Anarchy in the Aisle

The Path to Purchase is dead. Long live the Path to Purchase.

background

Between Forrester’s eulogy for the marketing funnel and Google’s prequel to the First Moment of Truth, it’s increasingly clear that the traditional Path to Purchase model underestimates the modern-day shopper. So why aren’t shopper marketers rioting like it’s Black Friday at Walmart? Because they know that the purchase process still exhibits discernible patterns, even if there’s no longer a linear path from one step to another. This is partially due to an exponential explosion of steps in the purchase process, but also because shoppers can now navigate these steps in ways that weren’t previously possible. We found it helpful when research consultancy GfK Roper began referring to the purchase “path” as a “web,” where discrete steps such as research, planning, and shopping might be collapsed into a single (smartphone-enabled) interaction at-shelf. Scared yet? You should be, but acceptance is the first step. The second is recognizing the whole new world of opportunities for smart segmentation and targeted engagement at these different touchpoints.

market manifestations

• All Together Now: Remember that retailers and marketers aren’t alone in their exasperation. Consumers aren’t exactly thrilled about the number of touchpoints they need to manage in order to get what they want. Increasingly Seamless Tech will improve the situation, but all parties will benefit from services that collapse multiple touchpoints into simple, integrated experiences. Shoptopia is giving this the ol’ college try with a mall-based network that combines online, mobile, social, and on-premise media to engage and interact with customers before, during, and after their shopping trip. In general, that “after” step is becoming increasingly important as shoppers’ “moments of truth” involve more interactions with previous purchasers. After you’re done selling, are you giving your consumers a compelling reason to join this conversation?
• Take Back the Site: Savvy e-commerce sites continue to steal touchpoints (and sales) from the brick and mortar experience, but retailers are realizing they can grab them right back. They’re bringing digital touchpoints back into the store in a variety of ways, with tablets being one of the most powerful weapons. PacSun is one of many retailers arming their staff with iPads and empowering them to handle everything from creating personalized “Look Books” to completing online orders in-store.

implications

The traditional Path to Purchase ultimately fell victim to the perfect storm of economic, social, and technological upheavals, which sounds like it would be terrifyingly disorienting for shoppers. But actually, they’re doing just fine. In fact, Roper has pegged a third of American shoppers as “Xtreme Shoppers” who are empowered and demanding, relentlessly deal-oriented, and powerfully enabled by technology. They feel that they live in a golden age of shopping, in which they’ve wrestled control of the purchase process away from both manufacturers and retailers. Well, bully for them, but where does this leave us as marketers? While the explosion of touchpoints can be disorienting and panic-inducing, the proper response isn’t to chase every shiny new object in the hopes of seeming cool. Rather, the key is to segment and focus, using nuanced understandings of how your particular shopper applies various tactics and media in their purchase behaviors.