Today’s Mall Rat is Online: Catering to the Teenage Market

Fifteen years ago, I was one of a gaggle of teenagers whose pastime of choice was wandering up and down the corridors of the local shopping mall. The managers of the shops eyed us suspiciously, silently accusing us of loitering, shoplifting, or driving away the “real” patrons. They certainly didn’t try to sell us anything — it never occurred to them that we might actually become paying customers if we were made to feel welcome.

In today’s Internet age, the teenage shopper is no longer treated like a pariah, but rather embraced as a potential source of revenue. Gone are the days of begging for rides to the mall — today’s tech-savvy teens are booting up and browsing websites for the stuff they want and need, from clothing to Wiis to MP3s. And they’ve got money to spend, even if it’s not their own: most high-schoolers may not have credit cards in their name, but a surprisingly large number have access to their parents’ cards.

According to a study by ComScore, approximately 80% of teens between the ages of 12-17 who have access to the Internet visit eCommerce sites regularly. In a single month in 2006, Apple.com was visited by 3 million teen users, while Amazon was visited by 3.5 million and eBay by 6.4 million. All those bites add up to a stream of substantial revenue. In 2006, teens forked over nearly $80 billion for online merchandise and services. Analysts predict that by 2011, the annual online revenue generated by the segment will climb to $91 billion. And with a lifetime of exposure to the Internet, today’s teen shoppers will likely remain active online shoppers throughout adulthood.

All great reasons for eCommerce sites to craft online marketing strategies tailored to the demographic. Below are some recommended tactics for appealing to the 12-17-year-old market:

Strike a balance between hip and easy

Teens are attracted to cutting-edge designs and sharp graphics. While the visual experience is very important, with boredom being the kiss of death, be careful not to make the interface too complex. Teenagers like their online environment to look cool, but they also want easy navigation and instant gratification. Make them think too much, and young visitors will quickly abandon your site for another.

Don’t hide the price

Teens are extremely price-conscious, most likely because money is in limited supply. If they’ve been lucky enough to gain the use of their parents’ credit card, it was most likely handed over with a strict dollar limit. Make the Outlet section highly visible, and display price breaks as early in the browsing process as possible. Provide the opportunity to sort products by ascending price to make it easier for them to find the bargains.

Ask for their opinions

As the raging popularity of sites like MySpace and FaceBook prove, teens thrive on interactivity. They love sharing their opinions and feeling like they’re part of an online community. Offering your teen shoppers the chance to rate their experience on your site, participate in voting or quizzes, or share suggestions for what they’d like to see is a win-win endeavor: you’ll benefit from free marketing knowledge, and your teenage audience will feel flattered that you value their input. By opening up a dialogue of sorts, you’ll be engaging your young consumers and encouraging repeat visits.

Design an easy, breezy checkout

Teens are impatient shoppers, likely to be deterred by a lengthy checkout form. Plus, they’ve likely been warned about providing personal information to websites, so the sight of numerous fields may serve as a red flag. Make the checkout process as quick and easy as possible, and don’t require the creation of an account in order to purchase.

Keep it fresh

In the ever-changing teenage market, things get old quick. For sites that cater to teens, especially clothing and fashion stores, experts recommend updating the Home page and category pages several times a week. The constant changes will keep teens coming back to see what’s new.

Make it quick

Teens are notoriously impatient. If a website loads too slowly, they’ll be gone before you can say “Page not found”. It can be tempting to stuff a site with cutting-edge graphics and Flash elements, but if these bells and whistles result in sluggish performance, they may do your business more harm than good.

Focus on the graphics

Teens are attracted to high-color images, so use graphics in combination with text rather than just straight text. When you do use verbiage, be sure to make the font big enough for easy reading (remember, teens have shorter attention spans than adults) and set it against a high-contrast background. Avoid long, scrolling blocks of text — bulleted lists and divided sections are more easily digestible. PacSun.com was a favorite of many polled teens who preferred the site’s bold graphics and text.

Walk the line between young and old

Some sites make the mistake of incorporating graphic or multimedia elements that are too childish. Teens steer clear of kiddie stuff like the plague. Avoid “cutesy” sound effects, music that doesn’t reflect current trends, and vernacular that misses the mark. That said, you don’t want to make your site too adult, which can quickly bore your teenage audience. To make sure you’re achieving the right tone, ask a few online shoppers in your target age group to evaluate your site at various stages during conception, design, and testing.

Give them options

Gone are the days of conformist buying patterns. Young consumers love to feel like they’re getting a unique product that expresses their individuality. Whether you’re selling T-shirts or iPod cases, giving teens the option to choose a color, a style, or add their own personal touches, such as monogramming, is likely to boost their interest in your product.

Make wishes come true

Wish lists, like the one available at the popular teen site ccs.com, are quickly becoming an industry standard for eCommerce sites. Teens especially gravitate to this functionality, which makes it easy for them to request items from their parents or other purchasers of gifts for birthdays, Christmases, and other occasions. Even if they don’t have money to spend themselves, a wish list serves as a stepping stone between the teen browser and someone who does.

With a little foresight and some diligent market research, your eCommerce site can resonate with the highly fickle — and potentially lucrative — 12-17-year-old market. A far cry from the mall rat of old, today’s teen is logging onto their online comfort zone with money to spend.