Consumer decision journey 101
Who are my customers? Why do they buy (or don’t) from me? Where and how should my brand show up to them?
Seemingly simple questions, but the more complex the purchase process, especially in B2B, the more difficult the answer. Understanding what triggers the need for your product or service and how it translates into the sale is what customer decision journeys were designed to do.
What is a consumer decision journey?
A journey is a path a buyer goes through to make a decision within a category. A category would be coffee vs. Starbucks. Marketing researchers have been studying this for years. Then in 2009, McKinsey put some research and framework around it and gave it a name- the consumer decision journey was born.
How does it work?
The old-school or traditional notion of a sales funnel is dead. No longer could you simply place an ad to tell your prospects that your product is better, that it will make their lives richer, and watch them buy. Due to the internet with quick access to relevant information, buyers are more informed, mobile, and have the ability to quickly compare a lot of competing options. It’s no longer a linear path.
The journey breaks down any purchase into three phases: pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase. Each phase is further divided into sections that help marketers understand what initially triggered the need, what brands first came to their mind, what they did to find potential solutions and so on, all the way through to what they did post-purchase. What’s key here is that what happens during post-purchase directly impacts the brands considered in the pre-purchase phase the next time.
Within each stage, we not only look to understand what the buyer is doing, but also what they are thinking and feeling. This is critical in finding those key moments that matter where the buyer is making an important decision. It’s at these points that define how your brand needs to show up - not only the channel, but the right type of content and messaging.
So what?
The result is that your customer’s journey is now your map. It’s a powerful tool when applied. It uncovers what was hidden behind a complex purchase process. It gives a voice to your customers and dispels some internal beliefs on how to best market and sell to them. It aligns marketing and sales. It also acts as a filter for every tactic thrown at a marketing person. If it doesn’t fit the moments, it shouldn’t be done.
We could go on and on about journeys, but we like to keep these articles short. We’d love to chat with you about it!