If you’re in retail, you’ve probably heard the phrase “walk a mile in your customer’s shoes”. Well, a retail customer journey map can help you walk that mile in minutes.
In this blog, we’re going to take you through:
- The retail journey map: In a nutshell
- How to create a retail journey map in six steps
- A (fictional) example of a retail customer journey map
What is a retail customer journey map?
Why does Dave load his cart with his wishlist items only to close the tab?
Why does Feifei spend hours shopping for that one specific product only to put it back on the shelf?
Also, why do users download your app only to uninstall it after just one session?
Retail customer journey mapping can help you find the answers.
A retail journey map is a visual representation of the customer’s journey. Shown in a map, timeline or flow chart format, it gives a quick visual breakdown of your business through the customer’s POV.
From the beginning till the end and post-purchase, retail customer journey maps walk you through the different stages of the consumer’s experience with a retailer. Typically, a retail journey map includes three stages: pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase. So retail customer journey mapping is the process of mapping out these stages and the key touchpoints within each stage.
The average cart abandonment rate across all industries is 69.57%, according to Drip.com.
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How to create a retail customer journey map
Here are the six basic steps to follow in order to create an accurate retail customer journey map for your business.
Step #1: Fix a goal
Define the overall goal of your retail customer journey mapping project. This will help you determine which customer actions you need to track and analyze.
Moreover, depending on the size and scope of your retail operation, the goals may range from increasing online sales to improving in-store experiences.
Step #2: Select your tracking tools
The second step is to decide how you want to track and measure customer journeys.
This can include tracking customer behaviors through website analytics, surveying customers directly, or using social media platforms to observe trends and conversations around retail products and services.
Step #3: Gather data
Next, we gather the data associated with each retail customer journey stage. This data can be collected through a variety of sources such as website analytics, surveys, or interviews.
In order to gain an accurate picture of the retail customer journey, it’s important to collect data from all stages.
Step #4: Plot the touchpoints
The third step is to identify the touchpoints in the retail customer journey. If you want to create a truly omnichannel retail experience, you have to enable the customer to smoothly transition between multiple touchpoints.
To map out your touchpoints, you can break down your stages further into specific customer actions. These can be actions such as browsing online reviews, clicking on an ad, visiting a store location, creating an account or reaching out to customer service.
Step #5: Flesh out the map
The fifth step is to analyze the available data and expand on your retail journey map. This involves looking for patterns and trends as well as identifying any potential areas of improvement.
Once it’s plotted out, the retail customer journey map can then be used to inform decisions on how to optimize the retail customer experience.
Step #6: Update the map
Finally, it’s important to regularly review and update the retail customer journey map as new data is collected over time.
This will help ensure that your retail business remains up-to-date on consumer behaviors and preferences, allowing for better optimization of the user experience.
Retail customer journey map example: Amazon
We all know Amazon as the world’s largest internet retailer.
But, as this map of Amazon shows, it is also jungle-like in the scale of its ecosystem, with subsidiaries and verticals that include:
- AI
- Groceries
- Books
- Live streaming
- Healthcare
- Digital content services, and more. Phew!
To keep things simple, here’s a basic, imaginary example of what a retail customer journey map would look like for Amazon’s online shopping app.
Now, let’s break down the touchpoints aka customer actions by the three basic stages.
For the above stage, we can use a combination of sign-up forms, site/app analytics, CSAT and CES surveys to collect data.
In the above phase, it’s crucial to use analytics to monitor abandonment. Additionally, timely reminders, hassle-free checkout forms, flexible delivery options and a guest checkout option can help craft a smoother shopping experience.
In this phase, we can use the following tools to get data on the touchpoints above:
- NPS surveys
- Rating scale surveys
- Multiple-choice forms
- Qualitative feedback in the form of reviews, etc.
Wrapping Up
We hope that the pointers above will help you to create your own customer journey map. Aside from building a truly omnichannel experience, such a tool can also help you ensure that you meet your customer’s needs.
For example, if you’ve noticed that customers prefer to talk to customer service before making a purchase, you can set up a chatbot to answer frequently-asked questions. If your audience is active on social media, you can use a reputation management tool to monitor negative reviews.
Happy surveying!
