Mele’s Musings

Consumers will register if there’s something in it for them, Forrester says

If you want to get personal information from customers, or you want permission to contact them – you better offer them something of value.

picture: branchhome.com 

Article excerpt:  Online retailers face a dilemma: they value the customer information they obtain when shoppers register, but many consumers will abandon a sale if required to register. The solution, Forrester Research says, is to explain to consumers the value they receive by registering and to sweeten the offer with discounts or other benefits.  23% of consumers say that the last time they were asked to register for making an online purchase they left the site, Forrester says in its report “Required Registration Lowers Online Conversion Rates.” Most likely to leave were those 63 and older (26%) and shoppers 52 to 62 (24%). All other age groups abandoned at a 22% rate, Forrester says.
the rest: internetretailer.com

Musing:  Although the article limits itself to online retailers trying to push online purchases, the insights can be extended to any brand trying to get users to sign-up for newsletters, text programs, etc.  Respondents to the Forrester survey made it very clear that they are more than happy to give personal information if they get something for it – discounts, content, even fewer ads.  Nikeplus.com is noted in the article as a site that does it right.  Consumers are giving very clear explanations of the benefits they will receive.  If we want users to sign-up, we will be disappointed in the results unless we make the value perfectly clear.