The term "customer journey" is often used by marketers. However, many people are unclear about what it actually is. The literal translation already gives us an idea: the customer's journey. In other words, the journey a customer takes to ultimately make a purchase. It is very important to map out this journey. When you do this, you'll also know what changes you can make to persuade more customers to purchase. You'll see the points where things might go wrong, but also the things that are currently appealing. But what exactly is the customer journey? And what phases does one go through before they will make a purchase?
The customer journey, therefore, represents the complete journey customers take to ultimately purchase your services or products. This begins with entering a search query in a search engine and ultimately ends up with a product in their digital shopping cart. When put like that, you might think this journey only takes a few minutes to an hour. Nothing could be further from the truth. Research has shown that potential customers need quite a few touchpoints before they actually make a purchase.
During the customer journey, it is therefore important that all possible customer questions are answered and that reliable information is provided. When trust in your products and/or services grows, the customer journey is more likely to be successfully completed. Documenting the customer journey not only helps you optimize this journey but also discover how to maintain valuable customer relationships.
The customer journey can be divided into different phases. On average, a customer needs 7 to 10 touchpoints to make a purchase. At any point, things can still go wrong. Therefore, it's important to know what happens during each phase and what it looks like for the potential customer. We are talking about approximately five different phases:
Phase 1: In this stage, the customer comes into contact with your products or services for the first time. This can be through a social media ad or via search results in Google.
Phase 2: Next, the customer enters the deliberation phase. Here, they're unsure whether to do business with your company. They might be comparing your products or services with the competition. This is a very critical phase. With clear communication, you'll be able to secure the customer.
Phase 3: This is the purchase phase. Although it may seem like the customer journey is over now, this is still a very critical phase. A lot can still go wrong. For example, consider a malfunctioning website that prevents a quick checkout. This could lead the customer to go to a competitor after all. This is also why technical SEO It is also important that various payment methods are offered so that the customer can pay as they wish.
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