In this article we provide the information you need to take advantage of this concept in favor of your store or chain of stores, and you can generate strategies that actually work.
The Customer Journey is part of what you need for success in the retail ecosystem. We constantly affirm that evolution in the sector is required, and that this evolution depends on the transformation of the fundamental elements that give life to the retail sector. In fact, the Customer Journey is a concept that also applies in e‑commerce. After reading this article, you will have the ability to adjust the concept of the Customer Journey to the specific conditions of your business. So let’s go step by step:
What is the Customer Journey?
It is the path that each customer follows from the moment a need arises until the purchase of the product or service. This is how it occurs in any purchase process; however, it is important to consider that, with the emergence of new technologies, new scenarios have also been introduced.
Tools to trace the path to purchase have evolved. That’s why at the beginning of the article we mentioned the need for evolution and transformation.
For example, it is necessary to take into account that, with the appearance of social networks and their orientation toward sales, customer interaction with brands is more direct than in past decades.
You must also consider the presence of online stores, which have transformed consumer behavior — and this transformation leans us toward creating a Customer Journey Map adapted to the reality of the present.
How does the Customer Journey work?
The Customer Journey then works as a map that tells us the path each customer takes during the purchase process.
In the retail sector it’s as easy to track the path as it is in e‑commerce, and this Customer Journey operates based on three elements:
#1. Behavior patterns
Data is everything in commerce, and the retail sector heavily depends on data processing regarding sales and customers. That’s why strategies are needed to obtain data and, based on that, measure behavior patterns. The Customer Journey fundamentally depends on customer behavior — knowing through which channels they had contact with the brand, from where they move to the store, which type of products caught their attention — these are all important data points. If you manage to determine your customers’ behavior patterns, you will succeed in defining their Customer Journey and thus optimize all aspects of your store — from marketing strategy to product placement in the physical space.
#2. Pain points
Today, solving problems, doubts, questions — anything the customer may manifest or ask — is an important aspect of the Customer Journey. First, because it helps expedite the purchase decision, and second, because it smooths customer objections before purchase. In e‑commerce, online stores dedicate a FAQ section, allowing users to explore many of their doubts during the decision-making process. They also deploy automated channels. In the retail sector, an advantage is that digital channels can be used to address frequent questions of potential customers, while at the same time proximity with the customer allows exploration. Thus, the Customer Journey works through customer contact, observation, and strategies to gather information to trace the path that customers naturally follow toward the point of sale.
#3. Interaction
Finally, interaction must be considered as one of the core elements for the Customer Journey to function. As mentioned previously, to identify pain points, provide answers, and make the buyer’s journey flow, it’s important to interact with potential customers. This interaction must consider omnichannel communication, because the brand’s message should be delivered through all the channels customers use to access the information they need to make a purchase. Therefore, communication strategies must be established, and these will form part of the Customer Journey.
The Customer Journey functions as a map that tells us the path each customer takes during the purchase process.
How to create the Customer Journey?
In this case, it is necessary to talk about the Customer Journey Map, which is the tool that allows us not to predict but rather to translate — based on the aforementioned elements — the key stages of that journey.
That translation is the Customer Journey Map, enabling a reflection of the phases, communication channels, interaction methods, and factors that can influence the customer’s purchase process. Therefore, when it’s necessary to create a Customer Journey Map, the following aspects must be considered:
#1: The customer’s objectives
Knowing information such as why a customer buys your brand’s products, why they enter your commercial establishment, will give clarity about their objectives. Once you understand their objectives, you can define the starting point in the Customer Journey Map, which means your strategies will focus on enhancing visibility at that starting point, including what you communicate in your messaging across different channels.
#2: The customer’s activities
The second phase in creating a Customer Journey Map involves considering what your customer does to achieve the objective they have set. This information allows you to determine what service features they expect, such as seasonal promotions. Therefore, the study of purchase offer cases is required.
#3. Touchpoints
The customer always requires a specific treatment upon contact — for example, detailed product information, advisory on benefits, but also negotiation over purchasing conditions. All this must be considered when deciding the discourse and communication of the message. Every store sign, even how merchandise is arranged, must establish a connection with the customer.
Additionally, beyond these three aspects, when creating a Customer Journey Map you need to take into account customer feedback. You should have mechanisms such as surveys that help you understand their satisfaction level regarding products, prices, service, merchandise disposition, among other data. All these aspects mentioned throughout the article are important to leverage the Customer Journey and thereby improve customer experience.
This video will help you understand better how to create a Customer Journey:
