![]() That helps establish a rapport with consumers, but it doesn’t move the needle on activation. Just as we check out the forecast before heading out the door each day, so to must we keep in mind the ever-changing trends that are shaping consumer tastes. As the outer layer of our marketing sphere, they are the perfect metaphor for fickle consumer tastes and trends. It’s an ever-changing swirl of currents, winds and weather patterns. Now that we’ve established our theory, let’s use a more recognizable sphere – Earth – as a way of understanding how this new paradigm of consumer purchasing behavior maps to the funnel stages to which we’ve grown accustomed.įor starters, take the Earth’s atmosphere. We (Marketers and Consumers) Are The World Such connection requires a focus on customer empathy – meeting people where they are, on their terms – another aspect represented by the surface of the sphere. Success with the sphere requires a broader effort to connect with customers in a non-sequential manner around their ever-evolving set of core beliefs, attitudes and preferences (something I refer to as the Kaleidoscope Effect, which we’ll tackle in a future post). This is a major paradigm shift from the tactical optimization mindset that focuses on pushing traffic and removing barriers in a linear process of distinct stages. It’s a lofty goal – but it leads to more realistic, effective marketing strategies than trying to funnel customers down a pre-defined path. ![]() Not gonna lie – viewing the customer journey as a sphere burdens marketers with the impossible task of being top of mind and present everywhere. The path to purchase is equally short wherever a person is “located” along the surface of the sphere. The ability to make purchases from anywhere, such as on a mobile device means that consumers can hyperspace to a purchase as soon as they get a notion. I call these “Moments of Inspiration” or MOI. The sparks that lead to an action along that surface mark the beginning of today’s customer journey. The vast surface of the sphere represents the expansive range of a potential customer’s physical location or state of mind. Buying impulses come from anywhere – online, offline, directly or indirectly. Why a sphere? Because it best explains how consumer purchasing behavior is evolving. ![]() It’s time to say goodbye to the funnel, and hello to the sphere. But as digital traffic and activation continues to move beyond the desktop, the funnel framework becomes irrelevant. It can uncover problem areas where traffic may be bailing out due to poor user experience, design, lack of information or other reason. Using this funnel metaphor is helpful for optimizing the online purchase path, particularly for websites. The narrow bottom of the funnel reflects how only about 2 out of every 100 people entering an e-commerce website make a purchase. Traffic enters the wide top of the funnel and narrows as traffic drops off at each successive stage, from the upper funnel on down to the mid and lower funnel. The funnel mirrors the increasingly smaller amount of traffic in each stage of the online buying process. Many e-commerce marketers however, continue to view the customer journey as a linear path to a purchase – often referred to as a conversion funnel. The consumer’s journey from ideation to purchase – typically thought of in stages – has never been shorter. Looking up product information, reviews and price comparisons can be done in seconds. There’s an overwhelming amount of product options at our fingertips, ready for immediate purchase. Today’s technology enables us to make purchasing decisions more quickly than ever before.
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