Call Me a Shadow Buyer

This issue’s cover story, “The Keys to Bringing Buyers Out from the Shadows,” defines a shadow buyer as a consumer who actively takes steps to avoid being detected and aggressively marketed to by companies while researching and potentially buying their products or services online. These types of consumers make every effort to stay under the radar, invisible to traditional sales and marketing funnels.

I know plenty of people like that. Wait, I’m a person like that.

I recently made a purchase online. I immediately got an email confirmation of my order, followed by daily emails letting me know the status of my delivery: It left the warehouse, it’s on the truck, it left the regional postal facility, it’s in transit, and finally, it’s been delivered. OK, that was a bit of overkill, but you could say that the information was valuable. Then I started getting multiple emails and text messages every day highlighting some of the company’s other products, special offers and promotions, and related services. I felt violated. I didn’t sign up for this. I wanted to buy that one product, not to become their marketer’s best friend, and I certainly wasn’t looking to load up on products that I don’t really want or need. After about a week of this relentless bombarding with marketing messages, I finally hit the unsubscribe button.

And then there was a situation earlier this year where I ordered another product online and, unbeknown to me, by simply placing that order I was signed up for a subscription to automatically receive product refills every month. I had barely started using the first shipment and I got another one in the mail, with a $91.31 charge on the credit card I used to make my initial purchase. It was quite a hassle to cancel the membership, return the product, and have the credit card charges removed.

In both cases, not only did I feel violated, but my impression of these companies turned negative in a hurry. No matter how good the products might be, I probably will not buy them again just because I don’t want to start the same mess all over again.

Obviously, these two companies need help dealing with shadow buyers. I would recommend that they read our cover story, which contains a lot of good advice for companies looking to do additional business with privacy-conscious consumers like me.

The article states emphatically that gentle nudges, not aggressive outreach, have a better likelihood of marketing and sales success.

“The subtle way is the right way,” emphasizes Aaron Whittaker, vice president of demand generation at Thrive Digital Marketing.

In the end, I agree with our experts that instead of taking an overt or aggressive approach, focusing on providing value to shadow buyers can generate better results. Provide content that answers the questions I didn’t ask but should have or works toward solving a larger problem I might be encountering. If I bought a teeth-whitening product, give me tips to prevent yellowing of my teeth in the future. It will make me think highly of your company, viewing it as a partner on my journey to better dental health rather than as just another cash register looking to ring up more sales.

Yes, I am a shadow buyer. Don’t force me to fill out forms on your website. Don’t make me provide my contact information before allowing me to research your product. And don’t try to force me out of the shadows until I am ready to come out on my own. That’s how you’ll win my business and my loyalty.

Leonard Klie is the editor of CRM magazine. He can be reached at lklie@infotoday.com.