Analyzing the customer journey is hugely important because it tells businesses how shoppers interact with their brand.
This is why businesses need to prioritize the customer experience as a whole.
Using secondary data, we can make accurate assumptions about this essential process. For instance, here are a few stats Google collected on online shopping behaviors:
- 87% of consumers said knowing they got a good deal is important when deciding which brand/retailer to purchase from
- 85% said product information and pictures are important to help decide which retailer to buy from
- The research also found shoppers go online first in over 60% of shopping occasions
While general insights like this are great to know when understanding the average customer journey, it can be even more impactful to gather unique, custom data for your exact target market.
Therefore, taking secondary research a step further by conducting primary research with a brand’s target audience can be really helpful in understanding intricacies within the customer journey.
This information gives a business many ways to create a customer experience strategy.
Keep reading to learn more about the customer journey experience by using primary market research below.
The Challenge: Improving Customer Experience
A brand that reaches B2B and B2C audiences partnered with Drive Research on a survey to better understand the customer journey.
The objectives of the study included assessing the customer journey, brand awareness, perceptions, factor(s) in choice, packaging, and other topics defined by the client.
The targeting criteria for the survey included:
- Must have shopped at Lowe's/Home Depot for lighting fixtures in the past six months
- Must be a home professional or identify as a DIY homeowner
- A representative sample across the U.S. (genders, ages, incomes, ethnicities, etc.)
Trust us, there are multiple reasons every company should have a customer experience program in place.
But the number one reason will always be that it gives you a deep understanding of who your consumers are in order to retain more business.
💡 The Key Takeaway: It’s important to remember that while market research uses best practices, each study can be uniquely tailored to the organization’s needs. This is especially true for the customer journey in marketing.
The Solution: Creating a Customer Journey Survey
Drive Research conducted an online survey to address the objectives discussed with the client. Online surveys are easy to take and yield plenty of actionable insights.
The survey used to accurately analyze customer journey took an average of 10 minutes to complete and included 37 questions.
The survey received 400 responses (i.e., 200 were from contractors/home professionals and 200 were from DIY homeowners). Fieldwork for the survey began on June 28 and lasted until July 13, 2022.
The process of measuring the customer journey includes a:
- Kickoff meeting
- Survey draft
- Fieldwork
- Reporting
- Debrief meeting
The kickoff meeting is an important part of the process, as that discussion confirms the goals and objectives for the project. The expected timeline for this project was 5 to 6 weeks.
💡 The Key Takeaway: Learning about the customer journey experience for a brand is an essential step in creating a strategic plan. The data can inform future packaging, marketing, and sales initiatives to boost ROI.
Recommended Reading: What is Journey Mapping in Market Research?
Example Customer Journey Questions
Below are a few example questions used for analyzing the customer journey.
While the examples below do not show all survey questions, they provide an overview of the data collected.
- When thinking about making a [insert industry] purchase, where do you learn more about products? Select all that apply.
- When making a [insert industry] purchase, where do you typically start the shopping process? Select one.
- When making a [insert industry] purchase, where do you typically purchase the product? Select one.
- Which store do you primarily purchase [insert industry] from? Select one.
- Why do you prefer to shop for [insert industry] at [insert store]? Select all that apply.
- Which of the following are most impactful when making a [insert industry] purchase? Select 2 to 5 options.
- Which of the following [insert industry] brands are you aware of? Select all that apply.
- Please review the packaging image for the [insert industry] below and share what you like and/or dislike most about it.
- Are there any instructions/packaging details that would make the [insert industry] purchasing decision easier? Enter your response below.
- When making a [insert industry] purchase, which of the following packaging details are most important? Select all that apply.
Again, these questions will help a brand learn about the stages of the customer experience. This, in turn, allows them to tailor their services accordingly.
💡 The Key Takeaway: The examples above provide insight into the data collected in this customer journey survey.
Recommended Reading: Which Customer Touchpoints Should a Businesses Measure & Track?
Results of Analyzing the Customer Journey
Our report included key customer journey touchpoints for the client.
While the report is kept confidential with the client, it included: 1.) an excel banner file with all questions/cross-tabulations and significance testing, 2.) an infographic, 3.) a full report, executive summary, data visualizations, recommendations, and 4.) a raw data file.
Key findings from the report include:
- Customer journey map: This detailed where target segments begin and end their purchasing process.
- Store preference: This explained which customer segments were more likely to shop at specific stores and drivers to store preference.
- Features: Helped the client understand which factors are more important when customers make their purchase decision.
- Awareness and perception: This explained the awareness and perception levels of specific brands of interest within the market.
- Packaging: Explained likes and dislikes of the packaging and suggested improvements from the target audience.
- Packaging details: Specific packaging details that consumers find most important when making their purchase decision.
Below is an example of a journey map.
💡 The Key Takeaway: The results shown in the key findings addressed the goals and objectives of the customer journey survey as defined by the client.
Contact Our Customer Experience Company
When grasping how to map a customer journey, you need to learn from the best: the customers. Surveying a targeted audience brings a unique perspective you would not otherwise get in this position.
Drive Research is a market research company based in New York specializing in customer journey surveys. Our team will work with you to craft a personalized survey to help you understand this key element of the purchasing process.
Curious about the rest of our market research services? Reach out through any of the ways listed below.
- Message us on our website
- Email us at [email protected]
- Call us at 888-725-DATA
- Text us at 315-303-2040
Emily Taylor
As a Senior Research Analyst, Emily is approaching a decade of experience in the market research industry and loves to challenge the status quo. She is a certified VoC professional with a passion for storytelling.
Learn more about Emily, here.
