A transactional purchase is one whose purpose is to satisfy consumers through the exchange of goods and services. It is, as the name implies, a transaction. This type of buying and selling process is characterized by going straight to the action of buying or selling, rather than building relationships with consumers.
Transactional marketing and purchasing processes enumerate the positive characteristics of the offered product or service, focusing on its benefits, as their goal is to carry out the action as quickly as possible.
What is it transactional purchase about?
When a transactional purchase is made, efforts are directed towards maximizing the number of products sold in a short period of time. The product or service is always “the best” above the competition, so emphasis is placed on all the positive characteristics it can offer and what it provides value in.
In addition, a transactional purchase has cost control to calculate the return on investment, therefore, the necessary stock is calculated. However, it is fundamentally characterized by being a quick and impulsive action, which seeks to satisfy the consumer’s needs at a specific moment. This is the case, for example, when buying food, such as drinks, sweets, or snacks, or when buying textile products.
In these cases, one-way communication is offered with customers: many times, the goal is not to build loyalty or receive feedback, but to complete the purchase-sale action in the moment. For this reason, the user experience or customer data collection is not considered.
Differences with a considered purchase
On the other hand, a considered purchase process does not involve a quick transaction, but the consumer must stop and think about different variables, that is, goes through a purchase decision process.
These are purchases that require a significant financial investment and decision-making: a person is presented with a problem, looks for alternatives to solve it, and then after evaluating them thoroughly, makes a final decision.
In general, the considered purchase process consists of five stages: recognition, consideration, decision, purchase, and post-purchase. This is the case, for example, when buying cars or real estate. Unlike transactional purchases, companies in these cases seek to build customer loyalty.
What does transactional mean?
When doing transactional marketing and sales, the goal is to impose the product through direct actions, so the aim is to sell as many units as possible in a short period of time. The user experience and consumer opinions are overlooked since they can probably get the same product at any other store.
However, it is important to know in which cases a transactional model is useful, such as in the launch of new business units or recent products in the market. An example of this is Cyber Monday in an e-commerce, where users are encouraged to make a purchase within a certain time until the offer expires.
These transactional strategies that aim to go straight to the sale depend on the objective and business model involved: they work when the actions are aimed at a large portion of the population that captures the product, as the target audience is not so segmented. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate when it is convenient to carry out this model and coordinate marketing and commercial actions.
