The funnel metaphor does help a good deal-for example, by providing a way to understand the strength of a brand compared with its competitors at different stages, highlighting the bottlenecks that stall adoption, and making it possible to focus on different aspects of the marketing challenge. But our qualitative and quantitative research in the automobile, skin care, insurance, consumer electronics, and mobile-telecom industries shows that something quite different now occurs.Īctually, the decision-making process is a more circular journey, with four primary phases representing potential battlegrounds where marketers can win or lose: initial consideration active evaluation, or the process of researching potential purchases closure, when consumers buy brands and postpurchase, when consumers experience them (Exhibit 2). Marketers have been taught to “push” marketing toward consumers at each stage of the funnel process to influence their behavior. Then, the postsale phase becomes a trial period determining consumer loyalty to brands and the likelihood of buying their products again. The funnel analogy suggests that consumers systematically narrow the initial-consideration set as they weigh options, make decisions, and buy products. But what happens when something triggers the impulse to buy? Those accumulated impressions then become crucial because they shape the initial-consideration set: the small number of brands consumers regard at the outset as potential purchasing options. Unless consumers are actively shopping, much of that exposure appears wasted. How consumers make decisionsĮvery day, people form impressions of brands from touch points such as advertisements, news reports, conversations with family and friends, and product experiences. When marketers understand this journey and direct their spending and messaging to the moments of maximum influence, they stand a much greater chance of reaching consumers in the right place at the right time with the right message. In addition, the research identified two different types of customer loyalty, challenging companies to reinvigorate their loyalty programs and the way they manage the customer experience.įinally, the research reinforced our belief in the importance not only of aligning all elements of marketing-strategy, spending, channel management, and message-with the journey that consumers undertake when they make purchasing decisions but also of integrating those elements across the organization. We also found that because of the shift away from one-way communication-from marketers to consumers-toward a two-way conversation, marketers need a more systematic way to satisfy customer demands and manage word-of-mouth. Our research showed that the proliferation of media and products requires marketers to find new ways to get their brands included in the initial-consideration set that consumers develop as they begin their decision journey. Please email us at: developed this approach by examining the purchase decisions of almost 20,000 consumers across five industries and three continents. If you would like information about this content we will be happy to work with you. ![]() We strive to provide individuals with disabilities equal access to our website. Our thinking is applicable to any geographic market that has different kinds of media, Internet access, and wide product choice, including big cities in emerging markets such as China and India. We call this approach the consumer decision journey. A more sophisticated approach is required to help marketers navigate this environment, which is less linear and more complicated than the funnel suggests. But today, the funnel concept fails to capture all the touch points and key buying factors resulting from the explosion of product choices and digital channels, coupled with the emergence of an increasingly discerning, well-informed consumer. For years, touch points have been understood through the metaphor of a “funnel”-consumers start with a number of potential brands in mind (the wide end of the funnel), marketing is then directed at them as they methodically reduce that number and move through the funnel, and at the end they emerge with the one brand they chose to purchase (Exhibit 1). Marketing has always sought those moments, or touch points, when consumers are open to influence. And it explains P&G’s decision, long ago, to produce radio and then TV programs to reach the audiences most likely to buy its products-hence, the term “soap opera.” It’s why, a decade ago, began offering targeted product recommendations to consumers already logged in and ready to buy. ![]() That’s why consumer electronics companies make sure not only that customers see their televisions in stores but also that those televisions display vivid high-definition pictures. If marketing has one goal, it’s to reach consumers at the moments that most influence their decisions.
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