Today’s real Purchase Journeys
The purchase journey captures all the key events, decisions, actions, and interactions from the moment the consumer identifies a need or desire to the moment of purchase.
A well thought through Purchase Journey enables clients to examine the consumers’ choices at each stage along the way, identifying where people either move on to the next step or drop out. The insights from the purchase can direct when, where and even how information is delivered to positively impact the purchase decision.
Some consumers take a very conventional and linear approach, methodically progressing step by step along the journey, whilst others might take multiple steps in one go, defying the traditional logic of the progressive journey of one step at a time.
We may even find some genuinely impulsive customers, as they fast track from an initial desire to a purchase decision – short-circuiting most of the rational steps of information gathering and purchase justification, as they fulfil a more emotionally driven desire.
Understanding each component of the purchase journey and its importance has and remains key to effective marketing planning.
Purchase Journey analysis used to be linear. But not anymore.
For decades, the AIDA funnel model was highly effective, identifying the cognitive stages an individual goes through and tracing the customer journey through Awareness, Interest, Desire and Action.
AIDA pinpointed how and when to communicate during each stage, which media to deploy and where to reach consumers with the greatest impact. It summarised the entire experience and interactions with a brand, both online and offline — including marketing communications, retail staff, product information, customer support, online reviews, and website experience. The classic funnel could explain and map the whole journey – methodically and rationally.
But the AIDA model has undergone many developments and transformations. In 2017, ADK Insights developed an advanced linear Purchase Journey that extended the complete journey and added more variables.
What has changed? The new circularity.
Dramatic changes in the last decade in how consumers buy have made AIDA almost obsolete. From the consumer perspective, journeys are not a funnel. The immense influence of digital and social media platforms has made the purchase journey circular and non-linear simply because today’s shopping environment is complex and sometimes messy. Consumers go back and forth between different stages, skip steps, or give up altogether.
The online world enabled the changing purchase journey, but the Covid-19 pandemic amplified it. Brands have been forced into radical new approaches to meet consumer demands. The omnichannel approach is one such response as consumers want both the new ways and old ways of shopping. They like the convenience and immediacy of the digital experience but appreciate and enjoy the physicality of shopping with their senses. And consumers do not distinguish between media and communication channels. They expect seamlessness and are intolerant of disjointed marketing. That is true whether they are browsing in a store, relaxing at home, or waiting for a train with their mobile, consumers want their experience to be cohesive.
The consumer is at the centre of their purchase journey while influencing other consumers on the path to purchase. The client joins the conversation via engagement as a guide, not a gatekeeper.
Whereas the AIDA model used to end at purchase, post-purchase stages are as important for repeat purchase and referrals – social media drives a feedback loop that has shifted power from seller to buyer. No two journeys are exactly alike – clients have less control over much of the information about their products and services. What’s more, the brand messages they do create are often trusted less than content created about the brand by consumers.
Positive or negative interactions and comments can pull more consumers in or push more consumers out, entering any stage of this new circular path to purchase. The consumer is at the centre of this journey, but the brand can still join in and help guide the way.
Our dual approach to Purchase Journey analysis –
Following the TOUCHPOINTS – so many (new) platforms with varied influences
Preparing a marketing strategy and customer journey map for the Omnichannel generation may be challenging. Yet, by building a flexible, all-around, adaptive approach, we can refocus efforts on being consumer-centric while also taking advantage of the ever-changing media landscape.
From social media ads to email campaigns, billboards to TV commercials, and pop-up ads to product placements, the noise and competition for attention make it more critical to create engaging and memorable experiences that stand out, such as interactive advertising, augmented reality experiences, personalised advertising to deliver tailored messages, branded content on videos or blog posts, and more.
By using innovative creative that meets consumers’ expectations at each stage of the journey, brands can increase engagement, build loyalty, and drive conversion.
Identifying the VALUE DRIVERS – KEY to influence actual purchase
Consumers pass through all the Purchase Journey phases in an almost endlessly circular motion, exposed to and influenced by the varied touchpoints. Anywhere along the circular journey, consumers make the purchase.
Triggers – or – Value Drivers have become important. A VALUE DRIVER is an event that creates a clear need for a buyer, leading to a sense of purpose and urgency in their buying action.
Many Value Drivers may play a role – from the highly rational issues around product performance, reliability, durability, and cost of ownership to the more emotional territory of perceived freedom, need for instant gratification, belonging, excitement and status.
We have defined three varieties of Value Drivers –
- Tangible drivers – specific product features directly relevant to consumer needs such as convenience, budget, performance, compatibility, number of functions, etc.
- Disruptive drivers – latest consumer trends, such as diet, health and wellness awareness, environment consciousness, exposure to new food, new technologies, new retail concepts, etc.
- Core drivers – the brand provides a strong sense of self-expression. Its products make the consumer feel rewarded (‘I deserve’), proud (‘I am proud to buy it’), creative, confident, knowledgeable, independent, safe and secure, etc.
An example of a popular Value Driver is ‘Guilt and Reward’ – addressing the importance of environmental consciousness can create an emotional connection with consumers. By highlighting eco-friendly choices, we tap into consumers’ desires to make responsible decisions, ultimately fostering a positive feeling.
Another example of a widespread post-Covid19 Value Driver is the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) – Social media’s influence on FOMO cannot be underestimated – it is leveraged by offering limited-time promotions and exclusive deals, encouraging consumers to act impulsively to ensure they get all the valuable opportunities.
Each consumer’s journey to purchase is highly individual and even a unique experience – the issues which will be strong Value Drivers for one person may be just a hygiene factor for another.
Some may go through the journey at high speed, circumnavigating some steps, whilst others may need to take their time, returning to specific points and dwelling longer on those vital factors.
How can ADK Insights help?
ADK Insights analyses the touchpoints as they influence consumers, measuring how much weight each touchpoint carries at each stage, from awareness building to information gathering, model and brand consideration, shortlisting and final purchasing.
We look at the role of traditional and online media (owned, paid for and earned) and evaluate the influence of the brand owner and retailers/dealers through their visibility and presence in-store and online. We also aim to understand the impact of word of mouth, peer-to-peer reviews and the power of face-to-face interaction and in-store demonstration.
Our methodology aims to capture the reality (or rather realities) of the Purchase Journey by identifying the key value drivers, and the output explores the core Journey for the ‘mainstream’ and a number of interesting alternative routes taken by other profiles.
We combine qualitative exploration of the rational and emotional factors shaping the Purchase Journey at quantitative scale to validate ideas and generate reliable insights.
We speak to users/owners who have recently completed a purchase, as well as those who are currently partway through the Journey and even those who have abandoned the Journey. Users/owners, intenders and even rejecters can each reveal valuable insights to build the most compelling and accurate Purchase Journey and to identify the critical points of truth along the way.
ADK Insights is ready to help clients better manage these challenging times. As an agency specialising in identifying and creating new market opportunities, we can advance the purchase journeys, purchase experience and user experience of consumers to ensure a better competitive edge.
To learn more about our new purchase journey analysis tools, please contact Nimrod, Rob or Dam.