The buyer journey is about understanding how someone gets to the point of buying your product. It encompasses buyer psychology, looking at what motivates someone to buy, what influences their decision and what factors are at play when making their decision.
Someone who impulse buys a summer dress that's on sale decides to buy very differently to someone purchasing a high-value item such as a laptop or engagement ring. As an eCommerce store owner, it's essential to think about what motivates your customers to buy, and what type of buyers are drawn to your products.
Here's a look at four common buyer archetypes, what drives their decisions and how to design your store to convert each one.
1. The Impulse Buyer
Impulse buyers act quickly. Something catches their eye, sparks excitement and they buy almost immediately. They're driven by emotion, urgency and the thrill of getting something they want right now.
These buyers typically arrive via social media or ads, scroll quickly, and respond to strong visuals rather than detailed descriptions. Scarcity messaging like "Only 3 left in stock" or a limited-time discount can be the nudge they need to click buy.
To convert impulse buyers: prioritise high-quality imagery and lifestyle shots, make your add-to-cart button impossible to miss, and keep the checkout fast and frictionless by incorporating quick payment methods like Google and Apple Pay.
Products that attract impulse buyers: fashion, accessories, beauty, novelty gifts, trending gadgets and seasonal items.
2. The Considered Buyer
Considered buyers take their time. They research, compare options, and want to feel genuinely confident before spending their money. Trust and credibility matter enormously to them.
These are the customers who read every word of your product description, scroll through all your reviews, and check your returns policy before committing. If something feels unclear or untrustworthy, they'll leave.
To convert considered buyers: use structured, detailed product pages, display reviews and testimonials prominently, and make it easy to find your FAQs and shipping and returns information.
Products that attract considered buyers: premium electronics, home appliances, high-end fashion, luxury lifestyle, high-end jewellery, supplements, and furniture.
3. The Researcher
Researchers are curious, deliberate buyers who want to understand your brand as much as your product. They're motivated by storytelling, values and transparency; they want to know the why behind what you sell.
These buyers will spend time on your about page, read your blog, and often visit your store and social media channels multiple times before making a purchase. They're not easily rushed, but once they trust you, they can become loyal customers.
To convert researchers: invest in an engaging about page, use storytelling in your product descriptions, and give them ways to go deeper; whether that's a blog, live chat, or a newsletter they can subscribe to.
Products that attract researchers: handmade or artisanal goods, eco-friendly and ethical products, wellness, specialty foods, luxury lifestyle and anything with a strong brand story.
4. The Habitual Buyer
Habitual buyers are your repeat customers. They already know and trust your brand, and they often buy without much deliberation at all. What keeps them coming back is a seamless experience, personalised touchpoints and feeling valued.
These are the customers who respond to loyalty rewards, appreciate product recommendations based on what they've bought before, and will stay with a brand that makes reordering easy.
To convert habitual buyers: make it simple to reorder, offer fast delivery, use personalised recommendations, and build a loyalty or email campaign that rewards them for coming back.
Products that attract habitual buyers: consumables like skincare, food, drinks and supplements; subscription boxes; pet products; and everyday household staples.
The role of touchpoints in the buyer journey
For some buyers, especially considered buyers and researchers, a single visit to your store is rarely enough. Studies suggest that customers need anywhere from 6 to 8 interactions with a brand before they feel ready to buy — and for higher-value products, that number can be even higher, with a much-longer consideration window before they feel ready to commit.
A touchpoint is any interaction a customer has with your brand: seeing an ad, reading a blog post, visiting your store, receiving an email, watching a video, or even noticing a comment you left on social media. Each one builds familiarity and trust, which are essential to conversion.
This is why a considered buyer might visit your store, leave without purchasing, see a retargeting ad a few days later, click through again to re-read your reviews, and only then decide to buy. The same goes for a researcher — they may subscribe to your newsletter months before they even consider placing an order.
What this means for your store:
Rather than designing purely for the first visit, think about how you can stay connected across multiple touchpoints:
Email capture — offer something valuable (a discount, a guide, or useful content) to bring browsers back after they leave. Continue to nurture the budding relationship with regular email newsletters.
Retargeting ads — remind potential customers about products they viewed but didn't buy.
Social media — consistent, valuable content keeps your brand front of mind between visits.
Post-visit emails — abandoned cart sequences and browse abandonment flows can recover sales that looked lost.
The goal of successful marketing is to make sure that when the buyer is ready to buy, your brand is the one they think of first.
Designing your store for all four
Most customers won't fit neatly into just one archetype, but keeping all four in mind when building your store means you're less likely to lose a sale simply because your store wasn't designed with that buyer in mind.
A useful exercise is to walk through your own store from each archetype's perspective. Would a considered buyer feel confident enough to purchase? Would an impulse buyer feel compelled to act quickly? Would a researcher find enough substance to trust your brand?
Getting this right will build the kind of trust and loyalty that keeps customers coming back.
