There’s fierce competition in today’s digital marketplace to capture moms’ attention and wallet share. Part of the challenge is the fragmented attention that is the new normal for consumers, particularly moms, who make 75% of household purchase decisions. In fact, 73% of retail consumers report that they are bombarded with messages from brands in stores, online, on social media, on mobile apps and many other channels1. Even more, moms are short on time and energy, and they’re managing tight family budgets, so it’s no surprise that they’re experiencing digital fatigue from having too many options while shopping.
On average, consumers visit three sites before making a purchase2. The ubiquity of information has conditioned shoppers to comparison shop for the best price and selection, yet that selection is endless, and shoppers are overwhelmed. As a result, brands in search of platforms to borrow and build loyalty, drive sales, and engage customers are seeking ways to reduce friction between their brand and the product in customers’ hands.
Zulily recently debuted new site features and shopping functionalities that serve as a mechanism to match purchase intent more easily with brands and products moms love. This enables our vendors to cut through the noise and reach the most relevant audiences.
ELIMINATE BARRIERS TO PURCHASE
Zulily has historically been limited time only, with more than 100 daily flash sales, most lasting 72 hours or less. However, the concept of value has shifted after the global turbulence of the last few years. Now, along with great deals, moms are looking for a seamless, straightforward shopping experience that provides service, convenience, availability, affordability, and fun tailored to their specific wants and needs.
In response to these shifts, we’ve integrated a new everyday offering with more than 300 curated virtual brand experiences that feature quality brand names and on-trend styles. This enables us to provide added value while removing barriers throughout different stages of the consideration funnel and further diversifying our marketing channels, helping brands move potential customers from the top to the bottom of the funnel sooner.
Awareness
We’re focused on getting your brand in front of millions of moms by sending them the right message, at the right time, and on the platforms they use frequently. We achieve this by developing snackable content that aims to capture the attention of moms who are browsing and have limited time to spend hunting for the best deal on their favorite brands.
Our new everyday selection drives efficiencies across our upper-funnel channels by enabling potential customers to discover all your brand has to offer, anytime. And, they can do so without creating an account to see what’s available, providing a new ability to immediately browse the categories and brands they care about on any given day. This is a key awareness driver and enables better education about Zulily’s value proposition and reasons to believe.
Interest
When consumers are looking for information, they naturally start with search engines. But when sales only last for 72-hours, it’s challenging to build effective SEO and SEM strategies, since once a product is gone, it’s gone. Now, by offering everyday value, we’re able to invest in shopper intent via SEO and SEM and optimize content to make it easier for moms to find your brand on Zulily and choose to purchase your product.
Consideration
We work with over 1,000 influencers to reach moms on the channels where they want to connect and engage, such as TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest. Being able to browse the deals and brands that are recommended by their community more freely, without a time restriction, means we can reach them where they’re at more effectively. By leveraging these new curators – influencers – that moms love, we increase the potential reach of your brand, and borrow trust, which helps augment your brand equity and fast tracks the buyer’s journey from consideration to purchase.
Purchase
We have technologically created a new way to shop: curated discovery search. This new type of shopping experience integrates all of moms’ wants and needs, taking the best of browse and discover and combining with a more specific directed product, category, or brand search that’s integrated with high touch curation, both by machine learning and talented merchandising teams. No other single shopping destination has created this holistic experience, in one mobile destination that enables moms to make decisions quickly.
“They’ve worked with their customer base to understand what they want, and how they can provide a much more meaningful answer to their needs. One of the drawbacks of Amazon is they cannot personalize and customize the experience to a level Zulily could, and that’s what makes a huge difference,” said Gerard Szatvanyi, president and CEO of OSF Digital, a global e-commerce consultancy firm.
ADDRESSING EVERYDAY NEEDS VS. WANTS
Moms constantly find themselves having to do more with less. They plan when possible because they simply can’t afford not to. But planning also helps reduce stress for moms and saves them time and money.
Moms want a shopping experience that frees them from their to-do lists – one that’s well-curated, so discovery is fast and easy, and convenient from the palm of their hands (their mobile device). Our curated discovery search technology reduces the decision-making process and provides a service that delights moms with the thrill of finding a great deal on a great product, while meeting and anticipating their daily needs and wants before they do.
Curated discovery search now enables:
- New product sort algorithms that weigh newness more heavily
- More robust shop by category pages that land customers on Product Listing Pages (PLPs)
- More robust shop by brand pages that land customers on PLPs
- Refining our site search capability that lands customers on PLPs
- More robust filtering capabilities on category pages
- Increased transparency and ability to distinguish limited-time deals versus always-on product that’s available day-after-day
What does this mean for vendors?
More eyes on your products. Our hyper-curated discovery search allows us to make thousands of products or brands heroes for the day, week, or year. Whether you’re launching a new brand or product line, selling in-season product, or moving inventory, we tailor our approach to meet your specific needs throughout the year.
BUILD EQUITY AND GAIN CONSUMER TRUST
It’s increasingly challenging for brands to gain customers’ trust, especially during times of turbulence and volatility, in both the market and the world. Yet, according to Edelman’s 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer, trust remains the most important currency in lasting relationships between businesses and consumers and results in customer loyalty.
To build customer trust and loyalty, brands must connect emotionally and authentically with their customers. Research finds that 86% of consumers with high emotional engagement say they always think of the brands they are loyal to when they need something, and 82% always buy from the brand when they need something. Zulily provides this emotional connection by creating an experience designed to help moms discover deals, create special moments for the family, and find the perfect unique items, guilt-free.
We’re giving moms time back from the overbearing search of online shopping; instead, she can trust that she will have a fulfilling, reliable and fun shopping experience.
Interested in selling on Zulily? Let’s grow your business together. Get started here
Sources
1MyCustomer, When should retailers stop talking to customers?
2Martech.org, Consumer Behavior And Today’s Publishers: Why Advertisers Love The Affiliate Channel