The traditional customer journey is fairly straightforward – involving awareness of options, consideration of options, and ultimate decision. In the new era of e-commerce, the customer journey is not so straightforward. Even for shoppers within a site such as Amazon, you have to think beyond the journey of landing at Amazon.com, searching for keywords and browsing results, considering the different options within Amazon, and then purchasing. Instead, consider the following other steps that customers may take:
In the awareness phase (initial searching):
- Comparing online product options to in-store options
- Comparing different marketplaces (for instance, options on Amazon to options on eBay)
- Asking friends, family, and/or experts for advice on social media sites
- Reading specialty/niche blogs
In the consideration phase (comparing a few different products/brands):
- Considering and comparing things like shipping costs and shipping time, reviews of the products, and reviews of the seller/store
- Reading product/brand comparison blog posts
- Watching review videos on YouTube and other sites
In the decision phase:
- Checking retailer/brand websites to compare prices and shipping options versus marketplace selling options
- Reviewing retailer/brand social media and other digital presence for trust
- Searching for coupon codes
At this point, customers may revert back to a different phase to change their minds, or they may go ahead with the purchase. Someone that they know may provide additional information about product option considerations, so the customer may not go forward with the decision phase. Even if they do purchase, the customer journey doesn’t end here. Customers now expect a good experience with shipping, customer service, and follow-up.
These are just a few examples of steps customers may take within a (mostly) straightforward journey. However, with so many purchase and information options now available, it’s good to assume that customers will bounce back and forth between different phases as they gather information and ultimately make (or don’t make) a purchase. Keeping this in mind will allow you to implement strategies everywhere that your brand or product has a digital presence.