Modern Consumer Journey: All You Need to Know!

The consumer journey is a detailed representation of the consumer buying process, which is the steps customers take on their way to making a ... FollowusModernConsumerJourney:EverythingYouNeedtoKnowChannelSight,19thFebruary'21Home>Resources>Blog>ModernConsumerJourney:EverythingYouNeedtoKnowModernConsumerJourney:EverythingYouNeedtoKnowChannelSight,19thFebruary'21Thetraditionalconsumerjourneyhasevolved dramaticallyovertheyears,witheCommerce fundamentallychangingtheway consumers purchaseproducts.Whilewehaveoftenheardthephrasethat“consumerisking”,it’struernowmorethanever. Withbrandscompetingtowinlargercustomershares,consumerscanmakeachoicefromthousandsofbrandsforsimilarproducts. Around 20to30yearsback,theconsumerjourneywouldstartbyeitheridentifyinganeedorseeingan ad onbillboards,newspapers,radioandorTV.Consumerswouldlearnabouttheproductsandgotopurchaseitinstore.However,itis nolongerasinglejourneybutratheran amalgamation ofmanysmalljourneysthatleadtoapurchase.Whatistheconsumerjourney?Theconsumerjourneyisadetailedrepresentationoftheconsumerbuyingprocess,whichisthestepscustomerstakeontheirwaytomakingapurchase.Itsetsoutalleveryinteractiontheyhavewithyourbrand–fromawareness,toresearchandevenadvocacy.IntheworldofeCommerce,theconsumerjourneyincludesallthedigitaltouchpointsthatyourbrandhaswithacustomer.Thesecouldtakeplaceacrosswebsites,socialmedia,onlinemarketplaces,searchengines,appsorotherchannelsasshoppersusetheirdesktop,mobileorothersmartdevice.Creatingacustomerjourneymapallowsbusinessestounderstandtheexperiencesandneedsoftheirtargetaudience.Theseinsightsalsoempowermarketerstotargetconsumerswithtailoredcontentandremoveanybarrierstoconversion.Evolvingdigitaltouchpoints TheMomentofTruth(MoT)wasaconceptintroducedbyJanCarlzonin1981andlatermodifiedbyP&G.Thefirstmomentoftruthiswhenthecustomerislookingattheproductwhetherin-storeoronline,andthesecond MoT iswhenthecustomerbuystheproductandusesit.ThethirdMomentofTruthissimilartoadvocacywhenconsumersharewhethertheylikedtheproductor not.Googlecoinedtheterm ZeroMomentofTruthof(ZMOT), withtheinternetbeingwidelyaccessible,consumers increasinglybegintoresearchproductsbeforepurchasingthem.Itisbasedon the findings fromastudy thatshowedthat50%ofshoppersresearchedtheproductonsearchengines,38%comparedthepricesandreview,and31%readtheonlinerecommendations.Thebrandisresponsibletogivetheconsumerstherightinformationattherighttime,usingthedifferentchannelsthatconsumerinteractwith. Ifcontentistheking, contextisthequeen.Thisisalsoofkeyimportanceforstrategicplanningandattributingbudgetsbasedonthebestperformingchannels.Consumersmaydiscoverthebrandsthroughvariouschannels,whetheritbeasearchdisplaynetwork,socialmediaorin-store. Thesearchforproductsconductedviavoicesearch,smartphonesandorviadesktops.Consumerswillcloselycheckthereviewsandratingsbeforebuyingproductsonline,andthepurchaseitselfcanbethroughdifferentchannels,includingin-store,frommarketplacesorfromtheonlineshop.Moderndayconsumerseven want variousoptionswhenitcomestodeliveryoftheproduct. Thisiswhyomni-channelmarketingforbrandsissoimportant.Howhastheconsumerjourneychanged?Today,citizensacrosstheUKandpartsofEuropehaveaccesstoanaverageofnineconnecteddevices.IntheUS,thisfigureisevenhigherataroundten.Withaworldofcontentatourfingertips,thecustomerjourneyhasevolvedandexpandedsignificantlybringingnewchannels,pathwaysandadvertisingopportunitiesintothemix.NewchannelsTheconsumerjourneybeginswiththeawarenessstage,soyouneedtomakeiteasyforpeopletofindyourbrand’sproducts.Traditionally,consumersfirstbecameawareofaproductfromadvertisementsorPRpresentedthroughtelevision,radio,newspapersandmagazines.Thentheycouldbuyitin-storeafterconsultingwithfriends,familyorstoreclerks.Withtheriseoftheinternet,thewayconsumershearabout,researchandbuyproductshaschangedcompletely.Therearemanymorechannelstodiscoverandresearchproducts,includingsearchengines,socialmediaandreviewsitestonamejustafew.Therearemorewaystopurchaseproductsonlinetoo.DigitalpathtopurchaseThemodernconsumerjourneyislesslinearthanthetraditionalconsumerjourneyofthepre-digitalage.Customersarenowmuchmorelikelytodiscovernewbrandsduringtheresearchorconsiderationstageoftheirjourney.Forexample,someonewhoconsidersbuyinganAppleiPhonemaydiscoverawholehostofalternativeswhileresearchingonGoogle,Amazonoratechblog.Inthepast,consumerswouldusuallynarrowdowntheiroptionsatthisstageofthejourney,butnowtherearemanymoredigitalpathstopurchasethatinfluenceconversion.Anotheruniquefeatureofthedigitalconsumerjourneyisthatcommunicationsnowgobothways.Withjustacoupleofclicks,consumerscanfindtheanswertoanyquestionaboutyourindustry,brand,orproducts.Theycanalsoreadorsharereviews,ratingsandFAQsonwebsites,socialmediaormarketplacelistings.Themodernconsumercanfindtheanswertoeveryquestionattheclickofabutton.DifferentstagesofthemodernconsumerjourneyShoppersaremoreproactivethaneverbeforeandthishasinfluencedeachstepofthedigitalconsumerjourney:AwarenessAtthisearlystage,consumershaveaneed,buttheymaynotevenrealizeityet.Theyarenotactivelylookingforaproduct,butarestillreceptivetoadvertisements.Studiesshowthatmostconsumerschoosebrandsthattheyknoworlike.That’swhybuildingyourbrand’sawarenessamongconsumerscontinuestobesuchanimportanteCommercetrendin2021.Youcanusevideos,blogs,FAQs,socialmediacontent,andOTTadstocaptureconsumers’attentionatthisstageinthejourney.Youcanalsousetrackingpixels,newslettersignupsandsocialmediatostayfrontofmindwiththemuntiltheyarereadytoconvert.Inthetraditionalcustomerjourney,thiswherebillboardsandlargescaleabove-the-lineadvertisingcampaignswouldhavebeenthestrategy.ConsiderationAtthispointinthejourney,consumersknowtheyneedaproductorsolutionandthevastmajorityofthemturntotheinternettodotheirresearch.Accordingtoanrecentsurvey,around69%ofshoppersdoproductresearchonGoogle,while61%useAmazon.Anothersurveysuggeststhat43%ofshoppersusesocialmediaaswell.Atthispoint,youneedtoletpeopleknowhowyourproductcanhelpusingcasestudies,testimonials,reviews,productcomparisons,demosandfine-tunedproductlistings.Considerthedigitalshelfasyourvirtualstorefront–itneedstoshowoffyourproductinallitsglory!ConversionConversionisoneofthemostchallengingstagesinthemoderncustomerjourney,withshoppingcartabandonmentrateataneyewatering69.8%.Youneedtoensureyoumakethedigitalpathtopurchaseassmoothandseamlessaspossibletoavoidlosingcustomersatthislatestage.Thinkaboutthedifferentpaymentoptionsyouprovide,thelayoutandcopyofyourcheckoutpage,andhoweasyyoumakeitforcustomerstosailthroughtheprocess.ManydigitalshoppersaremorecomfortablebuyingproductsonmarketplacessuchasAmazonthanadirecttoconsumerstore.Byprovidingtheoptionforconsumerstopurchasewhere-evertheylike,aWheretoBuysolutioncanhelpboostbrands’successastheconversionstageinthecustomerjourney.AdvocacyInthedigitalconsumerjourney,engagementcontinuesaftershoppershavemadeapurchase.Intheadvocacystage,shoppersmaysharetheirexperienceofyourproductbypostingusergeneratedcontentonline.Thiscanincludereviews,ratings,productquestions,pictures,andmore.Ifyou’veprovidedafirst-classjourney,youwillseethepayoffasyourhappycustomerswillhelpyoutoconvertmorebuyers.Researchshowsthatpost-purchaseconsumersarereceptivetoadsforcomplementaryproductstoo.Dependingonwhatyou’reselling,youcoulddramaticallyincreasethecustomerlifetimevalueofyourbuyers.Whatisacustomerjourneymap?Acustomerjourneymapisavisualrepresentationofeachstepaconsumertakestobecomeacustomer.Itprovidesmarketerswithadeeperunderstandingofthemindsetandexperiencesofshoppers.This,inturn,allowsthemtoeasilyidentifypainpointsandbarrierstoconversionwhichneedtobeaddressed.Evenifyourbrandalreadyhasagreatcustomerjourneyinplace,mappingitalloutwillpreventoversightsthatcouldimpactyourcustomers.Researchshowsthatathirdofconsumerswilllookelsewhereafterjustonebadexperience,soit’simportanttoensureeverytouchpointisoptimized.Theconsumerjourneymapprovidesastrategicwaytodothis.ThebenefitsofmappingthecustomerjourneyAstheconsumerjourneybecomesincreasinglycomplicated,theimportanceofmappingitoutincreases.Itisaconvenientwaytocommunicatethecomplexdigitalinteractionsthattakeplace.Herearethepositiveoutcomesthatcomefromdoingthis.MoreconversionsandhigherretentionratesBreakingdownthecustomerjourneystepbystepallowsyoutomakesurethateveryelementofyourmarketingcampaignscontributetoyourultimategoalsandeCommerceKPIs.Withanoverarchingviewofthecustomerjourney,it’seasiertospotwhatneedsimprovement.Youcanalsouseyouranalyticstoolstoidentifywhereconsumersbounceorchurn.Then,youcanmakeadjustmentswhichshouldleadtobettercustomerexperienceandmoresuccessforyourbrand.YoucansharethemapthroughoutyourcompanyAllcompanieswanttoprovideagreatcustomerexperience.Butthelargerabrandbecomes,themoredifficultitistocraftcoherentmessagesandexperiencesacrossalltouchpoints.However,customerjourneymapshelpkeepeveryoneonthesamepage.Sharingthembeyondthemarketingteamwithcustomerserviceagents,salesteams,in-storerepsandnewhireswillcreatecohesionacrossalltouchpointsThesemapscanhelpbuildacustomer-focusedculturethroughoutacompany.Youcanevengoasfarasmappingpost-purchasesupportstrategies.AbetterROIonmarketingspendWithin-depthinsightsintotheconsumerjourney,marketerscancarefullyimplementalogicalsequenceofmessages.Theycanalsoimprovetheirtargetingandpersonalizationforeachpersonatoo.Thisislikelytoattractmorerelevantclicksandimproveconversionrates,resultinginabetterreturnonyouradvertisingandeCommercemarketinginvestments.HowtocreateacustomerjourneymapCreatingacustomerjourneymapisprettystraightforward.Butitcantakealotoftime,especiallywhengatheringinsightsfromyourtargetaudience.1.OutlinepersonasandgoalsTobegin,youneedtosetoutyourbrand’skeybuyerpersonas.Thefirstmapyoucreatewilltracethejourneyofatypicalshopper.Butyou’llneedtocreateadditionalmapsforeachpersonatoaccuratelyreflectthediversebehaviourofyourcustomers.Conductinginterviewsandsurveyscanhelpyouunderstandtheneedsanddesiresthatdrivetheirbehaviour.Youalsoneedtochoosethekeyactionthatyouwantvisitorstoperformonyoursite.Doyouwantthemtobuysomething,downloadabrochureorfilloutaform?Fromhere,youcanmapoutthejourneyeachindividualpersonatakestoreachthispoint.2.ListeachtouchpointFromyourstoreandsocialmedia,throughtoyouradvertisingandinfluencermarketingcampaigns,listouteverypossiblewayaconsumercaninteractwithyourbrand.Togetstarted,GoogleAnalyticshighlightspopularlandingpages,trafficsourcesandcommoncustomerjourneys.Youshouldalsonotewhichpageshavethehighestbouncerates.Ifyouconductcustomersurveys,makesuretoaskhowtheydiscoveredyourbrand.Youcanalsoaskabouttheirexperiencewithdifferenttouchpoints,likeyouronlinestoreandsupportdesk.Thishelpshighlightareasofthejourneythatneedtobeupdated.3.MapoutthejourneyThepreciselayoutofyourmapwilldependonyouruniquegoals,strategyandvalues.Mostbrandswillbasetheirmapsaroundtouchpointsandconsumeractions.Butsomebrandswillcreatemapsbasedonpopularorganickeywordsorspecificcampaigns.Buteachmapisalwaysdividedintothefourstagesoftheconsumerjourneyoutlinedabove:awareness,consideration,conversionandadvocacy.Onceyou’vemappedouteachjourney,walkthrougheachstepyourselftoensureit’sanaccuraterepresentationofwhatactuallyhappens.Onceyou’vefinished,toolslikeLucidChart,VisualParadigmandGliffymakeiteasytomapoutthecustomerjourneyinanon-brandandvisuallyattractiveway.Modernconsumersand crosschannel marketing So,youmaybewonderinghow yourbrandcanadapttothemodernconsumer?Herearesomepointersthatbrandmarketersshouldadheretoin2021.DelivertherightmessageattherighttimeNewpathwaysandonlinechannelsinthemodernconsumerjourneymaketrackingandanalyticsmorecomplex.Butthedetaileddataavailabletodayalsomeansmarketerscanreachprospectswithcarefullytailoredmessagesatcriticalmomentsinthedigitalcustomerjourney.Forexample,whensomeonewhoisreadytomakeapurchasesearches‘footballboots’onAmazon,Adidascanpresentthemwithasponsoredad.OnGoogle,whensomeonesearches‘Buyproteinpowder’,they’llseeaseriesofrelevantadsalongwithlotsoforganicsearchresults.IfsomeonereadsBraun’sblogposton‘Howtocutyourhair’,theycanthenberetargetedwithadsforthebrand’shairclippers.BesmartaboutyouronlinepresenceEnsurethatyouhave yourbrand’spresenceon multiple channelssuchaswebsite,marketplacesandsocialmedia andoutlinethedifferentobjectivesthesechannelsaregoingtosolvefor. Yourbrandstrategyshouldbe focused onexploringandimprovingtheretailfootprint.Considerwhetheritisvitalforyoutohavepresenceataretailerlevelornot.Forexample,Bosedecidedtoclose allof its storesin Japan, US,Europe, and Australia.They willnowsellonline andvia retailersonly inaneffortto adapttothechangeinconsumerneeds. Itisnotalwaysnecessarytohaveaphysicalpresence,especiallyifabrandhasverystrongbrandawarenessinthemarketalready.NeverstopmeasuringtheconsumerjourneyBeingfamiliarwiththeconsumerjourneyallowsmarketerstoidentifywhichtouchpointsaremostimportantandwherethereareproblemsthatmaypreventconversion.Ithelpsyoutomakeinformeddecisions,whichboostperformancewhilealsoimprovingmarketingROI.Ontopofthis,monitoringthecustomerjourneyhasbeenshowntoimproveoverallbusinessperformance.Afterall,youcan’toptimizewhatyoudon’tknow!HowChannelSighthelpsyouunderstandtheconsumerjourneyAsthedigitalconsumerjourneyevolves,itcanbedifficulttokeeptrackofeveryonlineinteraction.WebsiteanalyticsandUTMtrackingcertainlyhelps,butChannelSight’sWheretoBuysolutionsprovidesanunprecedentedlevelofproductandbasketleveldata.Withthisdata,youcanlearnfromeverysaleandstreamlineeverypathtopurchase.Bookademo withourteamofexpertstolearnmore.ChannelSightShare:RecentpostsOptimisingthe5StepsoftheConsumerBuyingProcessChannelSight17thNovember'21DrivingOnlineSaleswithCrossMerchandisingChannelSight12thNovember'21AmazonSponsoredProducts:EverythingBrandsNeedtoKnowChannelSight10thNovember'21HowtoGetMoreAmazonReviews:5ProvenTacticsChannelSight5thNovember'21BlogBrandsConsumerExperienceOptimiseYoureCommerceCustomerJourneyBook15minuteswithususingtheformonthispageandletusshowyouwhatwecando!BookADemo