Here’s an interesting fact about most consumers: They don’t just decide to purchase a product or support a brand — there’s a specific journey they must embark on before these decisions are made.
It’s known as the consumer journey, a decision-making process designed to guide consumers to purchase and cultivate brand loyalty. Sharmin Attaran, PhD, Professor of Marketing, Director of the Digital Marketing program at Bryant University, recently spoke with us about the decision stage of the consumer journey (we'll get more into that later) and that conversation inspired us to zoom out and look at the journey itself.
Here’s an in-depth look at the cycle:
1. Awareness
As the first step in the consumer journey, the awareness phase is a collection of eye-opening moments for the consumer. It’s perhaps the first time a consumer realizes they are in need of a certain product or service. It could also include the moment a consumer is introduced to your brand. In either case, it’s certainly the stage where consumers will be looking for more information.
Being that the consumer journey is just beginning, the experience is quite moldable, giving you the opportunity to lead the consumer in the direction that will best fit their individual needs. You want to make sure that they have all the information necessary so that when the time comes, they’ll be confident your brand is the best decision. That information may look like clear descriptions of your product’s abilities, paid advertisements and marketing messages, or educational resources.
2. Consideration
Once consumers are aware of your brand and they’ve decided they like what you have to offer, they’re off to the next stage: consideration.
If consumers have made it here, you can officially label them as interested. This is the stage where they really begin to consider the possibility your product or service could be the one they end up purchasing. However, the fate of your product or service is up in the air. Consumers are still able to be swayed in another direction if they see another brand offering the same solution or a better deal.
Consumers may use this time to compare various brands, price points or any differentiating factors between your brand and your competitors.
3. Decision
This is the climax of the consumer journey. It’s the point where consumers consider all of the information they’ve gained thus far and decide if the brand or product in front of them has what it takes to help them solve their problem.
They’ll want to see exactly what life would be like if they did decide to move forward with your brand and the best way to find out is by seeing the thoughts of others who tried your product.
Any resources you have detailing the benefits of your product or service (testimonials, expert reviews, awards, etc.) will come in particularly handy during this stage.
4. Retention
Once consumers have decided to become customers, you want to keep them that way. The goal is to continuously treat your customers with care and reinforce their decision to buy from your brand.
Checking in with your customers, having a loyalty program, producing quality products, being proactive and fixing any issues when they arise can significantly impact retention rates and solidify consumer confidence in your brand.
5. Advocacy
When a consumer is satisfied with your brand during the consumer journey, there’s nothing stopping them from spreading the word about their experience. Creating a seamless experience for customers is the key to turning them into brand advocates and influencing them to introduce new customers to your brand.
The consumer journey is meant to help customers have the utmost confidence in their purchase decisions. Understanding the thought processes that coincide with each step can better allow you the opportunity to support your customers.
