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The decisive role of technology in sales and operations planning

<p>You've probably heard of shopping journey, or consumer journey, haven't you? These are terms widely used in marketing, but they impact everyone: those who produce, sell, and buy. Let's better understand them and how important they are for business.</p><h2><strong>What is a shopping journey?</strong></h2><p>The concept is quite simple: the shopping journey is the path that a potential customer will take before making the decision to purchase the product or service that a company offers.</p><p>Although each individual has their preferences and references regarding a brand or product, the path that leads to the purchase follows a standardized format, which is invisible to the consumer's eyes, but must be carefully built by the salesperson.</p><p>The shopping journey is critical to keeping the customer engaged and interested in a product or service. If the customer reaches the end of the path, it means the conversion was successful. If they leave in the middle of the process, there is room for strategic improvement.</p><h2><strong>And the consumer journey?</strong></h2><p>The consumer journey goes beyond the purchase itself and involves a sense of loyalty and belonging as well. It is the company's intention to develop loyal customers, so that they buy more and recommend the brand to their friends.</p><p>While they're not necessarily the same thing, it's very common to see the two journeys being treated as one, and that's not necessarily wrong. After all, they are two concepts that are intertwined and complement each other.</p><p>Actually, what changes is that the shopping journey ends with the sale. But the market understood that it can't just stop there. Continuity is implemented in the consumer journey (also called the customer journey), which seeks loyalty. The customer should not just be a casual shopper, but a brand advocate.</p><p>To help with this conversion, after-sales and branding strategies are applied. Consumers need to feel that they are part of something bigger, an ecosystem that welcomes them and that is always offering something new, interesting, to keep their attention. That's where engagement on social networks and the value of omnichannel come in, which we've already addressed here on the blog.</p><h2><strong>Steps of the shopping journey</strong></h2><p>The shopping journey is traditionally divided into 4 main steps. These steps are:</p><h3><strong>Learning</strong></h3><p>Initially, the customer still does not know (or is not sure) that they have a problem, nor that there is a company ready to offer them the solution they need. Content is created to raise curiosity, without directly offering anything.</p><h3><strong>Recognition</strong></h3><p>In the second step, the consumer is already aware that there is a problem and starts looking for a potential solution. Here the company must generate a need, show the customer that it has exactly what they need.</p><h3><strong>Assessment</strong></h3><p>This is where the potential buyer, already aware of the problem, starts to assess the options they have. They will choose the one that best fits their needs and the experience they have with each brand makes a big difference. Here companies use best-selling points, competitive advantages, price... everything that can make the consumer's eyes spark.</p><h3><strong>Decision</strong></h3><p>The last step is closing the sale. After researching and evaluating, the customer decides and makes the purchase with the company that best met their expectations.</p><p>Is it over? Not exactly. While the 4 stages described above are the primary and most commonly mentioned, there is an extra step, which kicks off the second round, the consumer journey we mentioned above:</p><h3><strong>Retention</strong></h3><p>Nowadays, selling is no longer the last step in the shopping journey. Now, brands want loyal customers and keeping them close. The idea is to create a loyal fan base to, whenever possible, promote cross selling.</p><h3><strong>The consumer journey and the digital world</strong></h3><p>The line that divides the real and digital worlds is increasingly tenuous. Currently, consumers can receive content both online and offline. For this reason, it is important that manufacturers, retailers, and distributors are presentin both.</p><p>On the internet, companies can have more control over the customer's shopping journey. Understanding each stage, it is possible to identify in which step the customer is and direct them to content that makes sense with the level of contact they already have with the brand.</p><p>We've already talked about <a style="color: rgb(82, 139, 196);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://neogrid.com/br/blog/muito-alem-de-dados-big-data-gera-informacoes-de-valor-para-o-negocio">using big data</a>, and this is another concept in the digital world that intersects with the shopping journey. Your computer and smartphone know a lot about you and your spending habits, and they use that information to help you get where you need.</p><p>This online targeting can be done in several ways: email marketing, sponsored ads, content production, webinars, etc. Using digital tools, the marketing department can qualify leads according to the behavior of each customer throughout the shopping journey.</p><h3><strong>The Importance of the consumer Journey</strong></h3><p>The shopping journey is very important for everyone involved. The customer, of course, is the protagonist: their choices and decisions drive them ahead. But all the content they receive and the way it is handled along the way makes a huge difference.</p><p>This means that a company with a great marketing strategy will jump ahead of their competitors, resulting in the consumer needing to be led without realizing it. A company that knows how to take advantage of the customer journey creates specific content to generate interest at each step of the journey, always with the focus of captivating the potential buyer.</p><p>Then comes an effort to map the shopping journey and identify the strengths and weaknesses that may exist along the way. This knowledge will be very useful in creating insights that optimize the consumer experience.</p><p>Analyzing the shopping journey map helps the manufacturer and retailer to understand what the consumer's preferences are, as well as what their behavioral profile is. Based on this information, more relevant products can be created, specific niches can be served and more effective campaigns can be launched.</p><h3><strong>Consumer journey and technology</strong></h3><p>Like virtually everything else today, <a style="color: rgb(82, 139, 196);" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://neogrid.com/en/blog/whats-sell-out-and-how-it-can-increase-supply-chain-efficiency">the consumer journey can be monitored</a> and optimized with the help of technology. Smart management tools can accumulate purchasing data and generate reports that make it easier to establish new strategies and make decisions.</p><p>For example: a very useful tool that everyone knows is the satisfaction survey. Giving a voice to the customer during - and after - the purchasing process demonstrates empathy, strengthens the relationship, and creates room for improvement. Knowing the pain points and dissatisfaction of consumers helps to fix flaws and propose improvements.</p><p>Making the customer journey more enjoyable is good for everyone involved. And collecting information is critical to doing this properly. In the end, it all comes down to information, and having a way to collect and analyze consumer data helps generate useful and actionable insights.</p><p>Now it's up to you: how is the consumer journey in your business?</p>

<p>You've probably heard of shopping journey, or consumer journey, haven't you? These are terms widely used in marketing, but they impact everyone: those who produce, sell, and buy. Let's better understand them and how important they are for business.</p><h2><strong>What is a shopping journey?</strong></h2><p>The concept is quite simple: the shopping journey is the path that a potential customer will take before making the decision to purchase the product or service that a company offers.</p><p>Although each individual has their preferences and references regarding a brand or product, the path that leads to the purchase follows a standardized format, which is invisible to the consumer's eyes, but must be carefully built by the salesperson.</p><p>The shopping journey is critical to keeping the customer engaged and interested in a product or service. If the customer reaches the end of the path, it means the conversion was successful. If they leave in the middle of the process, there is room for strategic improvement.</p><h2><strong>And the consumer journey?</strong></h2><p>The consumer journey goes beyond the purchase itself and involves a sense of loyalty and belonging as well. It is the company's intention to develop loyal customers, so that they buy more and recommend the brand to their friends.</p><p>While they're not necessarily the same thing, it's very common to see the two journeys being treated as one, and that's not necessarily wrong. After all, they are two concepts that are intertwined and complement each other.</p><p>Actually, what changes is that the shopping journey ends with the sale. But the market understood that it can't just stop there. Continuity is implemented in the consumer journey (also called the customer journey), which seeks loyalty. The customer should not just be a casual shopper, but a brand advocate.</p><p>To help with this conversion, after-sales and branding strategies are applied. Consumers need to feel that they are part of something bigger, an ecosystem that welcomes them and that is always offering something new, interesting, to keep their attention. That's where engagement on social networks and the value of omnichannel come in, which we've already addressed here on the blog.</p><h2><strong>Steps of the shopping journey</strong></h2><p>The shopping journey is traditionally divided into 4 main steps. These steps are:</p><h3><strong>Learning</strong></h3><p>Initially, the customer still does not know (or is not sure) that they have a problem, nor that there is a company ready to offer them the solution they need. Content is created to raise curiosity, without directly offering anything.</p><h3><strong>Recognition</strong></h3><p>In the second step, the consumer is already aware that there is a problem and starts looking for a potential solution. Here the company must generate a need, show the customer that it has exactly what they need.</p><h3><strong>Assessment</strong></h3><p>This is where the potential buyer, already aware of the problem, starts to assess the options they have. They will choose the one that best fits their needs and the experience they have with each brand makes a big difference. Here companies use best-selling points, competitive advantages, price... everything that can make the consumer's eyes spark.</p><h3><strong>Decision</strong></h3><p>The last step is closing the sale. After researching and evaluating, the customer decides and makes the purchase with the company that best met their expectations.</p><p>Is it over? Not exactly. While the 4 stages described above are the primary and most commonly mentioned, there is an extra step, which kicks off the second round, the consumer journey we mentioned above:</p><h3><strong>Retention</strong></h3><p>Nowadays, selling is no longer the last step in the shopping journey. Now, brands want loyal customers and keeping them close. The idea is to create a loyal fan base to, whenever possible, promote cross selling.</p><h3><strong>The consumer journey and the digital world</strong></h3><p>The line that divides the real and digital worlds is increasingly tenuous. Currently, consumers can receive content both online and offline. For this reason, it is important that manufacturers, retailers, and distributors are presentin both.</p><p>On the internet, companies can have more control over the customer's shopping journey. Understanding each stage, it is possible to identify in which step the customer is and direct them to content that makes sense with the level of contact they already have with the brand.</p><p>We've already talked about <a style="color: rgb(82, 139, 196);" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://neogrid.com/br/blog/muito-alem-de-dados-big-data-gera-informacoes-de-valor-para-o-negocio">using big data</a>, and this is another concept in the digital world that intersects with the shopping journey. Your computer and smartphone know a lot about you and your spending habits, and they use that information to help you get where you need.</p><p>This online targeting can be done in several ways: email marketing, sponsored ads, content production, webinars, etc. Using digital tools, the marketing department can qualify leads according to the behavior of each customer throughout the shopping journey.</p><h3><strong>The Importance of the consumer Journey</strong></h3><p>The shopping journey is very important for everyone involved. The customer, of course, is the protagonist: their choices and decisions drive them ahead. But all the content they receive and the way it is handled along the way makes a huge difference.</p><p>This means that a company with a great marketing strategy will jump ahead of their competitors, resulting in the consumer needing to be led without realizing it. A company that knows how to take advantage of the customer journey creates specific content to generate interest at each step of the journey, always with the focus of captivating the potential buyer.</p><p>Then comes an effort to map the shopping journey and identify the strengths and weaknesses that may exist along the way. This knowledge will be very useful in creating insights that optimize the consumer experience.</p><p>Analyzing the shopping journey map helps the manufacturer and retailer to understand what the consumer's preferences are, as well as what their behavioral profile is. Based on this information, more relevant products can be created, specific niches can be served and more effective campaigns can be launched.</p><h3><strong>Consumer journey and technology</strong></h3><p>Like virtually everything else today, <a style="color: rgb(82, 139, 196);" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://neogrid.com/en/blog/whats-sell-out-and-how-it-can-increase-supply-chain-efficiency">the consumer journey can be monitored</a> and optimized with the help of technology. Smart management tools can accumulate purchasing data and generate reports that make it easier to establish new strategies and make decisions.</p><p>For example: a very useful tool that everyone knows is the satisfaction survey. Giving a voice to the customer during - and after - the purchasing process demonstrates empathy, strengthens the relationship, and creates room for improvement. Knowing the pain points and dissatisfaction of consumers helps to fix flaws and propose improvements.</p><p>Making the customer journey more enjoyable is good for everyone involved. And collecting information is critical to doing this properly. In the end, it all comes down to information, and having a way to collect and analyze consumer data helps generate useful and actionable insights.</p><p>Now it's up to you: how is the consumer journey in your business?</p>

Consumer journey: a strategic path to sell more

Do you want to find out what the consumer journey is and understand how it helps to leverage sales and engage your audience? Then, check out the post!

Do you want to learn more?

These posts can complete this reading

What is "sell-out" and how can it increase supply chain efficiency?

Demand forecasting: what it is and its role in the supply chain

Demand-driven supply chain: how it works