A recent study by IPSOS and Google CEE revealed the complexities of the modern day path to purchase. Consumers in Greece take time to research and use more touchpoints than shoppers across the CEE region. Read on to discover the insights that will help your business reach more Greek shoppers in the moments that matter most.
IPSOS and Google CEE1 surveyed 4,500 consumers across various categories of products and services â notebooks, TVs, and mobile phone contracts. The study focused on 16+ year old Internet users in Poland, Ukraine, Greece, and the Czech Republic who had made a recent offline or online purchase. It revealed a highly complex path to purchase that diverges significantly from the traditional linear model.
In comparison with their regional neighbours, Greek shoppers spend more time researching across touchpoints and tend to make offline purchases. Read on for more insights and understand modern shopping behaviour in Greece.
Brand loyalty
Between 25 to 40% of Greek shoppers didnât have a single brand in mind at the beginning of the path to purchase. Across all surveyed products and services thereâs a clear opportunity for brands to influence decision making. But thereâs a flipside. Itâs comforting for marketers to think of brand loyalty as a safety net. The reality is that a large number of consumers arenât loyal to brands, theyâre loyal to products and services that makes more sense to them at the time of decision making. Â
Offline and online touchpoints
Greek shoppers are more willing to do in-depth research across online and offline touchpoints. They use more touchpoints and much more often than their regional neighbours.
They are price sensitive consumers and use touchpoints that are often overlooked by their regional neighbours â including magazines and catalogues.
Promotions and inspiration
Greeks are meticulous bargain hunters and spend their research on price comparison sites, product specs pages, and searching for inspiration. Most shoppers are comparing prices and searching for promotions, but a significant number are looking for inspiration and whatâs available on the market. These consumers kick-start their journey by looking for ideas and whatâs out there. These âI-need-some-ideas momentsâ represent prime opportunities for marketers to position their brand and products. Marketers can capture these shoppersâ attention with inspiring mobile content, including imagery and video.
Bargain hunting pays off
All the research and careful price comparing pays off for Greek shoppers. On average, they pay less for products than their regional neighbours.
Research Online, Purchase Offline Â
Brick-and-mortar stores are still popular among consumers. Even though Greeks tend to carry out more online research than their regional neighbours, they still tend to make purchases offline â this is especially true for TV sets. And because they use more online touchpoints, Greek rates of Research Online and Purchase Offline (ROPO) is higher when compared to regional shoppers.
Shopping behaviour per category
Specific country traits vary depending on the type of product or service that Greek consumers are researching and shopping for. Here are some of the studyâs key takeaways for each of the products and services in Greece.
Notebook takeaways
- Slightly more than one third of Greek shoppers do not consider any brand at the beginning of the path to purchase. This provides a greater opportunity for marketers to influence decision making.
- 23% of purchasers complete their path to purchase process within one day. With such a narrow window, marketers need to act fast to influence.
- 82% of shoppers used offline touchpoints (despite the categoryâs inclination toward online). The power of offline shouldn't be underestimated.
- Two thirds of shoppers were using mobiles for research while visiting offline stores. This represents an opportunity for marketers to improve mobile experiences.
- Conversations with friends is crucial when it comes to offline touchpoints. Marketers should consider digital assistants or online video that mirrors friendly offline advice with product demos, specs and reviews.
- Despite the global shift to mobile, shoppers in Greece are not in love with local mobile experiences. Citing the inconvenience of typing on smaller screens and comparing products and services, Greek consumers tend to visit store and manufacturer websites on desktop rather than mobile. This suggests an opportunity for brands to improve the countryâs mobile experience.
TV takeaways
- Slightly more than two fifths of shoppers didnât consider any brand at the beginning of the path to purchase. This leaves more room for marketers to influence brand choice.
- They are spontaneous. A quarter of all shoppers completed their path to purchase within a day.
- 84% of shoppers used offline while 92% online touchpoints during the path to purchase. The importance of offline shouldn't be underestimated.
- Half of shoppers used mobiles devices for research while visiting offline stores, suggesting an opportunity to create online incentives like augmented reality apps with product specs and reviews.
- Shoppers value interaction with sales assistant and friends in the offline touchpoints. Marketers should leverage videos with product reviews and spec information.
Mobile phone contract takeaways
- A quarter of shoppers didnât have any single brand in mind at the beginning of the path to purchase when choosing a mobile provider.
- 20% of consumers completed the path to purchase process within a day.
- 81% of shoppers used offline touchpoints and two fifths used mobiles for research while visiting offline stores. Marketers need to treat the offline and online worlds holistically.
