The Buyer's Journey - The Customer's Path To Purchase

 

 The decision to purchase a product or service is one which is marred by many uncertainties. This means that before a customer reaches the decision to make a purchase, he/she must have been able to resolve any reasonable doubt that presented an obstacle. Understanding the phases that customer's go through before making a purchase is vital for any business owner, as this will determine productivity and ultimately success.

The buyer's journey describes the process a customer goes through to purchase a product or service. It is important to understand that the buyer's journey is different from the customer's journey. According to Bynder.com, the customer's journey refers to the path of interactions an individual has with your brand, product and/or services.

 In all, there are three main stages in the buyer's journey and they are;

• Awareness Stage
• Consideration Stage
• Decision Stage

Awareness Stage

The awareness stage is the first phase in the buyer's journey. This is because it occurs when a buyer experiences a problem and seeks to better understand this problem. The buyer in this stage looks to find more informational resources, research data, opinions and insights in other to clearly comprehend and give name to his/her problem. Examples of channels which buyers go to for more information include blogs, search engines like Google, Bing, etc, and on social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, etc.

 Consideration Stage

This is the second phase in the buyer's journey. Here the buyer will have clearly defined and given a name to their problem, and they are committed to researching and understanding all of the available approaches and/or methods to solving the defined problem or opportunity. In other words, the prospect isn't ready to buy, but is deciding on the potential solutions. Ideal channels for content in the consideration stage include; Blogs, Search Engine Marketing, Email Marketing, and Social Media.

Decision Stage 

This is the stage where people figure out exactly what it would take to become a customer. This means that the buyer has decided on their solution strategy, method, or approach. Their goal now is to compile a list of available vendors, make a short list, and ultimately make a final purchase decision. According to HubSpot.com, ideal channels for decision stage content include; Website, Email Marketing, and Live Chat and Chatbots for Service.

 In summary, it is vital for business owners to understand these phases which customers go through before making a purchase because it will help them in providing adequate and relevant content that provides answers to the customers questions. Only after the customer goes through all these stages will he/she make a purchase decision.