• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, April 25, 2022

The Container Store and multiple other retailers have revamped customer marketing strategies, with many adding shopping consumer priorities and loyalty programs, but the major hook now being thrown into the pond is a focus on emotions. Brands want to connect with consumers emotionally.

Conducted online with third-party research firm YouGov, the study published by parcelLab, an operations experience management platform, shows certain shopping experiences trigger a stronger emotional response.

About 1,185 U.S. adults who have shopped online participated in the survey, which was conducted from January 13-14, 2022.

The data also shows brands are getting careless in their marketing efforts, with 49% of consumers in the United States stating that they have been incorrectly marketed to by a brand, drastically impacting future purchasing decisions. 

Consumers state that the post-purchase journey is the most emotional part of their customer experience, with 63% invested in the fulfillment, shipping, delivery and returns process.

Among the 49% of U.S. consumers who stated they were incorrectly targeted, 88% acted against the brand, with 42% saying they immediately unsubscribed to all of the brand’s marketing content, 24% choosing to block all content from the brand on social media and 22% deciding not to purchase from the brand again.

The number one frustration -- cited by 42% of consumers -- is being retargeted with the same item they had just purchased. About 28% received materials that were not age-appropriate, and another 28% were targeted with products designed for a gender they don’t identify with, without having ever made past purchases for that gender. 

Some 57% of consumers are emotionally invested in the online shopping experience -- and of those who have made impulse purchases, 42% said they were celebrating something when making the purchase.

These insights into how emotions impact when and where customers choose to shop is going to continue to be top of mind for brands as customer loyalty becomes more important.

The report -- The Emotional Shopping Experience -- analyzes the emotional factors that drive U.S. consumers to make a purchase and, by contrast, how a brand’s actions can negatively affect brand perception. 

The data also shows 21% of customers will choose one brand over another based on their environmental initiatives, and more around how shopping decisions are impacted by these situations.

Consumers are emotionally invested in their shopping purchases and brand loyalty decisions. About 47% listed clothing and apparel as the area that elicited the strongest emotional response. Another 38% said the same for food and drink purchases, 33% for beauty and wellness, and 29% within the consumer electronics category.

Customers are largely driven by emotions, even for on-the-spot purchases, with 62% of consumers saying they have made an impulse buy in the last six months.