It might seem that customer path is a basic concept in the field of marketing. And yet, not everyone uses it consciously. Some people do not use it in their everyday business practice. Meanwhile, without a clear path to buy, consumers will be lost and may give up their purchase.
- The customer's path, i.e. the stages leading to the purchase decision
- Sample customer path on the internet
- Client path and conversion funnel
- Building the customer journey step by step
Some run a business online and still don't know that there is such a thing as a shopping path. Customers come to this site by chance, a marketing activities are taken spontaneously. Is it possible to achieve success in today's competitive business world? After reading the following summary, the answer to this question should come to mind.
The customer's path, i.e. the stages leading to the purchase decision
The concept already described on our blog conversion funnel is known to most marketers. It is closely related to the customer's shopping path. Both concepts hide the path that the customer goes through before he or she purchases in a store or orders a service. Most misunderstandings concern the beginning and the end of this road. Touchpoint - this is the point where the consumer first comes into contact with the brand or offer.
In common understanding, the beginning of the shopping journey is the entrance to the company's store. Then there are all the next steps, which finally contribute to paying for purchases at the checkout. Meanwhile, in fact, the first moment takes place much earlier and it can determine whether the customer visits the store's website or enters the boutique at all. The customer path also identifies touchpoints after making a purchase or using a service, and this differs from a funnel, the role of which ends when the customer makes a purchase. Below you can see what a typical customer journey looks like and how to build it.
Your customers need a straightforward way to buy.
We know how to build it.
The customer journey based on the knowledge of real behavior and customer needs is a process which - metaphorically speaking - leads the customer "like a string". It also allows you to make the most of the so-called micromoments. A good marketing and plan is able to increase both a one-time conversion and an overall one CLV (consumer lifetime value).
There are tools that allow you to measure and identify moments of resignation or churn of potential customers, as well as potential ones place of sales, i.e. a place that attracts like a magnet and almost guarantees shopping. Then there are of course other factors influencing the customer journey. It is a number of dependencies, such as his ability to focus attention or the presence of other stimuli accompanying the purchasing path.
Sample customer path on the internet
Secondly, you can also plan new customer paths, increasing the chance that the customer will end up in your store even more, regardless of which route he will use. An exemplary marketing path it may start with an interest in a given problem or topic. If the customer searches for this issue using hashtags in social media, he will eventually find the brand's post. If a brand profile makes a good impression on him, he may start following him. Later, when he learns about the promotion, he can use the shopping link. It is a simple shopping path, and yet it can also have dozens of stages.
Marketers are happy to provide an example of a LEGO purchase pathway for someone who travels to New York City and may choose to use LEGO products during that time. The graph consists of 26 points that make up the different stages of the journey. They are accompanied by emoticons indicating whether a given stage is positive, negative or indifferent to the client. The path shown in the pie chart appeals to the imagination and helps to easily understand the next steps.
Client path and conversion funnel
Customer journey mapping is a process that allows you to visualize and improve it. It is also the first step to building it. If you use the conversion funnel model, the customer path will be useful as an additional tool that allows you to understand the mechanisms behind customer purchasing decisions. A shopping funnel is a single-path project that leads to a specific marketing goal - e.g. from subscribing to a newsletter to buying a webinar. The customer journey may take various routes to a single goal. As a result, it fits perfectly with the newest Internet reality.
In the past, the customer came to the store by entering its address or from a search engine. Today, it can be a voice or image search, a social media post, or a blog or forum mention. If you find experts who will marketing audit and they will write down all these variants of customer paths step by step, you will significantly increase the conversion, and to put it simply - profits.
Building the customer journey step by step
First of all, building the customer journey must be based on real assumptions.
- It will come in handy at first market researchto find out the real motivations of customers.
- Create a buyer persona, that is customer profile - this will help to understand him.
- Identify customer goals and check which marketing mechanisms coincide with them (e.g. the client wants to get more information - he will use an instructional video on Youtube or a blog entry).
- List them all touchpoints - these can be all the moments when the customer comes into contact with your brand. Not only before the purchase, but also during and after it.
- Based on this information ask a question: Where are customers looking for answers or information when they have a question or problem with a product or service? Check that these places coincide with the touchpoints.
- Start drawing a map. Pay attention to the so-called Roadblocks, that is, places that may discourage the customer.
From the practical point of view, the client's path can take any form - a pie chart, graph or other type of visualization. You can put a grid on it from the AIDA model or any other model that describes the purchasing path from brand awareness, through forming your opinion, to purchasing decisions. This will help you visualize the next steps and make sure some of them are not too long at the expense of others.
Do you want your company's customers to finalize their purchases without any problems? contact us - we know how to help them.