Digital power channels influencing online retail sales in 2014

UK luxury shoppers are heavily influenced by content based sites, whilst fashion consumers are still being won over by discounts and rewards, according to the latest infographic released by Rakuten Marketing. Data compiled by the online service company revealed the top consumer influences for the sales of over

400 retail brands across the fashion, luxury and beauty sectors in the UK. Key trends which were tracked across the firm's network of over 200,000 UK retailers focus on the emerging differences in consumer purchasing behavior.

“Detailed insights into shopping behaviour are essential to knowing your target consumer and understanding what leads them to purchase," commented Martin Ferguson, director of publisher services at Rakuten Marketing Europe. "Our data shows that luxury, beauty and fashion shoppers all behave in different ways online; they are likely to buy through different channels and purchase due to varying incentives and content."

Luxury

shoppers are content led

According to the data, luxury consumers were found to be very content and advice focus when making a purchase. 66 percent of UK luxury sales were said to be encouraged or motivated by shoppable style guides, such as men's fashion guide Fashion Beans and SheerLuxe.

Other shopping curation websites, like Polyvore, Shopcade and Asos Fashion Finder were also attributed to encouraging luxury purchases. Another 8 percent of luxury purchases were said to be driven by lifestyle and fashion blogs. Luxury shoppers were also more likely to complete a purchase through a tablet, rather than a computer or mobile device, and were the least likely shopping target audience to buy via a mobile.

Fashion consumers are still reward seekers

Unlike luxury consumers, UK fashion and apparel shoppers are still more likely to make a purchase if there is a special discount or deal offered. Deal sites were among the main influences for sales, with 32 percent of fashion sales occurring through the sector. Other sites that offered loyalty or cash rewards accounted for 29 percent of the sales volume driven by fashion hunters.

However, certain fashion content sites such as Shopstyle were attributed for influencing apparel sales and accounted for 13 percent of sales. Shopping guides were less likely to encourage fashion purchases, with 5 percent of sales being inspired by a shopping guides.

"In today’s competitive retail environment a one-size fits all approach won’t cut it anymore - brands need to tailor their approach. By tapping into their buyers’ behaviour, retailers can ensure that they appear on the most effective sites and devices at the right time, and offer the incentives that will persuade customers to buy, " added Ferguson.

“Brand managers today have the unenviable task of attributing budget across an ever expanding number of marketing channels,” commented Mark Haviland, MD of Rakuten Marketing. “As a result, shopper insight data is becoming essential to simplify the process and allow more informed decisions to drive measurable return on investment.”