How Do Your Shoppers Shop?

by Julia Giacoboni, Director of Product Marketing

The Buyer Journey Has Evolved 

We have always been told the traditional buyer journey looks something like this: a consumer in the market for a product or service begins their journey by browsing online, finding the solution or product that meets their needs. Eventually this consumer would make a trip to the business, the sale would be made, and the consumer would be on their way. Effectively this would end the relationship between the customer and the business.  

This journey resembles a funnel, where the consumer progressively moves from one stage to the next, starting at “in market” and eventually moving down to “ready to buy”. 

While marketing tactics have been structured around the old school idea of the buyer journey, customers have never shopped in such a linear fashion. The traditional buyer journey was based merely on assumptions and was a framework to start building marketing strategies. 

Social media platforms and the internet are establishing the true buyer journey, as well as contributing to the evolution of how shoppers connect with brands. No longer do consumers need to go into a brick-and-mortar shop. With online shopping, trends and patterns are easier to dissect and understand.  

Buyers Stay Engaged with Brands Post Purchase 

Nowadays, we are finding consumers continue to connect with brands online even after a purchase has been made. With the ever-growing use of social media, consumers will often publicly promote their feelings toward their recent purchase, whether positive or negative, and sometimes even return to the business website to browse inventories.  

Thanks to fullthrottle.ai’s integrated marketing platform, powered by proprietary, patented technology - we're able to track online shopping activity, and we have seen this play out with our own clients’ customers. Within weeks of a purchase these patrons are back to look at the inventory either to make sure they made the right decision or to look for deals on their next purchase. 

Say Hello to the “Loyalty Loop” 

Given this added touchpoint, a more accurate depiction of a buyer journey would be an initial phase of window shopping (in-person or virtual, maybe even both) and making a purchase, followed by a “loyalty loop” where the customer is enjoying their purchase while promoting it to friends and family, continuing their relationship with the brand beyond their initial purchase. 

Identifying this crucial stage that is missing from the classic funnel depiction will allow companies to connect with their customers more effectively through various channels like social media, email and more. 

Identify Your Own Loyalty Loop with fullthrottle.ai^TM

At fullthrottle.ai^TM, we have capitalized on this new awareness with our platform's capabilities, by scoring households’ propensity to purchase based on their shopping patterns over time; not by whether they’ve made a purchase within an arbitrary period of time.  

What was once viewed as a linear buyer journey has now evolved into a loyalty loop where brands and consumers interact and build relationships before, during, and after purchases. Imagine the marketing tactics you can unlock with these powerful insights. 

fullthrottle.ai^TM can identify your best customers and market to them at the correct time. To discover how your website visitors shop and interact with your products, schedule your free demo today and see our platform in action.