Mapping the Customer Journey for Increased Engagement
By Sonaksh Singh Rawat on
What Are the Stages of the Buyer’s Journey?
The ecommerce customer journey comprises five essential stages that unfold at distinct points of customer interaction. Grasping each phase, its effect on the customer experience, and methods to improve the journey at every stage and interaction point are vital for companies. Learning about the stages of the ecommerce customer journey helps in obtaining a more profound understanding of customers’ experiences on ecommerce platforms.
1. Awareness
The discovery phase is a vital stage the ecommerce customer journey, marking the point where potential customers first become aware of the business and its products/services. This initial phase is essential as it acts as the starting point of a customer’s journey, potentially guiding them towards finding a product or service they need. It’s also a time when a business has the opportunity to present solutions to a customer’s problems, a factor that can have a significant impact on customer retention if not properly addressed.
At this crucial point, the importance of implementing effective search engine optimization (SEO) and ecommerce marketing strategies cannot be overstressed. This stage offers businesses the chance to enhance their online visibility and identify the most successful marketing and SEO approaches.
For example, individuals in search of new footwear might begin with a simple search on Google. During this search, they could encounter an advertisement for a shoe store, which then directs them to the store’s landing page with a single click.
Throughout this phase of the ecommerce customer journey, businesses might engage potential customers through various means such as advertisements, blogs, banners, and newsletters, all strategically employed to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
2. Consideration
When potential customers begin the process of exploring an online store, showing real interest in making a purchase, they find themselves in the consideration stage. This pivotal moment marks a transition from casual browsing to a more focused evaluation of specific products for potential purchase.
This stage is crucial as it is often where many retailers notice a decline in customer engagement, especially if visitors encounter difficulties in quickly finding their desired items. The ease of access to an online store on mobile devices significantly affects this; a store that offers a seamless mobile browsing experience is more inclined to keep potential customers engaged.
Important points of interaction during the consideration stage include the landing page, product or store pages, and category filters, among others.
Studying customer behavior at this juncture provides valuable insights into the preferences of buyers, assisting in pinpointing effective conversion strategies, and highlighting areas that need improvement.
3. Acquisition
The acquisition or conversion stage in the ecommerce customer journey is identified when a potential buyer adds a product to their cart or wishlist and finalizes their purchase through the checkout and payment process. After making the purchase, customers are directed to a thank you page and receive timely updates on the shipment of their orders. This stage is critical for a business to meet the initial expectations that attracted the buyer.
For example, if a customer buys a pair of shoes and is not satisfied with the order, they may move to the next phase, which is the service stage. Important touchpoints during the acquisition stage include the shopping cart, the payment service provider, the checkout page, the thank you page, order confirmation, and tracking details.
4. Service
The service stage is recognized as a pivotal moment in the ecommerce customer journey, marked by considerable human interaction and a heightened focus on customer satisfaction. During this stage, individuals might seek additional support regarding their purchases or products. For example, if someone wants to return an item, like a pair of shoes, this could prompt them to reach out to customer support, particularly if the return process seems complex or confusing.
The capability of a business to retain its customers heavily depends on its efficiency and effectiveness in addressing and managing their inquiries. Offering commendable after-sales service not only addresses immediate concerns but also cultivates a positive rapport, encouraging repeat patronage. Essential touchpoints at this stage include a variety of components such as FAQs, terms and conditions, customer service agents, product packaging, and return confirmations.
5. Loyalty
The loyalty stage in a customer’s eCommerce journey is crucial, marking the point where customers potentially become brand advocates. Many online stores face challenges in delivering a satisfactory experience in the early phases of the customer journey, which in turn affects their ability to maximize the lifetime value derived from their clients. This difficulty also impacts the store’s capability to convert customers into repeat buyers, which is essential for reducing eCommerce marketing expenses.
At the loyalty stage, customers are likely to interact with follow-up newsletters, provide feedback through product and service ratings, and redeem their refund or credit vouchers for subsequent purchases. Important interactions during this phase include engaging with follow-up communications, product pages, landing pages, and online forms.
Revising and adjusting the stages of a customer’s eCommerce journey is a significant task.
A more achievable strategy includes identifying key buyer personas and methodically developing an eCommerce customer journey map stage by stage. A buyer persona represents a segment of a company’s intended market and is crucial for understanding the target audience. By grasping the behavior, demographics, locations, and preferences of their target markets, marketers can tailor customer journeys that are more likely to engage and receive a positive response from their specified audiences.
For businesses aiming to cater to a diverse audience with varied interests and demographics, segmenting their target market into different customer personas is beneficial. This segmentation allows for the creation of multiple marketing strategies, each tailored to meet the unique needs and preferences of different groups.
By addressing the specific needs of various customer personas, companies can customize their eCommerce platforms and other touchpoints to better match the unique profiles they have delineated.
How To Create Customer Journey Maps for Online Stores?
Mapping the ecommerce customer journey involves creating a detailed outline of the various interactions customers have with a business. These maps play a crucial role in illuminating and forecasting the sequence in which these interactions occur. Through this process, businesses can pinpoint their strengths and areas needing improvement, identifying critical points for enhancement.
Moreover, ecommerce customer journey maps differ based on individual customer experiences. It isn’t necessary for every map to cover all stages, especially if customers do not progress through later phases such as acquisition, service, and loyalty. Yet, the practice of mapping is vital as it showcases the wide range of potential experiences a customer might have, irrespective of the stage count.
Initiating the process of mapping customer journeys requires careful consideration of where to begin and what factors to take into account.
View Your Business From the Customer’s Perspective
Adopting a customer map that prioritizes the client’s perspective requires a business to embrace the viewpoint of its customers. It’s crucial to deeply understand the customers’ experiences with the company, thoroughly grasping every interaction for successful business improvement. Keeping the following points in mind is essential:
1. Gather Data
A practical approach involves selecting a product or service and using various terms to search for it on search engines. Tools like Google Trends prove invaluable by offering insights into keyword volumes and suggesting related search terms. Another essential step is understanding how potential customers discover the service or product.
For companies with websites, analyzing traffic sources is crucial, and tools such as Google Analytics play a significant role in this process. They help reveal whether reviews, blogs, or articles are directing clients to the website, marking an important initial interaction between potential customers and the company.
By identifying what customers search for, companies can tailor their initial engagement to better meet customer expectations, possibly speeding up progression through the sales funnel. Additionally, creating focus groups from the target demographic, while keeping the company’s identity anonymous, can provide critical, unfiltered feedback necessary for improving the client experience.
Observing these groups as they navigate the purchasing process provides direct insights into the e-commerce customer journey, potentially revealing areas for improvement or innovation.
2. Analyze Gathered Data
Upon laying a robust foundation of eCommerce customer journey mapping, the subsequent stage entails scrutinizing the accumulated data to understand clients’ needs better. This an help rectify any shortcomings in their interaction. This process might require examining their objectives, levels of satisfaction, and pinpointing any challenging touchpoints.
Rendering a streamlined visualization of the amassed data can enhance its clarity, thereby making it more digestible for in-depth analysis. Based on the intricacy and scope of the business, creating various visual representations might be necessary to cater to the diverse requirements across different departments.
To comprehensively analyze the eCommerce customer journey, employing data to grasp the psychological motivators behind purchases, monitoring customer engagement on the website, and detecting patterns or issues that could impede conversions are pivotal steps.
3. Evaluate Strategies and Track eCommerce Metrics
Evaluating the effectiveness of omnichannel strategies is of the utmost importance, recognizing the multifaceted paths customers might take before finalizing a purchase. This involves not only identifying the diverse channels but also optimizing them to ensure a smooth and coherent customer experience. Monitoring specific eCommerce metrics such as conversion rates, customer acquisition costs, and other relevant data is essential for assessing progress and developing plans for continued improvement.
4. Improve Customer Shopping Journey
Enhancing the ecommerce customer journey involves refining touchpoints across all stages, ensuring the website is optimized for various devices, proactively managing customer support, and leveraging data for personalization. This holistic approach is aimed at not only resolving current gaps in the customer experience but also anticipating future needs and preferences, thereby cultivating a more satisfied and loyal customer base.
