Here’s the customer journey as a textbook might imagine it: A consumer sees an ad, becomes interested in the product being promoted, weighs the various benefits, and goes to a store or website to buy it. If only it were that straightforward and predictable.
Instead, customers might hear about a product through friends, a livestreaming series, a social media influencer, or a podcast long before they see an ad for it. They might research it online, read customer reviews, and visit a store to look at it, but not buy it right away. Maybe they’ll wind up coming back to the store, or maybe they’ll decide to order it online instead. That’s just one example in a veritable multiverse of nonlinear customer journeys, happening every day.
Research from eMarketer bears this out. While 31% of consumers who found a product in-store bought it right away, even more (33%) first looked up a product online, and nearly 22% …