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84 Rutgers Business Review Spring 2020

Paths to Purchase: The Seven Steps of

Customer Purchase Journey Mapping

Barry Berman

Hofstra University

Abstract

A consumer purchase map details the decision paths and key interactions

customers encounter with a firm or brand as they move throughout the

purchase process. This article details a seven-step process that channel

members can use to better plan and implement customer journey mapping: (1)

developing an organization unit to manage the consumer purchase journey

mapping process; (2) mapping touch and interaction points; (3) identifying the

characteristics of effective journeys; (4) using maps to identify and reach

specific target markets; (5) measuring the strengths and weaknesses of the

customer experience through consumer purchase journey mapping; (6)

quantifying the benefits and costs of journey mapping and (7) avoiding pitfalls

in planning and implementing purchase journey mapping.

The Importance of Customer Journey Mapping

The consumer purchase map details the decision paths and key

interactions with a firm or brand as the customer moves through the

purchase process from awareness, to consideration, to search, to purchase

and to post-purchase behavior. The map identifies the firm’s most important

customer touchpoints in each target market, shows the different decision

paths taken by these audiences, and enables a marketer to measure the

overall value of each touchpoint. The mapping process identifies weak points

in a firm’s marketing strategy by comparing the actual versus desired

sequence among devices (PC and smartphone), departments (sales and

customer service), and channels (Web and store).

Customer purchase maps were first discussed in a McKinsey Quarterly

publication.

The process outlined by McKinsey is similar to the Buyer Utility

Map that is part of the Blue Ocean Strategy.

Both the journey map and Buyer

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Utility Map focus on the sequence of stages in the purchase cycle and the

customer experience.

The increased use of consumer purchase mapping is associated with the

use of omnichannel marketing strategies. Unlike multichannel strategies that

focus solely on either Web or store-based strategies, omnichannel marketing

recognizes that consumers often channel hop among channels and devices.

Customer journey mapping is an alternative to traditional segmentation

and cross-tabulation based studies that confine their analysis to a single

touchpoint. In contrast, journey mapping looks at the cumulative customer

experience across multiple touchpoints and multiple channels.

Mapping is

an effective technique to analyse a consumer group’s sequence of activities

and the proper handoff of customers from one touchpoint to another. The

purchase map enables marketers and academics to answer a series of

questions. These relate to customers’ use of an omnichannel strategy, the

quality of the customers’ experience at each stage of the buying process, and

synergies and disruptions at each purchase process stage. Through mapping,

touchpoints are viewed as complementary as opposed to being competitive

with one another.

Table 1. Major Differences between Consumer Purchase Mapping and

Traditional Market Research Techniques to Study Consumer Behavior

Consumer Purchase Mapping

Techniques

Traditional Market Research

 Examines touchpoint interaction across

channels and devices

 Looks at consumer behavior within a

specific channel or device

 Assumes that the purchase path can be

either linear or curvilinear

 Assumes a linear consumer purchase

path

 Looks at the customer’s total purchase

process experience

 Examines the customer’s experience at a

single stage of the purchase process

 Takes an omnichannel perspective  Takes a single or multichannel

perspective

Table 1 examines the major differences between analyzing consumer

behavior using traditional techniques versus consumer purchase journey

mapping. While traditional techniques focus on a single channel or device

(PC, tablet, iPad) at one point in time, consumer purchase mapping looks at

the touchpoint interactions across channels and devices within the entire

purchase process. Many cross tabulation-based or segmentation studies

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86 Rutgers Business Review Spring 2020

assume that a customer’s decision path is linear, while consumer purchase

journeys seek to determine whether linear or curvilinear purchase journeys

best describe consumer behavior. Lastly, traditional studies look at a

customer’s experience at one stage of the purchase process. In contrast,

journey mapping looks at the customer’s total experience across channels

and devices. In summary, journey mapping embodies an omnichannel

perspective, while traditional research has a single or multichannel

viewpoint.

Table 2. Key Marketing Issues that Can Be Resolved via Consumer Purchase

Mapping

Effective Use of Omnichannel Strategies

 To what extent do shoppers use online, store, mobile marketing or social media in

various stages of the consumer purchase process?

 Do gaps between consumer expectations and experiences exist between devices,

departments and channels?

 What are the potential synergies among touchpoints?

 What types of promotions and product information facilitate customer movement along

the purchase process? … hinder movement?

 Where are the significant defections in the buying process?

 Can a marketer reallocate resources, messages, and the touchpoint sequence to reduce

consumer defections along the consumer purchase process?

Response to Changes in Consumer Behavior

 How does consumer behavior change over time as a customer obtains experience with

a good or service provider?

 Do mapping results coincide with the growth of mobile phone and APP usage?

Effectiveness of Strategies for Each Major Target Market

 What combination of strategies and touchpoints are most effective for each major target

market?

 How effective is a firm’s marketing effort in low involvement versus high involvement

purchasing contexts?... B2B versus B2C environments?... complex versus commoditized

contexts?

Evaluation of the Customer Experience

 Do consumers face very inconsistent experiences and satisfaction levels based on the

touchpoints used? …the sequence of touchpoints used?

Every two years the Marketing Science Institute (MSI) asks its member

company trustees to list their most pressing concerns. MSI listed

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“Understanding Customers and the Customer Experience” as a Tier 1 priority

for 2014-2016 for both practitioners and academics.

This paper focuses on purchase journey mapping from a managerial

perspective. It develops a seven-step process to better plan and implement

journey mapping: (1) developing an organization unit to manage the

consumer purchase journey mapping process; (2) mapping touch and

interaction points; (3) identifying the characteristics of effective journeys; (4)

using maps to identify and reach specific target markets; (5) measuring the

strengths and weaknesses of the customer experience through consumer

purchase journey mapping; (6) quantifying the benefits and costs of journey

mapping and (7) avoiding pitfalls in planning and implementing purchase

journey mapping. See Table 2 for a listing of key marketing issues that can be

answered via journey mapping.

Customer Journey Mapping: Research Findings

This section summarizes the contribution of customer journey mapping

to two important research streams. The first stream questions the traditional

linear model of consumer behavior. The second looks at the role of the store

in an omnichannel environment.

Prior to consumer journey mapping many academics viewed the

consumer purchase process (from awareness, to familiarity, to consideration,

to purchase, and to loyalty) as funnel-shaped. The funnel shape suggests that

consumers narrow their alternatives as they move from one stage of the

purchase process to another. A study of National Hockey League membership

services found its customers rarely skip steps in their buying behavior.

Instead they move in a pattern characterized by increased commitment.

The

funnel shape implies that consumers drop out of the purchase for a given

brand and choose other brands instead or none at all. This explains why a 50

percent increase in brand consideration does not translate into a 50 percent

increase in sales.

In a nonlinear model consumer actions may overlap and be repeated as

opposed to being successive. Several studies question the funnel-shaped view

of the consumer purchase process. For example, due to conflicting users’

reviews the consumer research process can become more intensive.

McKinsey study, based on a sample size of 20,000 consumers across five

industries (automobiles, skin care, insurance, consumer electronics and

mobile telecom) and three continents, found that the funnel concept failed

to capture all of the touchpoints and key buying factors.

The study

concluded that the number of brands under consideration expanded as

consumers sought additional information during an extended evaluation

phase. In addition, two-thirds of the touchpoints during the active evaluation

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stage were consumer driven such as Internet-based reviews, word-of-mouth

recommendations, in-store interactions, and recollections of past

experiences.

Another McKinsey report found that, Business-to-Business (B2B) selling

had become less linear.

Likewise, a KPMG study concluded that the

traditional linear purchase path now appears as a cycle or a web. This shows

that customers often move back and forth at each stage due to the influence

of offline and online factors.

Research by Gartner found that that most B2B buyers are not clear about

how to get from problem to solution via a common series of jobs: finding

decision-enabling information, validating the information obtained, and

getting approval among internal stakeholders. As opposed to being a rational

series of steps, the B2B customer’s journey was found to better resemble a

maze rather than a linear path.

Despite these findings, funnel-based models

are still widely used.

The second stream of mapping-related research examines the role of store

versus other channels in the purchase process. An A.T. Kearney study of over

2,500 U.S. shoppers found that the most common of 30 possible purchase

journeys is a consumer solely using online for the initial product discovery

stage and the retailer’s store for trial, purchase, pickup, and return. Stores

were found to be the preferred single channel of all age groups.

Two-thirds

of customers purchasing online used a physical store before or after the

transaction. In addition, the returns stage is where consumers demonstrate

the highest preference for physical stores as compared with online

shopping.

These findings suggest that consumer mapping studies need to be flexible

in terms of their linear versus nonlinear shapes. Secondly, despite the heavily

publicized store closings and store-based retailer bankruptcies, the store is

still a vital channel to many consumers.

Planning and Implementing the Customer Journey Mapping

Process

The following section outlines a seven-step process that channel

members can use to better plan and implement journey mapping. These

steps include: (1) developing an organization unit to manage the consumer

purchase journey mapping process; (2) listing and mapping touchpoints and

interaction points; (3) describing the characteristics of effective journey

maps; (4) using maps to identify and reach specific target markets; (5)

measuring the strengths and weaknesses of specific touchpoints; (6)

quantifying the benefits and costs of mapping and (7) avoiding pitfalls in

planning and implementing purchase journey mapping. See Figure 1.

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Figure 1. Steps in Planning and Implementing an Effective Customer Journey

Map

Developing an Organization Unit to Manage the Consumer

Purchase Journey Mapping Process

A major challenge to the adoption of consumer purchase mapping is the

siloed nature of service delivery that exists at many organizations. In error,

many companies focus their efforts on improving existing processes as

opposed to of improving the customer experience.

14,15

With a silo perspective,

Developing an Organization Unit to Manage the

Consumer Purchase Mapping Process

Mapping Touch and Interaction Points

Identifying the Characteristics of Effective

Journeys

Using Maps to Identify and Reach Specific Target Markets

Measuring the Strengths and Weakness of Customer Experience

through Consumer Purchase Journey Mapping

Quantifying the Benefits and Costs of Journey Mapping

Avoiding Pitfalls in Planning and Implementing Purchase

Journey Mapping

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retailers and product managers separately examine each element of the

customer experience, such as a call center contact, television, Email, store,

kiosk, a Web site, an in-store experience, and/or Web forum. In contrast,

mapping examines all of the interactions across each touchpoint and device.

According to one study, the greatest challenge in creating an excellent

customer experience is not in creating separate well-designed touchpoints,

but in creating effective linkages across each touchpoint.

One way of overcoming a silo mentality is to assign responsibility for

purchase journey mapping to a consumer journey product manager. This

position leads scrum teams (or specialists across IT, analytics, operations,

marketing and other functional areas) responsible for examining synergies

across touchpoints, refining existing journeys, and eliminating pitfalls

customers encounter as they proceed through the purchase process.

The Royal Bank of Scotland eliminated its silo mentality by creating a

multi-functional committee to oversee its customer experience program. The

committee’s responsibilities include overseeing the full range of expertise

needed to design experiences at the bank. Previously, each service delivery

unit restricted its activities to a limited area.

Listing and Mapping Touchpoints and Interaction Points

Many of the steps in the purchase journey involve complex handoffs

between multiple internal groups where problems could easily occur. One

study of an energy company’s customer decision paths found that there were

19 customer interactions with complex handoffs among internal groups.

Another study of the mortgage application and receipt process had four high-

level services (purchase, administer, pay and redeem), 10 second-level

services, and 64 additional granular-level services.

One can simplify the

data collection and analysis process by focusing on select markets and

popular customer journey interactions. According to a McKinsey report,

targeting about 15 to 20 top journeys generally results in obtaining the most

value in the shortest time period.

The second part of this process lists each product journey mapping stage.

These stages are: awareness, evaluation, experiment, purchase use, and

brand/store loyalty. Another way to classify these stages is based on need,

research, decide, adopt, use, and recommend.

The more stages a firm choses

to study, the more complex the map becomes. One researcher concluded that

marketers should target stages in the decision journey as opposed to focusing

on the allocation of spending across media such as television, radio, online,

etc.

See Table 3 for a sample of touchpoint strategies for each consumer

purchase journey stage.

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Table 3. Sample Touchpoint Tactics for Each Consumer Purchase Journey

Stage

Awareness Stage:

 Placing relevant banner ads on mobile phone, laptop, PC

 Using referral marketing programs in-store, and online

 Advertising in traditional print, TV and radio media

 Utilizing the always on, always connected, and personalization features of mobile

media

 Providing promotion money directed at retail salespeople

Evaluation Stage:

 Utilizing consumer online product reviews

 Providing product ratings and awards from independent reviewing institutions

 Allowing live chat experiences with customer service personnel

 Making product manuals accessible online

 Developing Web-based videos detailing product set-up directions

 Promoting price matching policy on all channels and touchpoints

 Placing product specification sheets and frequently asked questions (FAQs) online

Experiment Stage:

 Enabling try on, try out, and product demonstrations in-store

 Providing store-based product assistance

 Promoting ease of store return

Purchase Stage:

 Listing in-store inventory on a firm’s Web site

 Promoting ease of store return regardless of place of purchase (store versus Web)

 Offering locational-sensitive offers visible on a mobile phone

 Promoting availability of two-day free shipping online

 Providing price matching guarantees that are promoted in-store and online

 Advertising credit availability

Brand/Store Loyalty Stage:

 Enabling consumers to track loyalty program data

 Allowing online tracking and reporting of past purchases and need for product

replacement, product servicing, and consumable purchases

One author recommends that the customer journey be constructed in

stages with the first stage consisting of sales personnel including inside sales,

outside sales, enterprise sales, account managers and sales operations.

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Additional data for mapping process journeys can come from mobile

marketing interactions, consumer surveys, loyalty program data, sales

databases, customer service satisfaction scores, panel data, and social media

sites. The Customer Experience Professionals Association & Heart of the

Customer survey found that the top five sources were in-person interviews,

in-person focus groups, Web-based surveys, workshops involving customers,

and phone-based interviews.

A number of software mapping firms have developed tools to illustrate

the touchpoints used at different stages of the buying process. Mapping

vendors include: Autopilot, CustomersFirstNow, Smaply, SugarCRM,

TandenSeven, Touchpoint Dashboard, and UXPressia. Many of these software

applications allow users to develop customized flowchart type maps to

examine customer experiences by target market, to show how journey maps

change over time, and to determine which messages and interactions are

most effective and which need corrective action. According to a consulting

firm no single application captures, aggregates and analyzes customer

activities in all touchpoints. As a result, marketers need to purchase, and

integrate and analyze a number of consumer journey analytics applications

and to compare the findings.

Describing the Characteristics of Effective Journeys

Effective journeys have four characteristics: automation, proactive

personalization, contextual interaction, and journey innovation.

Automation enables customers to quickly execute complex processes such as

obtaining specific directions from one’s home to a close-by retail store.

Proactive personalization customizes the customer experience based on

his/her past behavior such as past purchases and customer service

interactions. Contextual interaction recognizes where a customer is in the

purchase journey such as reading a product’s online reviews and then draws

the customer to the next interaction (such as a $10 off limited time coupon

offer). Lastly, journey innovation identifies new sources of value for the both

the customer and the firm such as integrating multiple services into a single

customer experience (like booking an airplane seat, hotel, car rental, and

dinner at a hotel with one transaction).

A study of bookstore buying behavior found similar characteristics

associated with effective mapping. The study found the three main drivers of

excellence: (1) customization (expecting to design specific order and

promotions based on their usage profile); (2) making the consumer feel

integrated—customers want to be part of the bookstore and to offer a

pleasant environment through organizing events and through attractive

window displays; and (3) getting consumers to actively participate through

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book presentations, cocktail receptions, and dinners with authors.

Table 4

provides examples of strategies to reduce dropouts and increase customer

flow across channels and devices.

Table 4. Selected Tactics to Increase Customer Flow Across Channels and

Devices

Tactics to Increase Customer Flow: Web to Store

 Providing in-store inventory information on a firm’s Web site, including aisle location

 Indicating the closest store locations, directions and hours on Web site

 Listing models on display at a retailer’s nearest store location on the retailer’s Web site

 Accepting Web purchases for in-store returns

 Designating a special in-store pickup location for online purchases

 Listing a store’s weekly store-based sales brochure on the retailer’s Web site

 Using iBeacons to refer Web customers to closest store

Tactics to Increase Customer Flow: Store to Web

 Referring store-based customers to the firm’s Web site for additional product

information and/or customer reviews

 Enabling in-store customers to order goods online when goods are not in stock at store

 Providing free Web access to store-based customers to see reviews, obtain additional

product information, and to increase customer engagement

Tactics to Increase Customer Flow within the Firm’s Web Site

 Listing alternative trade-up models detailing extra features, warranty, etc.

 Indicating store policy of matching prices of select Web-based competitors on each

screen

 Incorporating augmented reality in Web site to enable consumers to better visualize

product placement and use

Tactics to Increase Customer Flow within the Firm’s Store

 Providing free in-store Wifi access for customers to get additional product information

and product reviews

 Offering to ship goods from closest store or to reserve goods at nearby location when

goods are out of stock

 Incorporating augmented reality in the store to enable consumers to better visualize

product placement and use and to increase engagement

Using Maps to Identify and Reach Specific Target Markets

An important aspect of customer journey mapping is its ability to view

how different segments progress through the buying process. Large

segments, such as the mass market, and profitable segments (such as

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relationship customers and heavy users), merit separate study. Different

types of content can appeal to different target audiences.

A study of 505 Dutch panel members looked at household purchases of

financial services within a 12-month period.

Researchers identified four

different consumer search strategies: information seekers, reassurance

seekers, peace-of-mind seekers, and convenience seekers. Each subgroup had

different search behaviors. Information seekers focused mostly on the

Internet, whereas reassurance seekers were just as likely to use offline

channels, as well as the Internet. Peace-of-mind seekers preferred personal

contact, while convenience seekers were less likely to consult their personal

contacts than the other three groups.

An analysis of over 1,100 bookstore consumers found two segments with

distinctly different purchase journeys: curious consumers and planners.

Curious consumers visited the bookstore very carefully and were very open

to the customer experience. On the contrary, planner consumers acted in a

focused manner and were very precise in their activities. Curious consumers

spent more time in the bookstores, even if they did not make any purchase,

while planners sought a brief visit. Curious consumers interacted with other

people in the bookstore, while planners interacted with technology in their

desire to be autonomous and independent.

Measuring the Strengths and Weaknesses of Specific Touch Points

Measures used to evaluate purchase journeys need to change from

specific touchpoint-related goals, such as shopping cart abandonment, Web

pages viewed per visit, and same store sales growth, to broader journey

outcome measures. As an example, a telecommunications firm now holds

sales agents, technicians, the call center, and the back-office agents all

responsible for a trouble-free installation, as opposed to requiring each

person to hand off the customer to the next touchpoint. Likewise, an energy

company has adopted new cross-functional measures for each frontline

employee that handles address changes.

It is also important that marketers measure service quality in a similar

manner as its consumers. Royal Bank of Scotland monitored its service

quality using such measures as days from mortgage application to mortgage

offer, the number of incomplete applications, and incorrect property

valuations. These and other bank key performance indicators were not

aligned with consumer views of the service experience.

Marketo, a marketing automation software provider, uses three major

classes of analytics. It first looks at the customer journey map to better

understand where people are in the journey, how quickly they move from

stage to stage, and where they are getting stuck. The second class of analytics

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personalizes the information and interactions. The third class ties analytics

to sales and profit impacts.

Nokia uses Marketo to obtain statistics as to

whether a customer has visited a Web site, downloaded a white paper, or

attended a Webinar. Nokia claims that this process helps it to better

understand customer needs, provide the right content, and nurture the

customer.

Analytics that measure the success of touchpoints should look at

customer’s earlier communications activity, their carryover and spillover

effects, and their relative incremental impact. One study found that neither

the last click nor the seven-day average metric are good measures for

understanding the impact of firm and consumer-initiated channels. These

single metrics only consider visits that result in immediate conversion.

Quantifying the Benefits and Costs of Mapping

One study argues that the ability to shape customer journeys will become

a decisive source of competitive advantage.

Researchers found that

performance on journeys is 30 to 40 percent more strongly correlated with

customer satisfaction than performance on specific touchpoints and 20 to 30

percent more strongly correlated with such business outcomes as high

revenue, repeat purchase, low customer churn, and positive word of mouth.

A McKinsey study of over 100 B2B sales organizations found that

organizations that are ready to meet customers at different points in their

purchase journeys are better able to exploit digital tools, allocate sales and

marketing resources, and stimulate collaboration between sales and

marketing functions. Among the benefits of mapping were an up to 20

percent increase in customer leads, a 10 percent growth in first-time

customers, and a decrease of up to 20 percent of the time interval between

qualifying a lead and closing a sale.

A major European bank sought to improve customer satisfaction and

reduce its overall costs by 35 percent. The bank mapped its 10 most important

journeys including the mortgage process, new business and personal

customers, and retirement planning. After an 18 month process, the bank

achieved lower operating costs, a close to 20 percent increase in online

customers, and an over 50 percent increase in the number of customers using

its mobile app.

Another important financial benefit of mapping is the better allocation of

marketing budgets to different consumer buying process stages. Through an

analysis of dozens of marketing budgets, McKinsey consultants found that 70

to 90 percent of advertising and retail promotion expenditures were

incorrectly directed at the consider and buy stages.

The study concluded

that consumers are more influenced during the evaluate and enjoy-advocate-

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bond stages. In many categories the single most important impetus to

purchase was another consumer’s advocacy. A product with weak reviews or

without online discussion is not likely to survive the winnowing process.

Likewise, an analysis of the purchase journey of National Hockey League

ticket holders found several past strategies to be ineffective. Contrary to

belief among salespeople with little experience, text-based communications

alone had a negative effect on the sale of full memberships. Individuals that

purchased single game tickets were found to be less likely to buy season

tickets. Data from customer purchase mapping suggests that moving

customers first to smaller plans is more effective in selling bigger ticket

subscriptions.

Accurately estimating the costs for delivering each service element can be

difficult. The Royal Bank of Scotland found that its accounting system did not

accumulate costs for each customer journey. As a result, the total costs of

service delivery were not visible to those making customer management-

based decisions. To correct this problem, the bank changed its simple

overhead allocation approach to consumption volume cost accounting. This

enabled costs to be allocated costs by product, by journeys within each

product, and finally by individual services in each product journey.

Traditional Web-based measures (such as shopping cart abandonment,

acquisition rate, bounce rate) and store-based measures (such as sales per

square foot or same store sales growth) need to be replaced by measures that

look at the interaction of touchpoints, the flow of consumers from trial to

purchase, and consumer satisfaction throughout the purchase process.

Interaction-based measures include net promoter scores, customer loyalty

measures, and customer satisfaction measures. These metrics measure a

customer’s overall experience as opposed to their experience at one stage of

the overall customer journey.

Avoiding Pitfalls in Planning and Implementing Purchase Journey

Mapping

There are a number of pitfalls firms need to avoid in planning and

implementing purchase mapping. These deal with treating each touchpoint

as a separate experience, ignoring the customer’s omnichannel experience,

errors in data collection and analysis, and not recognizing that the consumer

purchase map is subject to rapid change.

A common error is for a firm to look at each touchpoint as a separate

experience rather than as the interaction of a series of experiences. A

consumer defection, for example, can be the culmination of a series of

unsatisfactory experiences as opposed to the most recent negative

experience. The customer experience also needs to be evaluated from a

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holistic perspective and include contact with personnel connected to billing,

scheduling of service calls, and service delivery.

Another set of pitfalls involves management policies that interfere with

an omnichannel-based purchase process flow. These include an omnichannel

retailer’s having different prices in-store versus online, using different SKU

designations in different channels, and/or a Web site’s having a different look

and feel on laptops, mobile devices and tablets.

Managing the complexity of data collection and analysis related to

touchpoints, channels, and customer satisfaction is quite difficult. Some of

the data are quantitative, while others are qualitative. One study of 350

executives found that 41 percent of respondents did not feel confident that

they have all of the information to understand their consumers and to deliver

better experiences.

Lastly, mapping needs to be continually updated to reflect changes in

competition, technology, and consumer behavior. As an example, the role of

geofencing in mobile marketing can have a drastic effect on consumer

behavior. Similarly, solutions suggested by journey mapping need to be

validated. Firms need to be aware that clearing up one problem area may lead

to issues involved in another.

Conclusion

Consumer purchase mapping is an important technique to better

understand consumer behavior in the current omnichannel environment. It

is not uncommon for a consumer to become aware of a product from a

specialty magazine, to evaluate the product based on an in-store

demonstration, to read product reviews online, to research in-store product

availability online, and to purchase the product at the nearest store.

Much current research looks at the role of selected devices and

touchpoints and not their interaction, or evaluates marketing based on the

accumulation of experiences as opposed to individual paths.

In contrast,

the mapping process enables marketers and academics to see the interaction

among touchpoints, to determine the most relevant message for each stage

and device, and to better visualize and more fully understand drop-outs

within the purchase process.

The transition to mapping requires firms reexamine their organization

format, seek synergies and reduce drop-outs across multiple touchpoints,

and develop appropriate broad-based marketing objectives. The firm’s

organization format needs to look at consumer behavior that spans multiple

touchpoints, devices and channels.

A good mapping process recognizes that customers will not always follow

the same path. Due to these distinct paths a customer can use, marketers

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need to make sure that the appropriate follow-up interaction is available

between all channels and touchpoints.

Lastly, journey mapping enables

firms to assess their performance based on the journey’s outcome and total

customer experience, instead of looking at specific satisfaction metrics based

on single touchpoints.

A firm’s readiness to utilize purchase mapping can be characterized into

one of three stages. In Stage 1 a firm begins to recognize the importance of

journey mapping and is exploring its usefulness. Stage 1 firms have conducted

little planning in conjunction with mapping beyond looking at very

preliminary cost-benefit analysis. In Stage 2 firms begin to utilize journey

mapping on a limited basis scale (perhaps studying the shopping behavior of

heavy product users or looking at the most popular sequence of activities

pursued by their customers). Firms in Stage 2 may decide to initially

outsource selected aspects of journey mapping. Stage 3 firms demonstrate

the greatest commitment to journey mapping as evidenced by the complexity

of their models. Many Stage 3 firms have gone through the sequence of Stages

1 and 2. While some Stage 3 firms have developed their own infrastructure

for implementing journey mapping, others have chosen to outsource selected

aspects of journey mapping.

Author

Barry Berman is the Walter H. ‘Bud’ Distinguished Professor of Business and the

Academic Director of the E.M.B.A. program at the Frank G. Zarb School of Business,

Hofstra University. He is the author of textbooks in retailing and marketing and

articles in such journals as Business Horizons, California Management Review, and

the International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management. He is also author

of Competing in Tough Times (Financial Times Press). Dr. Berman has consulted

for a variety of organizations including Frankemuth Insurance, Duane-Reade, NCR,

Simon Properties, and Tesco Ireland. Dr. Berman has served as President of the

American Collegiate Association (ACRA) and was co-founder of the American

Marketing Association Special Interest Group in Retailing and Retail Management.

He is the recipient of the Hall of Fame Award from ACRA, Teacher of the Year

Award from the Hofstra M.B.A. Association, and Alumni Achievement award from

the Ph.D. Alumni Association of C.U.N.Y.

email: [email protected]

Endnotes

1. Court, D., Elzinga, D., Mulder, S., & Vetvik, O. (2009, June). The consumer decision

journey. McKinsey and Company.

2. Kim, C.K., & Mauborgne, R. (2004). Blue ocean strategy. Boston, MA: Harvard Business

School Press.

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3. Rawson, A, Duncan, E., & Jones, C. (2013). The truth about customer experience. Harvard

Business Review, 91(9), 90-98.

4. MSI (n.d.). Understanding Customers, Research Priorities, 2014-2016. Cambridge, M.A.:

Marketing Science Institute.

5. George, M., & Wakefield, K.L. (2018). Modeling the consumer journey for membership

services. Journal of Services Marketing, 12(2), 113-125.

6. Berman, B., & Thelen, S. (2018). Planning and implementing an effective omnichannel

program. International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, 46(7), 598-614.

7. Court, D., Elzinga, D., Mulder, S., & Vetvik, O. (2009, June). The consumer decision

journey. McKinsey and Company.

8. Ibid.

9. Lingqvist, O., Plotkin, C.A., & Stanley J. (2015, February). Do you really understand how

your business customers buy? McKinsey and Company.

10. KPMG. (2017). The Path to Purchase Journey. KPMG International Cooperative.

11. Whitler, K.A. (2018, September 8). If you think that the customer journey is linear or a

funnel, new research suggests you are wrong. Forbes.

12. Brown, M., Moriarty, M. & Mendoza-Pena, A. (2014). On Solid Ground: Brick-and-Mortar

is the Foundation of Omnichannel Retailing. A.T. Kearney.

13. Ibid.

14. Rawson, A, Duncan, E., & Jones, C. (2013). The truth about customer experience. Harvard

Business Review, 91(9), 90-98.

15. Bollard, A., Larrea, E., Singla, A., & Sood, R. (2017, March). The next generation operating

model for the digital world. McKinsey and Company.

16. Rawson, A., Duncan, E., & Jones, C. (2013). The truth about customer experience.

Harvard Business Review, 91(9), 90-98.

17. Maklan, S., Antonetti, P., & Whitty, S. (2017). A better way to manage customer

experience: Lessons from the Royal Bank of Scotland. California Management Review,

59(2), 92-115.

18. Rawson, A., Duncan, E., & Jones, C. (2013). The truth about customer experience.

Harvard Business Review, 91(9), 90-98.

19. Maklan, S., Antonetti, P., & Whitty, S. (2017). A better way to manage customer

experience: Lessons from the Royal Bank of Scotland. California Management Review,

59(2), 92-115.

20. Bollard, A., Larrea, E., Singla, A., & Sood, R. (2017, March). The next generation operating

model for the digital world. McKinsey and Company.

21. Sweetwood, A.K. (2016, August 23). How one company used data to rethink the customer

journey. Harvard Business Review.

22. Edelman, D.C. (2010). Branding in the digital age: You're spending your money in all the

wrong places. Harvard Business Review, 88(12), 62-69.

23. Qaqish, D. (2018, July 10). Customer journey mapping in three steps. American Marketing

Association Marketing News.

24. Tincher, L. (2017, August 31). Driving change through journey mapping. Heart of the

Customer.

25. Fluss, D. (2017). Will customer journey analytics be the next CRM? Customer

Relationship Management 21(5), 6.

26. Edelman, D.C., & Singer, M. (2015). Competing on customer journeys. Harvard Business

Review, 93(11), 88-97.

27. Addis, M. (2016). Understanding the customer journey to create excellent experiences in

bookstores. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 8(4), 20-36.

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28. van der Veen, G., & van Ossenbruggen, R, (2015). Mapping out the customer's journey:

Customer search strategy as a basis for channel management. Journal of Marketing

Channels, 22, 202-213.

29. Addis, M. (2016). Understanding the customer journey to create excellent experiences in

bookstores. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 8(4), 20-36.

30. Rawson, A, Duncan, E., & Jones, C. (2013). The truth about customer experience. Harvard

Business Review, 91(9), 90-98.

31. Maklan, S., Antonetti, P., & Whitty, S. (2017). A better way to manage customer

experience: Lessons from the Royal Bank of Scotland. California Management Review,

59(2), 92-115.

32. Lamont, J. (2016, October 30). Web analytics: Insights into the customer journey. KM

World.

33. Li, H., & Kannan, P. K. (2014). Attributing conversions in a multichannel online

marketing environment: An empirical model and a field experiment. Journal of

Marketing Research, 51(1), 40-56.

34. Edelman, D. C., & Singer, M. (2015). Competing on customer journeys. Harvard Business

Review, 93(11), 88-97.

35. Rawson, A., Duncan, E., & Jones, C. (2013). The truth about customer experience.

Harvard Business Review, 91(9), 90-98.

36. Lingqvist, O., Plotkin, C. A., & Stanley, J. (2015, February). Do you really understand how

your business customers buy? McKinsey and Company.

37. Bollard, A., Larrea, E., Singla, A., & Sood, R. (2017, March). The next generation operating

model for the digital world. McKinsey and Company.

38. Edelman, D. C., & Singer, M. (2015). Competing on customer journeys. Harvard Business

Review, 93(11), 88-97.

39. George, M., & Wakefield, K.L. (2018). Modeling the consumer journey for membership

services. Journal of Services Marketing, 12(2), 113-125.

40. Maklan, S., Antonetti, P., & Whitty, S. (2017). A better way to manage customer

experience: Lessons from the Royal Bank of Scotland. California Management Review,

59(2), 92-115.

41. Ollila, E. (2018, September 24). Five issues with your customer experience strategy.

SmarterCX.

42. Stein, A., & Ramaseshan, B. (2016). Towards the identification of customer experience

touch point elements. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 30, 8-19.

43. Kolsky, E. (2015, April 1). Why journey mapping wastes time and money. Destination

CRM.