Customer Journey research

The Customer Journey is the steps that the consumer takes during the process of looking for a product/service that solves or meets their needs or desires. The objective of Customer Journey studies is to measure and evaluate how customers are living the experience with your brand in order to make the necessary improvements in those points that require it. It also allows us to know what has changed in our customers’ lives, why they visit other competing brands and not us, and come up with ideas for new services/products

Phases of the Customer Journey

1.- Brand Awareness

During the awareness phase of the journey, consumers seek to meet their needs and encounter multiple brands and products. This is the time to attract and seduce them if you want to make a good first impression. During this step, consumers are likely conducting research. This may include searching online with keywords, reading blogs and news articles, and being exposed to communication from other brands. Therefore, being there, offering solutions, understanding where, how and what they are looking for is very important to know how to respond appropriately to their needs and to be able to connect with them from the beginning.

2.- Consideration

Once you’ve captured a prospect’s attention, either with your content or through other sources, you need to convince them. At this point, they need information, motives, or reasons that make them see that you are their best choice. Chances are, your brand will be considered alongside others, so make sure that every impression you give is powerful and compelling. At this point, consumers are interacting directly with your brand, and you want them to stay for the next step in the Customer Journey, so fitting in with their emotionality is the most ideal.

3.- Decision

It’s a very important moment in the Customer Journey: everything can go well or there can be a leak! Once potential customers are satisfied with the comparison of their options, they will eventually make a decision. Sometimes they realize that none of the brands they’ve been considering offer what they’re looking for. If they make a positive decision, they want to make the process easier by choosing their trusted products or those that resonate most with their personality, their lifestyle, and their possibilities. To do this, they consider multiple factors such as price versus value, customer service responsiveness, company values and policies, image, way of communicating, the overall shopping experience, among others. To get ahead of the curve, the brand must go further, including marketing strategies such as incentives, rational and/or emotional to potential customers who have already learned about your product/service.

4.- The Purchase

At this point in the Customer Journey, you have a new customer. All that planning is paying off when they get to the purchase stage. The consumer has decided to make their purchase with you, but don’t assume it’s a done deal. They need to be able to complete the transaction and start using your product/service. Like all other steps in the customer journey, this moment should be easy and intuitive for the user, as well as enjoyable and engaging. Depending on your business model, customers are buying your products or services online, in a physical store, or they’re booking a service they plan to experience at some point.
Once they have the product or service, they will begin to put their purchase into practice and if they go through the phase successfully, you will be able to build loyalty and perhaps make them fall in love, which will generate customers who recommend you, which is the best thing that can happen to any brand. That’s why it’s so important to optimize the transaction experience in the customer journey. In addition, once the transaction is complete, you should follow up with your new customer to attend to their purchase and maintain contact.

5.- Loyalty

Once you’ve established a relationship, you need to nurture it to build a long-term relationship and loyalty. Enthusiastic customers are more likely to recommend your brand and products to a friend, which for many can be a deal-breaker. When you keep them happy and exceed their expectations with innovation and excellent customer service, the customer journey is shorter and the costs per transaction are lower.