We buy always and everywhere. Discover Anywhere Commerce.

Why Do We Buy? Discover 3 Key Reasons

I believe consumers make purchases for three main reasons:

1. Because We Run Out of Something – like flour, sugar, or carrots for a soup. This is a more or less rational need – a shortage of a certain good occurs, and we need to replenish it. The purchase may also counteract a situation we’ve experienced or minimize its effects, such as buying an umbrella on a cloudy day.
2. Because We Impulsively Desire Something – influenced by our surroundings, our brain triggers an emotional need to own a certain item. This could be a piece of clothing we saw on an influencer or a supplement used by our personal trainer. It could also be a training course that helps us expand our knowledge and feel more integrated within a team.
3. Because Shopping Brings Us Pleasure – this, in my opinion, is one of the least favorite triggers for entrepreneurs. Why? Because these are the customers who generate footfall in brick-and-mortar stores, engage the staff, occupy fitting rooms, and then leave the products behind to continue their search for that next „endorphin rush.” These are the users who click on the first position in search results, add products to their cart far exceeding our ACV (Average Cart Value), only to abandon it and return later via remarketing to boost their mood again with “almost” completed purchases. Ultimately, they either don’t buy at all or buy from competitors. For these consumers, the goal isn’t the purchase itself, but rather the experience and emotions that accompany the process. They enjoy the pleasure of searching, browsing, comparing, and trying on products, and the completion of the transaction isn’t always necessary.

How Do We Shop and How Do We Want to Shop?

For the first two motivations, it’s crucial what the consumer has at their fingertips at that moment: a phone, a computer, a tablet, or whether they’re at the gym near a store where they can grab supplements, or on the road and stop at a station for a soda. The brand must be available to the customer at that moment. Time is limited, as our minds will seek the least energy-consuming way to fulfill that need unless the desire gets rationalized, shifting the decision-making process to our analytical system, known as System 2 (according to Kahneman).

The last motivation for shopping (for pleasure) is challenging for businesses and requires well-thought-out and systematic tactics to guide the customer through the sales funnel. These tactics shouldn’t apply too much pressure but instead build a relationship that – if the customer finally decides to make a purchase – motivates them to do so with us. 

Frictionless and Anywhere Commerce: How to Address New Consumer Expectations

This is where the opportunity arises to build a competitive advantage based not on differences in the product offering but on the unique way we satisfy the consumer’s needs. It’s often said that the process should be perceived by the consumer as „frictionless.” This term perfectly reflects the goal businesses should aim to achieve.

The philosophy I believe in and successfully implement with our partners is something I’ve defined as Anywhere Commerce, which in simple translation means “commerce anywhere.” The term „anywhere” is essential here, extending far beyond specific physical locations. The a-commerce approach focuses on ensuring that the consumer can fulfill their need regardless of time and place, and regardless of what tools they have at their disposal. The business’s task is to guide the purchase process so that the consumer experiences and remembers only its ease and the result – fulfilling their need. The business goal is to minimize distractions and limitations caused by technology, logistics, or legal regulations, making the purchase process as simple, flexible, and intuitive as possible for the customer.

The ideal goal of every seller is to have every customer who enters the store make a purchase, or to convert every click into a sale. While this goal is practically unattainable, striving for it marks the beginning of the Anywhere Commerce journey.

Unlocking the Sales Process

How do you start unlocking the sales process? How do you assess if your organization is ready for it? How do you determine which elements are already in place and gather the knowledge needed to prioritize tasks? Below is a list of areas whose analysis and brief description will help you determine where your brand stands between a fragmented sales process with significant friction and the Anywhere Commerce approach:

1. Sales Department Structure Analysis – the hardest resistance to overcome is often human – especially when reinforced by the organizational structure. A structure that doesn’t facilitate a consistent customer experience might be one where sales goals are divided (e.g., between offline and online sales), with two directors competing for results in front of the board.
2. Check Your Omnichannel Readiness – To what extent does your organization currently meet the definition of omnichannel? Start with pricing policies, discounts, product availability, complementary services, and customer service. Verify whether sales across different channels differ in these areas. Ensure that communication is consistent and unified in its graphic design across physical stores, partner stores, your e-commerce platform, and marketplaces.
3. The Organization’s Digital Condition – Before beginning work on implementing a-commerce, it’s worth assessing the organization’s digital infrastructure. Planned changes are easier to implement with a strong and modern technological foundation that offers flexibility to adjust processes, build precise segmentation, and deliver personalized communication.
4. Customer Knowledge – Determine the structure and quality of data collected in existing sales and marketing processes, and assess its quality and usefulness in designing new workflows. Create a blueprint for the target analytical ecosystem based on continuous monitoring and deriving insights from both sales and marketing metrics.
5. Validation of Your Brand’s Communication Strategy – Evaluate your strategy in terms of designing new customer experiences and building a competitive advantage through sales optimization. A crucial element of the strategy during the initial stages of implementation will be educating the customer and introducing them to the brand’s new areas.
6. Prepare an Action Plan for the first 6 and 12 months, estimate investments, and set milestones for the entire process. It’s essential to remember that implementing new ways of conducting existing processes cannot disrupt sales; it must happen alongside them.

Conclusion

I believe that Anywhere Commerce is not just a trend but a fundamental element of the future of sales and a differentiator in marketing. By implementing this philosophy, companies can not only meet customer expectations but also increase their value by scaling sales faster and gaining deeper customer localization. That’s why business owners and managers aiming for success in AI, ML, and AR should combine the best practices of online and offline sales with the latest methodologies and tools for analyzing consumer behavior, creating invisible yet highly effective sales processes that, in themselves, become a competitive advantage that’s hard to replicate.

For me, Anywhere Commerce is not just a commercial strategy, but a revolution in the way consumers and businesses think about shopping. Thanks to this concept, the boundaries between the online and offline worlds are blurring, and the shopping process is becoming more accessible and personalized. However, to succeed in the Anywhere Commerce world, businesses must be prepared for challenges related to security, system integration, and customer education. As technology evolves, such as toward super-apps, as seen in Asia, Anywhere Commerce will remain a key area of retail development, shaping the future of shopping, which from the consumer’s perspective will no longer be either offline or online – it will be anywhere.