You have 4 different customers (and you're only talking to 1 of them)

Last week I told you your customers are irrational. This week, I'm going to make it worse:

They're not even irrational in the same way.

The person who needs to read seventeen reviews before buying a $30 water bottle? That's not the same person who throws a $200 impulse purchase in their cart at 11 PM. Except... sometimes it is. Same person. Different day. Different context. Different product.

This is why most ecommerce sites feel like they're designed for an imaginary "average customer" who doesn't exist.

You're trying to please everyone and ending up connecting with no one.

The four shopping modes (and why they matter more than personas)

Bryan Eisenberg spent years studying online shopping behavior, and he identified something that changed how I think about conversion optimization: People don't shop in one consistent way. They cycle through four distinct modes depending on what they're buying and how much they care.

He called these the four buyer modalities. I just call them the four types of shoppers, because only real nerds know what a "modality" is.

Here's what actually matters: These aren't personality types. Your CFO doesn't shop the same way for enterprise software as she does for birthday presents. Your co-founder isn't the same shopper when he's buying raw materials versus buying sneakers.

The mode they're in when they land on your site determines everything about what they need from you.

Miss the mode, lose the sale.

Mode 1: The Methodical Shopper

These people need to understand before they can buy.

They're reading spec sheets. Comparing options. Checking reviews. Opening multiple tabs. They want to know exactly what they're getting, how it works, why it's better than the alternatives, and what happens if something goes wrong.

They're not being difficult. They're being thorough.

And here's what most sites get wrong: They assume this person is "just browsing" or "not ready to buy" because they're moving slowly through the funnel.

Wrong.

Methodical shoppers convert at higher rates and return products less often than any other type. They just need more information to get there.

What they're asking (whether they type it or not):

• How does this actually work?

• What are the specs/ingredients/materials?

• How does it compare to [competitor]?

• What if it doesn't work for me?

• What are other people's actual experiences?

What they need from you:

• Detailed product specifications

• Comparison charts

• Comprehensive FAQ sections

• Technical documentation

• Filterable reviews (especially negative ones, they trust brands that show the bad with the good)

• Clear return policies

• Diagrams, how-it-works videos, technical breakdowns

What kills their conversion:

• Vague marketing speak without substance

• Missing technical details

• Too few reviews or suspiciously perfect ratings

• Unclear shipping/return policies

• Pressure tactics (they'll leave rather than be rushed)

Mode 2: The Spontaneous Shopper

These people need to feel it before they can buy.

They're scrolling fast. They're making snap judgments. They're responding to what catches their eye, what feels exciting, what seems like it's happening now.

They don't want to read your essay on craftsmanship. They want to see if this product makes them feel something. If it does, they'll buy. If it doesn't, they're gone.

Spontaneous shoppers are your impulse buyers, your midnight scrollers, your "I saw it on Instagram and now I need it" customers.

What they're asking:

• Does this look good?

• Do I want this right now?

• Why should I buy this today instead of next week?

• Will other people think this is cool?

What they need from you:

• Strong, immediate visual impact

• Bold, benefit-driven headlines (not feature lists)

• Social proof that's visible and fresh ("247 people bought this today")

• Scarcity and urgency signals that feel real, not manufactured

• Friction-free purchase paths, minimized clicks, minimized forms

• Mobile-optimized everything (they're scrolling on their phones at 11 PM)

What kills their conversion:

• Too much text

• Slow-loading pages

• Complicated checkout processes

• Boring product photos

• Analysis paralysis from too many options

Mode 3: The Humanistic Shopper

These people need to connect before they can buy.

They care about the story. Who made this? Who else uses it? What do real people think about it? They're not buying a product, they're buying into a community, a set of values, a group of people like them.

They read testimonials like novels. They click through to your About page. They want to see user-generated content. They're trying to figure out: "Are these my people?"

What they're asking:

• Who else has used this?

• What's the story behind this brand?

• Will this company treat me well?

• Do the people behind this care about what I care about?

What they need from you:

• Authentic customer testimonials (with names and faces)

• User-generated content (real photos, not just your styled shots)

• Brand story and mission

• Team photos and bios

• Active community presence

• Responsive customer service signals

• Values alignment (sustainability, ethics, whatever matters to your audience)

What kills their conversion:

• Corporate, faceless brand presence

• Obvious fake reviews

• No human element anywhere on the site

• Feeling like they're just a transaction

Mode 4: The Competitive Shopper (5-10% of your traffic)

These people need the bottom line before they can buy.

What's it cost? How fast can I get it? Is this the best option? They're impatient. They're comparison shopping. They probably have three other tabs open with your competitors.

They don't want your story. They don't want to watch your video. They want the facts, fast, so they can make a decision and move on.

What they're asking:

• What's the price?

• How does this compare to alternatives?

• What's the ROI/benefit?

• How fast can I get it?

What they need from you:

• Pricing front and center

• Clear competitive advantages

• Comparison charts that position you favorably

• Express checkout options

• Fast shipping callouts

• Bottom-line benefits ("Saves you $2,400/year" beats "Innovative efficiency")

What kills their conversion:

• Making them hunt for pricing

• Burying key differentiators

• Long-winded explanations

• Slow checkout processes

• Forcing them to create an account

Here's the part that breaks most people's brains

The same person can be in different modes for different products.

Your methodical enterprise software buyer becomes a spontaneous shopper when she's buying a dress for Saturday night.

Your spontaneous Instagram impulse buyer becomes methodical when he's shopping for a mattress.

This is why you can't just "create a persona" and optimize your entire site for that person. You need to serve all four modes on every page, because you never know which mode someone's in when they land.

How to identify which modes dominate YOUR traffic

You don't need fancy tools for this. You need to actually look at your data and ask better questions:

High time-on-site, low bounce rate, multiple pages per session? You've got a lot of Methodical shoppers. Are you giving them enough information, or are they bouncing because they can't find what they need?

Low time-on-site, high bounce rate, but strong conversion rate from those who stay? Spontaneous shoppers. Your site needs to grab them in 3 seconds or they're gone.

High engagement with reviews, testimonials, and about pages? Humanistic shoppers are looking for connection. Are you giving them enough human elements?

Direct traffic, short sessions, high comparison shopping behavior (think highlighting product titles)? Competitive shoppers who know what they want. Make it easy for them to evaluate and buy quickly.

Here's what I actually do: I segment by traffic source and device, then look at behavior patterns.

• Paid traffic tends to skew Spontaneous (they clicked because something caught their eye)

• Organic traffic tends to skew Methodical (they searched for specific information)

• Returning visitors tend to skew Competitive (they're back to compare or complete a purchase)

• Social traffic can go either way but leans Spontaneous and Humanistic

This isn't perfect, but it's a starting point.

What to do Monday morning

Pick your best-selling product page and audit it for all four modes:

Methodical audit: Is there enough detail? Specs? Comparisons? Reviews? FAQ? Could someone who needs to understand everything find what they need without leaving your site?

Spontaneous audit: If someone scans this page in 5 seconds, do they get excited? Is there a clear, compelling reason to buy NOW? Is the path to purchase obvious and fast?

Humanistic audit: Is there a human element? Real testimonials? User photos? Any sense of community or story? Would someone feel like they're joining something or just buying something?

Competitive audit: Can someone find the price, key benefits, and purchase button in 10 seconds? Is your differentiation clear? Can they buy without unnecessary friction?

If you're missing one or more modes, you're leaving money on the table with that segment of your traffic.

The good news? You don't need to redesign your entire site. You need to layer in what's missing. Add FAQ sections for Methodical shoppers. Add urgency signals for Spontaneous ones. Add testimonials for Humanistic ones. Surface pricing and key benefits for Competitive ones.

Start with one page. Fix it for all four modes. Then move to the next.

Next week, we're diving into your homepage—what it's actually saying versus what your customers are actually hearing. (Spoiler: there's usually a massive gap.)

Until then, stop optimizing for the average customer. They don't exist.

Looking forward,

Brian

P.S. If you audit your product page and realize you're only serving one or two modes well, that's actually good news. It means you have a clear path to growth without spending a dollar on more traffic. Hit reply if you want to talk through what you're seeing. Let’s talk.