We’re all on a journey… and for your customers, that journey should end with “add to cart” and completing a purchase on your website. But if your conversion rate isn’t where it needs to be, you might have a weak spot where you’re trying to help prospects through the customer journey.
It’s essential for businesses to understand each stage of the customer journey so you can more effectively usher them through purchasing and beyond. Here’s what you need to know.
What is the ecommerce customer journey?
The customer journey is made up of the actions your customer takes before (and after) they decide to make a purchase.
A customer’s journey starts when they become aware of your service, product, or brand. They then move through multiple stages in the buying process — each one taking them closer to the end goal of making a purchase and becoming a brand advocate.
Why the customer journey is so important
The State of Commerce Experience, a commissioned report conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Bloomreach, showed that 98% of business decision-makers believe that not providing a seamless ecommerce customer experience has important business implications.
As a business, you should be strategically using the customer journey as part of your marketing strategy. A deeper understanding of their journey will give you the ability to market your business more effectively and generate more quality leads and a higher conversion rate.
When you plan your ecommerce marketing and advertising with the customer journey as the foundation, you’ll be able to better:
- Understand your target audience
- Streamline the customer experience
- Plan future products or experiences
- Set realistic goals
- Eliminate pain points
During the customer journey, a customer will consider a multitude of elements — such as the price of an item, how easy it is to shop on your website, and the quality of your customer service. By providing an ecommerce experience that meets their needs at every turn, you’ll be able to easily nurture customers through each stage of their journey, finally bringing them to make a purchase from you.
The five stages of the customer journey
Ready to dive a little deeper? Here are the five stages of the customer journey; what happens in each one; and how you can use these phases to better market your brand.
#1. Awareness
The first part of the customer journey is the awareness stage. This is when a customer first becomes aware of your brand. Maybe they find you through social media, an advertisement, or via a friend. Whatever the case, the customer is now beginning to learn about your business (and you’re learning about them, too).
How to use the awareness stage
In the awareness stage, your goal is simply to present information. It’s not time for the hard sell — that will come later. Instead, provide educational resources to help them understand your brand, including the benefits of your product or service and the values your brand operates by.
Thought leadership content that positions you as an expert in your industry is a great fit for this stage. Blog posts, infographics, social media posts, landing pages — any of these content types will work as long they’re relevant to your new customers and focus on your unique selling proposition (USP).
#2. Consideration
In the consideration stage, a customer realizes they have a need to be met. This leads them to consider making a purchase. During this stage, people are evaluating whether your business will meet their needs. To win their business, you need to prove that your product or service will do the trick (and do it better than your competitors).
How to use the consideration stage
Now is the time to provide customers with information about how you’re the one who can solve their problem. Identify questions buyers have and create content that answers. This looks like talking about your product or service but also your prices, delivery times, and return policies. This stage is also an excellent time to highlight customer reviews from websites like Sitejabber that can help tip a potential buyer over the edge.
#3. Purchase
Congratulations — your customers have officially opted in and made a purchase! But your job doesn’t end here. Now it’s time to provide a stellar purchasing experience so they’ll want to come back to your store.
How to use the purchase stage
During the first couple of stages of the customer journey, you likely made promises to your audience. For instance, maybe you said you’d deliver each shipment in a certain amount of time, or provide a product that would meet a specific need. In the purchase stage, you need to make good on these promises.
#4. Retention
After a customer has made a purchase, you want them coming back for more. This is what customer retention is all about. In the retention stage, a customer will return to (eventually) make another purchase. They should also be engaging with your brand through a channel — such as email or social media.
How to use the retention stage
Encourage your customers to stay connected. Anything you can do to keep your brand and your product top of mind for them is a go. Respond to all customer service requests or customer reviews, and make sure these responses are personalized. Even for customers who felt like they had a negative experience, a thoughtful, personalized response can bring back 51% of them.
#5. Advocacy
Customers are going to advocate for your brand depending how their experience went. They’re either going to share a positive or negative experience about your product. Obviously, you want them to be a positive brand advocate, regularly recommending your product or service to others. Word-of-mouth marketing and referrals are a powerful way to drum up more business.
How to use the advocacy stage
Consider offering an incentive, such as a discount or a free sample, so your customers will be more likely to leave reviews. You should also continue to nurture relationships with customers using social media and other channels, or even a dedicated program that’s meant to build brand ambassadors. And when your newfound brand advocates drive new potential customers toward your brand, the cycle of the customer journey begins all over again.
How customer reviews factor into the customer journey
Reviews are important during every stage of the customer journey. In the awareness stage, customers might find your brand through a review. When they move on to consideration, they read reviews to learn more about your brand and product. And after making a purchase, people will then write reviews on their own.
Get more reviews using Jabio, Sitejabber’s platform for businesses. With Jabio, you get access to a full suite of digital tools designed to supercharge your review solutions. Collect customer reviews, funnel them to the channels where people will see them, and respond to reviews as needed to continue building those valuable customer relationships. Click here to register for free and get started making your customer journey more effective than ever.
