Why You Need To Take the Digital Customer Journey Seriously

The modern customer expects their digital experiences to be personal and highly-relevant. They demand their interests, preferences and specific needs addressed. Every new Google algorithm released makes it harder for businesses to survive online, if they are unable to deliver quality experiences to customers.

Apple, Google and Amazon are mega companies whose mission is focused on individual customers by resetting their expectations. This website explains that, 80% of customer purchases will take place without human interaction by 2020.

It’s The New Normal

The digital customer journey is now the new normal and businesses that ignore it, do so at their own peril. Customers now no longer need to walk into stores to identify what they need. The click of a button online directs them to the right websites, where they can save preferred items on a wish list.

Depending on client needs, a physical visit can be arranged to view items, but it’s no longer necessary. Push notifications have streamlined communication between retailers and buyers who stay updated on items they are interested in.

Smartphone apps link to stores and businesses now help customers read reviews on products and compare prices before making final purchases. Smart watches can quickly and efficiently be used to authenticate payment, simplifying the whole process.

The Benefits Are Numerous

The digital customer journey has numerous benefits for the discerning business. Customer experiences and metrics generated digitally can increase your conversion rates, customer acquisition and retention.

Statistics on customer site usability can be used to fine tune websites, significantly impacting businesses. Customer session replays combined with performance data can help companies quickly diagnose and pinpoint errors to solve them.

Customer journey maps can support user experience designers identify gaps in the customer experience and point to possible corrections. Customer journeys can be optimized when IT experts test website content and campaigns before going live.

Enhanced Business Performance

If you don’t take the chance to optimize digital channels, your business will underperform. Grab opportunities to engage actively with your customers on their digital journey.

Use business-process software and services to identify the triggers for individual customer needs in real time. This can help you personalize approaches in making up-sell or cross offers.

The McKinsey website states that the rewards for optimizing the digital experience are big. Marketing productivity can be increased by up to 20% in organizations that use data to make superior marketing decisions. In grocers focusing on customer analytics, the growth rate of earnings is 11% compared to their competitors 2%.

Maximizing Return on Investment

Maximizing your return on investment remains a key factor in business. The digital space has become super competitive such that only those who work smarter and more efficiently will stay ahead.

To make significant impact with limited resources, in-depth knowledge of digital customer journeys, advanced digital marketing strategies must be merged with technology and data.

Understanding the customer journey at each stage of the life cycle can make you more effective in delivering accurate experiences, at the right time to the right customer. This results in maximized consumer engagement and conversion rates with every digital interaction.

Aligning customer journeys with digital marketing focuses resources and initiatives where they matter hence eliminating waste and lost ROI.

The impact of ignoring the customer journey compounds over time and results in a definite disadvantage for your business. If you care about your brand, conversion rates, and other business metrics, you need to start taking the digital experience seriously.