How you can use Customer Journey Mapping to produce a User Experience Design that creates loyal customers

How you can use Customer Journey Mapping to produce a User Experience Design that creates loyal customers

Technology has changed the way you do business. What is “doing business”? It is evident that when you started your business, it was with the intention of making enough money to sustain your lifestyle. You may have a passion that you wanted to bring to others, or you may have wanted to acquire new skills. This is surprisingly one of the biggest reasons that people take the risk of branching out on their own.  

Running a company isn’t simply bringing an idea to consumers. It’s about executing the skills necessary for them to recognize their need for your idea and convert them into customers. Combining a Consumer Journey Mapping technique to create a good User Experience Design, we will explore how you can understand the customer’s journey. This will help you determine how best to gain new customers and retain existing ones.

What is the consumer journey?

eCommerce has markedly altered how end-users relate to you as a business. In some ways, it’s better because there are multiple avenues you can use to reach them. The average person has approximately nine connected devices at any given moment. The bad news is that thousands more products and services are in the mix with yours to tempt your targets.

There are three moments of truth where a consumer decides whether they are moving forward with a purchase.

1. The first time this occurs is when they are looking at the product either in-person or online.
2. The second one is when they pull the trigger and click the Order button.
3. The third is when they decide if it meets their expectations and shares their opinions with the world.

Don’t you want to be a step ahead of your competitors? Not that long ago — only 20 to 30 years — a consumer’s journey consisted of a linear path. They might see a billboard or a TV ad that creates a need for your product. They would learn about the product through the ad, go to the store, and buy it.

The journey today is a combination of smaller paths before someone gets to the purchasing stage. Transitioning from being a window shopper to becoming a customer involves making many minute decisions, so reaching potential clients at different parts of their journey is essential. Points on the map include:

1. Awareness – you create interest and make your target market aware that your product or service exists. The avenues that you can use include:
   1. Social media and advertising on search engines
   1. Email and text marketing
   1. TV/radio/billboard/online display ads
   1. Word of mouth

• Search – Studies have shown that 69% of shoppers research their interests on Google, 61% use Amazon, and about 43% use social media. You want to be findable. Avenues to reach potential clients include:
  • Online searches as a “near me” options
  • Organic results
  • PPC (Pay-per-click) ads
  • Ads on maps
  • Ads on apps
  • FAQs/demos
  • Testimonials/product comparisons

• Research – this is where they learn about what you offer through various means to see if you have what they want in a product:
  • Blogs/articles
  • Reviews
  • Word of mouth
  • Social media

• Purchase – Converting a customer is the most challenging aspect for a business. Whether a salesperson or your reputation has to convince the consumer that your product is best for them, almost 70% abandon their cart at this point. Here is where you want to consider different payment options and the ease of using your checkout page. You want their journey to be as seamless as possible. People can become customers through:
  • In-app purchases
  • Online booking
  • In-store purchase
  • eCommerce through your website

• Advocacy – The relationship you create with your customers will determine what they say when they post about you on social media, talk to their friends, or write a review. Your journey as a business doesn’t stop at the sale. You must ensure that each person’s expectations have been met to keep them loyal.

Why is it important to map the consumer’s journey?

A Customer Journey Map visualizes the steps that each person takes before they truly become a customer. It allows marketers and business owners to analyze a person’s mindset and define pain points that can be overcome.  Analytics can help you determine where the customer vacillates, stops their purchase, and why. The results of mapping the customer journey can be stunningly effective, with results that include:

1. An increase in conversion rates and customer loyalty.
2. Improve the cohesiveness of each department in a company by creating a customer-centered approach.
3. An increase in ROI

How do you create a Customer Journey Map?

Creating an effective map consists of gathering data from your core buyers. It can take time but is entirely worth it in the end. So, how do you go about the process?

1. First, outline the personas and goals of the buyer.
   1.  You will be creating different maps for each persona so that you can accurately consider the wants and needs that drive their unique behaviors.
   1. Interviews and surveys are the perfect tools for collecting data.
   1. What is the action you wish for the buyer to do on your site? Are you pushing for a sale or for them to fill out a form? Once you land on that goal, you can map what path each person took to get there.

• Second, list out each touchpoint.
  • Where do you come in contact with the consumer? Is it your eCommerce store that you advertise through social media? Or is it through in-app ad placements? You can find much of this information through Google Analytics. It highlights your most popular landing pages and the origin of your traffic.
  • One of the biggest questions you should always ask your customers, whether you are investing in traditional or digital advertising, is HOW DID YOU DISCOVER US? This simple question can help you pinpoint where your marketing investments pay off the most.

• Create the map.
  • Your map will differ from anyone else’s because it’s based on your specific strategy and goals. Fill in the steps for each persona and walk through it yourself to determine its accuracy.

Why is User Experience Design so crucial in helping your business thrive?

What exactly is User Experience Design (UXD)? Companies use this process to determine how consumers interact digitally with their brands. It’s a deep examination of the how’s and why’s of their journey, such as:

• What do they like?
• Who are they?
• What are their values?
• What are their abilities and limitations?

User experience is every part of the interaction between you and your customer, from web presence and services to communication channels and products. You can never underestimate the importance of UX when doing business on the internet. If the page loads too slowly, the potential client will leave. If your site is laid out poorly and is hard to use, they will leave. Content is also essential. If you come across negative, they will leave. If the copywrite is confusing, they won’t read it. It’s always necessary to strive to create a positive UX.

How can you create a good UX?

How do you want to experience a company? How do you want to be treated? Do you want information that’s easy to read? You can use some of these benchmarks to offer that level of conduct to your target market. Some tips for ensuring this happens include:

• Create a user-friendly interface with easy interactions, whether it’s customer service or eCommerce.
• Ensure the content is understandable, informative, straightforward, and consistent.
• Make navigating between pages easy to do.

UXD process occurs after working five primary phases:

• Using analytics to research the buyers’ desires.
• Defining how you can meet these desires.
• Generating the design of your page.
• Prototyping your design and repairing the bugs that occur.
• Developing the website interface that is the final working product.

Being thoughtful about how you present yourself to the customer is essential to creating loyalty. Making informed decisions based on the information you discover in the analytics stage can highlight where you are having problems that prevent conversions.

Successful businesses never stop altering their Consumer Journey Maps as they adapt to the ever-changing market. You will find loyal consumers when you meet their exact needs without complicating their experience. Users want their experience to be personal and positive. If you can provide that, they will be loyal!