Customer Journey

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The Customer Journey is the full experience someone has with a brand or company, starting from when they first hear about it to after they buy something and any interactions that follow.1

This covers all the moments a customer interacts with a company, from discovering the brand to researching, purchasing, and receiving customer support. 2

Visual Representation

customer journey visual representation

Purpose

The primary purpose of the customer journey is to understand how customers behave, what they like, and the problems they face when interacting with a brand.

This knowledge lets sellers adjust their marketing, sales, and support to better suit customer needs, leading to more sales, happier customers, and stronger loyalty.

It also enables them to offer a smooth, personalized experience that meets customer expectations and strengthens their relationship with the brand.3

Key Components

The customer journey includes several key components that represent the stages or touchpoints a customer goes through in their interaction with a brand.

  1. Awareness: The stage where potential customers first become aware of your brand, product, or service. This could be through advertising, social media, word of mouth, or search results.
  2. Consideration: At this point, customers are evaluating their options. They’re considering your product or service alongside competitors, researching features and benefits, and reading reviews.
  3. Decision: The decision phase is when the customer proceeds with a purchase. Factors influencing their decision include price, product features, brand reputation, and customer service experiences.
  4. Purchase: This is the action stage where the customer completes the transaction. The ease and satisfaction of the purchasing process, including payment and the checkout experience, are critical here.
  5. Post-Purchase Experience: After buying, the customer’s experience with the product, customer service, and any follow-up communication (like feedback requests or support) impact their overall satisfaction.
  6. Loyalty: If the post-purchase experience is positive, customers may develop loyalty to the brand, leading to repeat purchases. Loyalty programs and ongoing engagement can enhance this.
  7. Advocacy: Satisfied customers might share their positive experiences with others, becoming brand advocates. They can influence new potential customers through reviews, testimonials, and word-of-mouth.
  8. Feedback Loop: Customer feedback, whether positive or negative, provides valuable insights for improving products, services, and the overall customer journey.4

Usage

The customer journey is used across different parts of a business to improve and personalize the experience with a brand, product, or service.

Here’s where it’s really helpful:

  1. Marketing: Helps create ads and messages that catch people’s interest at the right time.
  2. Sales: Guides sales people on how to talk to potential buyers and what help they might need to decide to buy.
  3. Customer Service: Shows how to make customers happy at every step, like solving problems quickly or making returns easy.
  4. Making Products: Helps figure out what products people want or how to make them better by understanding what customers like or don’t like.
  5. Online Shopping: Makes websites more straightforward to use, so people can find what they want, learn about it, and buy it without any hassle.
  6. Designing Apps or Websites: Helps make using an app or website a good experience so everything works smoothly and is enjoyable.
  7. Writing Articles or Making Videos: Guides what kind of information or stories to share that answer customers’ questions or get them excited about something.
  8. Listening to Customers: Uses what customers say about their likes or problems to make everything better for them.5

Example

Imagine Emma, who loves fitness and wants her workout shoes to be both comfortable and stylish.

Here’s how she goes about buying a new pair of athletic shoes online:

  1. Awareness: Emma feels discomfort in her old shoes, prompting her to look for new ones online by searching for “best running shoes for women.”
  2. Consideration: She explores different brands, reads reviews, and narrows her options to two brands that stand out for their comfort and style.
  3. Decision: Emma compares the prices and offerings on the websites of her top two choices, looking at return policies, available sizes, and discounts.
  4. Purchase: After weighing her options, Emma buys a pair of shoes using a safe payment option.
  5. Post-Purchase: When the shoes arrive, she tries them on. She’ll keep them if they’re a good fit and she’s happy with them. The company might also email her tips on shoe care or special deals to keep her engaged.

Related Terms

References:

1. Bynder. (2023, October 4). What is a customer journey? A definition. https://www.bynder.com/en/glossary/customer-journey/

2. The customer journey — definition, stages, and benefits. (2023, June 27). https://business.adobe.com/blog/basics/customer-journey

3. All you need to know about the customer journey. (2024, January 15). https://www.surveysensum.com/customer-experience/customer-journey

4. Mangiaracina, R., Brugnoli, G., & Perego, A. (2009). The ecommerce customer journey: A model to assess and compare the user experience of the ecommerce websites. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, 14(3), 1-11. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Riccardo-Mangiaracina/publication/293400163_The_eCommerce_Customer_Journey_A_Model_to_Assess_and_Compare_the_User_Experience_of_the_eCommerce_Websites/links/00b4953b41ba9d98ef000000/The-eCommerce-Customer-Journey-A-Model-to-Assess-and-Compare-the-User-Experience-of-the-eCommerce-Websites.pdf

5. Wright, S. J. (2019). Digitizing the Customer Journey: Using the Latest Digital Technologies to Support Growth, Efficiency and Delight Customers Throughout the Customer’s Touchpoints. Switzerland: Bluetrees GmbH. https://www.amazon.com/Digitizing-Customer-Journey-Technologies-Touch-Points-ebook/dp/B07ST4KPFV/

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