it difficult to inspire serendipitous purchases or replicate the “window shopping” experience for consumers.

Whereas consumers used to discover items in a multitude of ways in-store (through salesperson recommendations or high-impact merchandise displays, to name a few) the online shopper majorly relies on proactive online search and targeted ads (which are typically indicative of what they’re already aware of and shopping for). This makes it difficult for consumers to discover new brands or products that they didn’t know they needed.

However, by combining paid media with entertainment and social elements, brands can facilitate consumer discovery and new customer engagement.

Unlike other social commerce sites, Slickdeals sits organically at the intersection of social and commerce. Whereas traditional social media platforms shoehorn in a commerce experience (consider an ad in the middle of your friend’s Instagram story), users come to Slickdeals to talk exclusively about shopping, discover new brands and products, and purchase items they stumble upon in their deal feed. Through its mobile app, desktop site, and browser extension, Slickdeals facilitates discovery among a robust community of savvy shoppers.

Slickdeals’ unique discovery component yields repeat visitors and unplanned purchases. For example, in a 2019 survey, Slickdeals found that 85% of shoppers regularly found new products when browsing the site and 91% bought items they weren’t even searching for. And these shoppers are ready and willing to engage with different brands. Five of the top 10 most popular deal alerts created in 2021 did not mention a specific brand, indicating interest in a product with no brand or retailer in mind.

Additionally, discovering new products and the fear of missing out on a great deal keeps users coming back to Slickdeals, often multiple times a day. In 2021, 73% of total desktop visitors were flagged as returning shoppers while the mobile app saw a daily average of nearly 2 visits per unique visitor.

So, as social commerce continues to claim more of the shopping journey, it’s crucial for advertisers to facilitate discovery in a way that adds value to the consumer’s shopping experience and encourages engagement.

Click here to get in touch to learn more about how Slickdeals can help you brand or product get discovered by over 12M monthly users.