Customer Decision Process
Despite its diversity, the decision-making process for customers can be divided into five categories:
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Recognition of Needs - an individual faces a problem of an unmet need that triggers discomfort or tension.
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Pre-Purchase Research - an individual realizes that the need can be satisfied by purchasing a specific item.
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Evaluating Alternatives - when an individual identifies what they need and gathers all the necessary information, they engage in evaluating alternatives.
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Purchase Behavior - the individual decides to make a purchase at a certain point.
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Post-Purchase Decision - if the individual is satisfied with the purchase, there is a high probability that they will buy from the same brand again.
Now that we better understand that not all visitors to your online store can be treated the same, it is also more understandable why it is so crucial to adapt our communication to the customer, depending on where they are in the decision-making process at the moment of visiting our website.
The fact is that many owners of online stores communicate with their potential customers as if they are all in the purchasing phase, but the reality is different. When we become aware that visitors are in different decision-making processes and actively implement this through all communication channels within marketing tools every day, the conversion rate quickly increases. This way, we can pay much more attention to other visitors to the online store who have not yet decided to make a purchase.
