Never Create an Ineffective Consumer Journey Map Again
Brand loyalty. It’s one of the reasons we do what we do, right? We often develop and plan our omnichannel experiences for consumers with the objective of gaining brand loyalists. Only, according to McKinsey research, loyalty is not so common, and we need to rethink our consumer journey design accordingly.
What is Consumer Journey Design?
Consumer journey design is a way for marketers to visualize the customers’ interaction with the brand from when they become aware that they have a need through their gathering information and deciding to purchase.
With consumer journey design, or customer journey mapping, the brand marketer can better identify what nuanced story needs to be told along the way. The premise is that someone who is considering a purchase will have different concerns and questions than the person at the decision stage of the journey.
Using consumer insight and analysis of consumer trends, the marketer designs several — note that one journey will not suit every customer — consumer journey maps to represent the milestones along the way, understand customers on a more personal level, and identify the relevant points to target with marketing efforts.
Importance of the Initial Consideration Stage
McKinsey researchers Dave Elzinga and Bo Finneman, though, argue that the most crucial stage is initial consideration. Looking at data from more than 125,000 consumers, across 350 brands in about 30 categories, they found that 27 categories (90%) were shopping driven.
In those categories, Elizinga said in a podcast, “Only about 13 percent of consumers are repurchasing the same brand without shopping….Now some of those consumers will ultimately go back and buy their incumbent brand; in fact, about 29 percent of people do that. But those people are still shopping, which makes their current brand vulnerable. The other 58 percent of people switch brands from one purchase cycle to the next.”
About 70 percent of brands eventually chosen for purchase come from the initial consideration set. — McKinsey
So, consumers are basically shopping with a pre-existing bias. The research and other decision-making efforts are really only done to confirm they’re making a smart decision. To McKinsey, this means they’re “not necessarily open to or choosing a brandthat enters later on.”
What does this mean for Journey Design?
First, differentiate between awareness and consideration more. A consumer may know your brand name and be able to recall what your service or product is, but that awareness doesn’t necessarily get you into the initial consideration set.
Since the initial consideration set is so key, it’s critical to market specifically to this stage in the journey. To do so effectively:
- Make sure that you are communicating your value proposition rather than just who you are.
- Consider your target audiences in a new light. Consider the people who have had past experiences with you, or that you’ve never targeted before, can you create new opportunities by creating initial consideration for these populations?
- Leverage word of mouth, interactions with trusted authorities, and brand experiences to drive your brand’s inclusion in the initial set of products considered.
- Treat each step in the journey as its own independent unit. Don’t expect the consumer to get all the necessary information by going through the entire journey. They may not do so. By thinking of each individual interaction as a micro-journey, you can better anticipate user need and offer both benefits and brand values.
- Focus on empathy. Design around customer journey by doing the necessary research to truly understand brand personas. What are the behaviors, attitudes, perceptions, and motivations of your consumer? The better you understand their mindset,the easier it will be to build the empathy needed to develop the brand experience that will truly connect with your target consumers.
Of course, understanding the consumer journey is only one part of the marketing process. You also need to understand the secret to omnichannel marketing success.
About Jeff
I’m a color commentator trapped in the body of a marketing strategist. So, while the marketing guy consults; the color commentator writes these articles. You can connect with me on Linkedin.
