A Complete Guide for the Customer Journey

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What is a Customer Journey?

What is a customer journey in terms of navigating through a website? It’s just like it sounds…their journey, what they see, feel, touch, and overall experience while they are on your website. This applies to every interaction on the internet.

CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization) and CJO (Customer Journey Optimization) are often intertwined to create the same effect of making a better experience for your customer. 

The Concept Of Technology The Internet And The Network Businessman

Why is CJO so important?

Like most experiences in this world, people are attracted to the ones that they are most comfortable with. 

A good example is a supermarket. A traditional supermarket is set up in a way where people can expect to find things in certain places, whether it be fresh produce at the entrance to the labelled aisles indicating what contents are to be found.

What would happen if the aisles were not marked and the products not aligned together? What if the 10 types of canned goods were spread over 10 aisles? The shopping experience would be a disaster and EVEN if the prices of supermarkets were potentially cheaper than its competitor, customers will fly away to the nearest supermarket that followed their expectations. 

It all comes down to expectations.

Like the supermarket idea, eCommerce websites work the same way. You need to put yourself (and a focus group) in front of your website and ask them and yourself, what do you expect to see when you come to this page?

More importantly, buyer beware causes many internet users to steer clear away from anything that may look fishy.

For example, if your website doesn’t have the following it may diminish your customer’s trust 

Logo – Your logo gives credibility to you, to show that you exist and can stand behind your products.

Secure check out – is your website protected with https encryption? People want to make sure that their information is being stored securely.

Images – People need to see the products that they are buying.

Reviews – Allowing people to leave reviews of your products, to gain the wisdom of the crowd and to show that your products are being purchased and being used.

With the assumption that you have all of these items in place. Your visitor is on your home page and you have imbued them with initial confidence that you are here to stay and willing to stand behind your products, the next important question is…

What do you want your visitors to do next?

What do you want your visitors to click on or navigate to? The answer is different for every website as the goals of each website are going to be different. More challenging yet, not every visitor will respond the same way, so your website will have to be slightly multi-directional and focused at the same time.

One item that has worked time and time again for example is the big red button. A centrally focused, above the fold (which means the user doesn’t have to scroll to see it) call to action button just being begged to be clicked or tapped. 

Another can be a visual journey that takes the customer down the page leading them to a call to action after they have processed the information that you want them to gather.

Note: This process is going to take a long time to perfect with much testing, but well worth it in the end. 

I got them to page 2, now what?

Great! They’ve clicked on something and are now on a second page, you’ve achieved a great thing already but you’re not done yet. First of all, make sure to have tracking on your website with Google Analytics. This will help tell you where people are clicking, when and if they are leaving your site, so you know exactly what to optimise. 

Each successive page acts the same way until they check out. Remember, no surprises (or no bad surprises) your customer needs to know what to expect at each stage. For example, if your customer adds a product to their shopping cart, a visual notification should appear that it was successfully added to cart. 

Check out time

Checking out is the most important but most nerve wracking part for the customer. It’s where they are placing their sensitive payment information into your system (see above about security) all the while your buyer may still be teetering if they are sure they want to buy the product(s).

This is why this page has to be the most happy and user friendly page you have ever seen.

A good idea is to break it down into a few steps.

Billing information: Asking for the customer’s billing information and credit card (or other payment method).

Shipping Address: Confirming the customer’s shipping address, having them type it out to make sure that it’s 100% correct (or at least not your fault if it’s incorrect) This is where the shipping method can be included as well.  

A view of the cart should be visible the whole time with the ability to add or remove, and change quantities of the product if needed. Naturally you want the customer to check out already, but the last thing you want is for them to go back to the store and start the whole process again. 

Finally the complete transaction button needs to be clicked and tapped to complete the purchase – Hooray! 

But wait, there’s more.

The customer’s journey is not over until they actually get the product and that means you need to keep hand-holding them until they actually get it.

Step 1: Post Purchase Thank You page.

What does the customer see now that they’ve completed the purchase? Usually it’s some kind of thank you page, confirming the most important thing for the customer that their “purchase was successful, thank you!”. 

From here you will probably lose the customer’s attention but you don’t have to. While many will click away to the next thing on their todos list, you may have an opportunity to bring them back to the store with some on site offers.

For example “Thank you for your purchase! Click below to return to the store and see our amazing new offers” You should also offer the customer a chance to follow you on social media.

Warning: You may not want to offer a discount at this point as the customer may feel cheated that they just bought something at full price. 

Step 2: Post Purchase Email.

The journey continues with the post purchase era of the transaction via  email. An email should go out immediately confirming the purchase, its contents and expected arrival date given the selected shipping carrier.

When possible or even in a second email for shipping, a tracking number and link should be sent out to the customer so they feel that their purchase is being handled correctly and they can track its progress. 

Step 3: Post Purchase Follow up.

Once the customer has received their purchase, it’s time to create an email sequence with new offers, promotions, and asking for feedback on their previous purchases to help boost your credibility for future buyers. At this point it’s a good idea to offer discounts as a way to bring those customers back time and time again. 

Optimise! Optimise! Optimise!

Every stage of this process requires optimisation. As we said above, using Google Analytics is the best way to track your website’s activities, time on site, and where your visitors are missing the mark, and more importantly, where they are hitting the mark.

The best way to do this is to set trials and goals with a reasonable time span to test the theories. Then analyse if it’s working.

Sometimes you’ll need to optimise one piece, and sometimes an overhaul is needed. 

CRO and CJO can be challenging, and if you need help, you can always hire an agency to guide you through it. 

FAQs

What is the difference between customer journey and user experience?

User experience is the immediate experience of a shopper in your eCommerce store that is a result of your conversion optimization. It comes from whether the website loads fast, is uncomplicated and easy to navigate, and is a pleasant experience.

User experience is what the visitor experiences from the moment they enter your website until purchase.

On the other hand, customer journey categorizes what level of engagement a customer has with you. A CJO plan starts from how you engage prospective customers to how they end up becoming loyal patrons of your business.

Customer journey is what the consumer experiences from the moment they learn about your business until they become fans of your brand.

Why is customer journey optimization important?

When you plan out and implement your customer journey optimization, you will be able to ensure that you are keeping your customers engaged and patronizing your brand for a lifetime.

This ensures sustainable conversions in the long run.

Is product development part of improving the customer journey?

Indirectly, yes.

While product development is not a technical task in CJO, it is a part of your business that improves from the feedback you receive from marketing metrics.

You should make your product better based on customer feedback. And doing so helps to keep your customer continuing on the “journey”.

Is CRO part of CJO?

They are partners.

Your ability to lead people to purchase something from your business is part of how you move people in the entire customer journey process.

Is social media part of CJO?

Yes.

The customer’s journey is not exclusive to your website and you will have to manage engagements with your audiences in all touchpoints.

Should I outsource my eCommerce marketing?

Yes. If you are a business owner, your time is most probably already spent on operations.

Hand the technical work to a separate team so you won’t have to stretch yourself managing multiple rigorous tasks.

Marketing has its own entire world of requirements that you cannot do alone while you take on other vital aspects of your business.

Kas Andz

Kas Andz

Author

Kas Andz is a multi-award-winning marketing leader, and the founder of KAMG. He is one of the top digital marketing experts in the UK and has helped companies and brands across Europe, North America and Asia to achieve greater revenue and expand sustainably. He also tries to play football when he can but doesn’t succeed as well as he would like.

Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 08, 2022

This Privacy Policy describes Our policies and procedures on the collection, use and disclosure of Your information when You use the Service and tells You about Your privacy rights and how the law protects You.

We use Your Personal data to provide and improve the Service. By using the Service, You agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Interpretation and Definitions

Interpretation

The words of which the initial letter is capitalized have meanings defined under the following conditions. The following definitions shall have the same meaning regardless of whether they appear in singular or in plural.

Definitions

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy:

  • Account means a unique account created for You to access our Service or parts of our Service.

  • Company (referred to as either “the Company”, “We”, “Us” or “Our” in this Agreement) refers to Kas Andz Marketing Group, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN.

  • Cookies are small files that are placed on Your computer, mobile device or any other device by a website, containing the details of Your browsing history on that website among its many uses.

  • Country refers to: United Kingdom

  • Device means any device that can access the Service such as a computer, a cellphone or a digital tablet.

  • Personal Data is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual.

  • Service refers to the Website.

  • Service Provider means any natural or legal person who processes the data on behalf of the Company. It refers to third-party companies or individuals employed by the Company to facilitate the Service, to provide the Service on behalf of the Company, to perform services related to the Service or to assist the Company in analyzing how the Service is used.

  • Usage Data refers to data collected automatically, either generated by the use of the Service or from the Service infrastructure itself (for example, the duration of a page visit).

  • Website refers to Kas Andz Marketing Group, accessible from kasandz.

  • You means the individual accessing or using the Service, or the company, or other legal entity on behalf of which such individual is accessing or using the Service, as applicable.

Collecting and Using Your Personal Data

Types of Data Collected

Personal Data

While using Our Service, We may ask You to provide Us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify You. Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to:

  • Email address

  • First name and last name

  • Phone number

  • Address, State, Province, ZIP/Postal code, City

  • Usage Data

Usage Data

Usage Data is collected automatically when using the Service.

Usage Data may include information such as Your Device’s Internet Protocol address (e.g. IP address), browser type, browser version, the pages of our Service that You visit, the time and date of Your visit, the time spent on those pages, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

When You access the Service by or through a mobile device, We may collect certain information automatically, including, but not limited to, the type of mobile device You use, Your mobile device unique ID, the IP address of Your mobile device, Your mobile operating system, the type of mobile Internet browser You use, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

We may also collect information that Your browser sends whenever You visit our Service or when You access the Service by or through a mobile device.

Tracking Technologies and Cookies

We use Cookies and similar tracking technologies to track the activity on Our Service and store certain information. Tracking technologies used are beacons, tags, and scripts to collect and track information and to improve and analyze Our Service. The technologies We use may include:

  • Cookies or Browser Cookies. A cookie is a small file placed on Your Device. You can instruct Your browser to refuse all Cookies or to indicate when a Cookie is being sent. However, if You do not accept Cookies, You may not be able to use some parts of our Service. Unless you have adjusted Your browser setting so that it will refuse Cookies, our Service may use Cookies.
  • Flash Cookies. Certain features of our Service may use local stored objects (or Flash Cookies) to collect and store information about Your preferences or Your activity on our Service. Flash Cookies are not managed by the same browser settings as those used for Browser Cookies. For more information on how You can delete Flash Cookies, please read “Where can I change the settings for disabling, or deleting local shared objects?” available at flash player.
  • Web Beacons. Certain sections of our Service and our emails may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs) that permit the Company, for example, to count users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics (for example, recording the popularity of a certain section and verifying system and server integrity).

Cookies can be “Persistent” or “Session” Cookies. Persistent Cookies remain on Your personal computer or mobile device when You go offline, while Session Cookies are deleted as soon as You close Your web browser. Learn more about cookies on the Free Privacy Policy website article.

We use both Session and Persistent Cookies for the purposes set out below:

  • Necessary / Essential Cookies

    Type: Session Cookies

    Administered by: Us

    Purpose: These Cookies are essential to provide You with services available through the Website and to enable You to use some of its features. They help to authenticate users and prevent fraudulent use of user accounts. Without these Cookies, the services that You have asked for cannot be provided, and We only use these Cookies to provide You with those services.

  • Cookies Policy / Notice Acceptance Cookies

    Type: Persistent Cookies

    Administered by: Us

    Purpose: These Cookies identify if users have accepted the use of cookies on the Website.

  • Functionality Cookies

    Type: Persistent Cookies

    Administered by: Us

    Purpose: These Cookies allow us to remember choices You make when You use the Website, such as remembering your login details or language preference. The purpose of these Cookies is to provide You with a more personal experience and to avoid You having to re-enter your preferences every time You use the Website.

For more information about the cookies we use and your choices regarding cookies, please visit our Cookies Policy or the Cookies section of our Privacy Policy.

Use of Your Personal Data

The Company may use Personal Data for the following purposes:

  • To provide and maintain our Service, including to monitor the usage of our Service.

  • To manage Your Account: to manage Your registration as a user of the Service. The Personal Data You provide can give You access to different functionalities of the Service that are available to You as a registered user.

  • For the performance of a contract: the development, compliance and undertaking of the purchase contract for the products, items or services You have purchased or of any other contract with Us through the Service.

  • To contact You: To contact You by email, telephone calls, SMS, or other equivalent forms of electronic communication, such as a mobile application’s push notifications regarding updates or informative communications related to the functionalities, products or contracted services, including the security updates, when necessary or reasonable for their implementation.

  • To provide You with news, special offers and general information about other goods, services and events which we offer that are similar to those that you have already purchased or enquired about unless You have opted not to receive such information.

  • To manage Your requests: To attend and manage Your requests to Us.

  • For business transfers: We may use Your information to evaluate or conduct a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of Our assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which Personal Data held by Us about our Service users is among the assets transferred.

  • For other purposes: We may use Your information for other purposes, such as data analysis, identifying usage trends, determining the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns and to evaluate and improve our Service, products, services, marketing and your experience.

We may share Your personal information in the following situations:

  • With Service Providers: We may share Your personal information with Service Providers to monitor and analyze the use of our Service, to contact You.
  • For business transfers: We may share or transfer Your personal information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of Company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of Our business to another company.
  • With Affiliates: We may share Your information with Our affiliates, in which case we will require those affiliates to honor this Privacy Policy. Affiliates include Our parent company and any other subsidiaries, joint venture partners or other companies that We control or that are under common control with Us.
  • With business partners: We may share Your information with Our business partners to offer You certain products, services or promotions.
  • With other users: when You share personal information or otherwise interact in the public areas with other users, such information may be viewed by all users and may be publicly distributed outside.
  • With Your consent: We may disclose Your personal information for any other purpose with Your consent.

Retention of Your Personal Data

The Company will retain Your Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We will retain and use Your Personal Data to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (for example, if we are required to retain your data to comply with applicable laws), resolve disputes, and enforce our legal agreements and policies.

The Company will also retain Usage Data for internal analysis purposes. Usage Data is generally retained for a shorter period of time, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of Our Service, or We are legally obligated to retain this data for longer time periods.

Transfer of Your Personal Data

Your information, including Personal Data, is processed at the Company’s operating offices and in any other places where the parties involved in the processing are located. It means that this information may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of Your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ than those from Your jurisdiction.

Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by Your submission of such information represents Your agreement to that transfer.

The Company will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that Your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and no transfer of Your Personal Data will take place to an organization or a country unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of Your data and other personal information.

Disclosure of Your Personal Data

Business Transactions

If the Company is involved in a merger, acquisition or asset sale, Your Personal Data may be transferred. We will provide notice before Your Personal Data is transferred and becomes subject to a different Privacy Policy.

Law enforcement

Under certain circumstances, the Company may be required to disclose Your Personal Data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g. a court or a government agency).

Other legal requirements

The Company may disclose Your Personal Data in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:

  • Comply with a legal obligation
  • Protect and defend the rights or property of the Company
  • Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the Service
  • Protect the personal safety of Users of the Service or the public
  • Protect against legal liability

Security of Your Personal Data

The security of Your Personal Data is important to Us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While We strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect Your Personal Data, We cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Children’s Privacy

Our Service does not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13. If You are a parent or guardian and You are aware that Your child has provided Us with Personal Data, please contact Us. If We become aware that We have collected Personal Data from anyone under the age of 13 without verification of parental consent, We take steps to remove that information from Our servers.

If We need to rely on consent as a legal basis for processing Your information and Your country requires consent from a parent, We may require Your parent’s consent before We collect and use that information.

Links to Other Websites

Our Service may contain links to other websites that are not operated by Us. If You click on a third party link, You will be directed to that third party’s site. We strongly advise You to review the Privacy Policy of every site You visit.

We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third party sites or services.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update Our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify You of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page.

We will let You know via email and/or a prominent notice on Our Service, prior to the change becoming effective and update the “Last updated” date at the top of this Privacy Policy.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, You can contact us:

  • By email: team@kasandz.com