That the world has changed and companies need to adapt to new customer needs is nothing new. Much less that the digitization of shopping journeys or virtual interaction with establishments must be carefully established, because in a more connected world, bad experiences (but good ones too) are just a few clicks away from going viral.

New context, new journey

However, more than digitization, that is, replicating - within what is possible - the physical service model but in the digital environment, we believe in making a real transformation in the way of customer service. It is not just the quality of the service or product that matters, but the service and the pre and post purchase journeys.

The current trading system is becoming increasingly complex, as it allows and, in many cases requires, different types and moments of interaction between consumers and the company. There are many more points of contact with the consumer, who are exposed to digital media channels, such as Instagram, Twitter or TikTok and a vast amount of digital platforms (websites, blogs, etc.). More relevant than that, it is common for there to be many more ways to make the purchase - via website, social media, mobile application, in the store directly, via another distributor - or even a combination of all this. 

The journey of the digital consumer

The consumer's journey - from the moment he realizes his need to post-purchase - has become one of many avenues and multiple devices. This implies many points of contact: how many times have you visited the website of the company that sold your last purchase online?

Being a consumer journey that covers all these points, they can be long, touching several sales channels and commonly lasting days or weeks. Consumers are increasingly omnichannel and more rigorous with their experiences, which are more than the set of their contact points. How, then, to improve the consumer's digital journey? 

The solution is to be more customer-centric than ever

Let's go through parts of what makes up a digital journey: considering that the customer journey is the path that the consumer takes when starting, cultivating and maintaining a relationship with the brand, it essentially covers all points of contact between these two parts . 

Digital Transformation in Real Life

Some things are important, regardless of business: 

Make decisions based on data

It is necessary to map all contact points to collect and interpret information on how customers behave at each one. From this data collection and analysis, form your personas and ensure that your team will constantly review them, so that the needs of customers are clear. 

So, you need to take time to understand your customers' behavior. You will eventually discover that you have different journeys for different types of customers. Invest in a tool that maps activities across all your channels. What are the channels most used by your personas? How does the time and pattern of purchase vary between them? And between the different regions of your service area? How much time is spent on each of your pages and how does it vary between different devices?

How to maintain creativity in a data-driven environment?

Design, Implement and Revisit:

Your digital journey should be simple. When reviewing the map of your customer journeys, make sure they are easy enough that they can be constantly improved, based on the data and understanding of your persona needs.

Focus on UX / UI

create attractive designs, but more than that, test the design to understand whether, in addition to drawing attention, the design is usable. BDD and TDD practices can be useful at this point. Monitor usability and stability. Data, again. A tool that gives you visibility and data about user behavior and, at the same time, monitors the server side of your website or application makes up the necessary 360 view.

Pay attention to brand consistency

today, brands that have a clear and strong position are best remembered by consumers. Make sure your value proposition and communication are connected throughout the journey. Pay attention that the experience between devices (mobile vs. computers) has the same guiding thread, so that there are no gaps in the content or categories of the website or gaps between channels (example: in the transition from a social network to the website).

Macro look, not micro

as mentioned, the shopping experience occurs, in some cases, in multiple channels and via multiple different devices. There are many points of contact between the consumer and the brand. You should keep a macro eye and focus on the guiding line between everyone - on the journey as a whole - instead of each of the points, considering that the journey can be long and occur in different channels and contact points, which can last for days or weeks .

Ensure alignment between strategic, tactical and operational levels

If we are trying to ensure a consistent consumer experience, there must be a change from the inside out. Everyone in the company must be working towards the same goal. Goals shared between different areas can be a first step. Also, ensure that everyone in the organization who is directly involved in this customer journey - from marketing to IT - has access to the data being generated.

How to improve the journey?

In short, what tie all this up? Create a continuous improvement program. Map points of friction and, from there, implement PDCA cycles - Plan, Do (Check) and Act (Act). From the data, take the time to understand the reasons for the friction and direct your efforts to address the roots of each problem. A continuous improvement program will require that you have data and the ability to process it, that your journey is simple enough to enable constant maintenance, that you test and learn from the designs that consumers respond best to, that you pay attention to. have a macro and consistent view of the journey and, finally, that your organization is completely obsessed with making the customer experience the best it can be.