You'd better write this down: it's the milennial generation that will determine all your future initiatives, as a “player” in the online “arena”, and it's them, again, who'll continue to (re)shape it in 2017, as well!
There's no halfway to adapting your Drupal e-commerce website to their own different lifestyle, different experiences, different set of behaviors and overall different mindset.
If (maybe) you've “shyly” started to consider them as an emerging buying force and, subsequently, soon to become your target audience in 2017, now it's certain: you'll either model the user experiences that you provide on your site after millennials' different expectations or, well, you'll be left behind, stuck in baby boomers' age.
Since this time of year is perfect for evaluating and examining how you've been running your business online (so that you can outline your first business initiatives in 2017), let us assist you with 7 questions which will help you estimate just where you stand.
Whether your e-commerce website is luring millennials in, or, on the contrary, it drives them away.
1. Do You Deliver The Best Mobile User Experiences?
Millennials crave convenience! They want to get things done, to access the information they need or to shop the products they want while on the run: quick and easy!
They're pretty much “glued to” their mobile devices! Therefore, you either go for a mobile-first mentality (that Drupal 8 is already famous for) or you run the risk of losing an entire generation of potential customers!
Direct most of your web development and web design efforts for making your website perform and look great on mobile.
And once you've achieved that, mind you don't rest on your oars: remain “vigilant” and always on the look for new and new ways of perfecting the UX you'll delivering to your highly-demanding millennial shoppers on mobile.
If you don't do all it takes so that they can easily flow through your website, during their visits, you can as well kiss millennials goodbye!
2. Do You Incorporate Philanthropy Into Your Business?
That's right, the millennial generation is far more likely to genuinely devote itself to philanthropic causes as compared to their parents' generation! There's also a certain level of coolness associated with philanthropy.
How does this core value dear to the younger generation affect you, as a company? Well, if you want to reach out to these potential customers and to turn them into long-term loyal customers, you need to incorporate philanthropy into your business strategy.
Choose a philanthropic organization for directing your donations or stand for the eradication of a global disease, it's totally up to you how you choose to get involved. Just make sure that you broadcast your philanthropic initiatives on your website.
Remember: as compared to baby boomers, charity/environmental awareness is no longer a matter of personal choice to showcase on certain occasions. It's a way of life for the millennial generation (both personal and professional)!
3. Is Your Content Vivid, Funny or Rather Corporate-Like?
Forget all about corporate language if you want to efficiently reach out to millennial shoppers on your Drupal e-commerce website!
Take a “brutally” honest look at the current content on your website and if it sounds impersonal and rigid to you, consider giving it an overall content facelift for 2017.
Millennials appreciate vivid, funny and personal content. Therefore, jump of the video content trend that's so popular right now and rewrite the existing written content so that it should tell (in a slightly informal language) a story, your story. Make it fun, engaging and unique!
If there's something that millennials hate, that's “boring” corporate language and content lacking a personal touch. Keep that in mind!
4. Is Your Site's Design Simple, Yet Visually-Intriguing?
Keep your website's design simple, yet not simplistic!
In other words, strike a balance between a minimalist web design and visually-appealing elements. Simplify your young users' journey from your homepage to your shopping cart page, but make sure you don't bore them, either.
In a nutshell: millennials need to access the information they're looking for immediately and effortlessly. But they want to be entertained, surprised and engaged, as well!
Therefore, you'd better learn how to juggle with various web design techniques, that any web designer in Toronto, familiarized with the latest trends, would apply, in order to reach these goals:
- ample white (or negative) space
- eye-pleasing directional cues, vivid colors, intriguing graphics, non-conventional fonts etc.
- minimalist web design techniques
Note: deliver your message in a straightforward way, make sure to go for an inviting (friendly) theme on your site and stay away from “common” when you're striving to simplify millennials' journeys on your site.
5. Does Your Website Load Instantly?
Remember: you're striving to reach out to the very first generation of digital natives!
Your millennial shoppers are highly technology savvy, so you simply can't afford not to keep up with them.
Make sure your website loads not just quickly, but “instantly”. And here your minimalist web design will make your best “ally”.
Keep in mind that your younger audience does not appreciate brands that compromise speed for added value. They want both: quality, engaging content and instantly loading web pages.
Therefore now, at the beginning of the year, it's the best time for you to run a speed test on your site and to figure out how you could optimize it for mobile so that its pages should reach better load times!
6. How Socially Active is Your Brand?
Millennials are more likely to get familiarized with your brand and to get to know your products/services, on social media, rather then by visiting your website.
So, how are you going to greet them there? How will you introduce your brand to them on social media?
You should direct a great deal of your efforts towards putting together an active social media presence for your brand. Keep your channels constantly updated with both promotional and engaging types of content. Aim at winning their trust there, at building a community of social media active millennials loyal to your brand!
Also, remember that the millennial generation has different expectations. They're expecting their favorite brand (hopefully you) to attend to them individually. To answer their questions and to take criticism well.
Be active, be positive, be always ready to engage with your millennial customers on social media and: be creative when you craft your social media presence!
7. Do You Provide “Complete” Online Shopping Experiences?
Online shoppers Millennials expect it all!
You just have to deal with it!
How? By offering them not just “an” online shopping experience, but a “complete” online shopping experience.
They want to access product information fast and effortlessly, to have product reviews and price comparisons displayed instantly.
They want a customer-oriented call center to answer their questions fast and all the shipping estimates-related info to be delivered to them the instant they've added an item into their cart.
There's not halfway here! If they're don't have this information and facilities at their fingertips, millennials will just go to another brand, no matter how amazing your products might be.
Convenience plays a major role in millennials' busy lives!
Now take your time to answer to all our suggested questions and to put together your millennials-centered business strategy for 2017!
