It is difficult to decipher for what reasons clients browse products in an e-store, why they add them to a cart, and then close a page and do not finalise a purchase. Abandoned carts are one of the most common problems in e-commerce. How to detect, recognise and eliminate the problem that customers encountered on their way? Create a customer journey map.
Customer journey map
On the way from becoming interested in a product to finalisation of a transaction there are many steps which may cause clients to change their minds. It is a very good idea to visualise all steps that a customer has to take so that a transaction can be finalised.
Customer journey map, in other words, is a visual presentation of that whole process. With its help you can get to know the needs of your clients, but also elements which make them resign from making a purchase.
How to create a customer journey map?
- Define clear goals for your company.
- Create a persona and define goals of a model client.
- Make a list of all steps that the client has to take in order to make a purchase (starting from social media, through clicking on a list of products to end with “pay” click).
- List all the goals that you want a client to carry out (not only purchase, but also e.g. loyalty to a brand).
- Go on a shopping journey as a client – consider emotions a client has while travelling on your website.
- Analyse the results and introduce necessary changes in brand’s communication or on the website.
Customer journey map should be updated, on average, every three months. Focus on the analysis of the results and on the purchase path of a client. Analyse and monitor where it is likely for an element to appear that may cause a problem to your client while he/she is making a purchase. This might be a problem with the UX of the site (it uploads too slowly, it isn’t clear, the “grab” button does not work), or maybe the problem lies in the communication of the brand (e.g. lack of replies on social media). Detailed analysis and detailed description of individual points you will find in the Ecommerce customer journey article.
Work as a team
It is a good idea to ask people not related to the industry for advice and to ask them to make a fictional purchase − it may turn out that those things that are clear for you, might not be so for a user. Apart from that, engage the whole team in that, analyse steps of e-customers together and visualise all their steps on the map, write down all strong and weak aspects of individual points, that you care about and which are not taken/initiated by clients. Focus on a client and on satisfying his/her needs − once you do that, there is a great chance that the client will finalize the purchase.