customer journey of amazon

The Amazon Customer Journey: Leading The Way For Consumer-Centric Ecommerce

How Ama­zon pro­vides cus­tomer-cen­tric moments at every stage of con­sumer pur­chase jour­neys.

Ama­zon is one of the most rec­og­niz­able brands and ecom­merce retail­ers in the world. Reknowned for their cus­tomer-cen­tric­i­ty, we take a clos­er look at what a typ­i­cal con­sumer jour­ney looks like for the retail­er, from con­sid­er­a­tion to pur­chase.

Amazon: Setting The Benchmark For Customer-Centricity

As one of the great suc­cess­es of the dot-com bub­ble, there are many sto­ries about how Ama­zon came to be the brand they are today.

For instance, there’s the one about how founder Jeff Bezos was so eager to start his new ven­ture that when he loaded the removals truck, hav­ing just resigned from a well-pay­ing job at a New York hedge fund, he told the dri­ver to “head West,” telling him he would fly ahead and for­ward over an exact address lat­er.

Then there is the sto­ry about the fact that the com­pa­ny, as wide­ly report­ed in the lat­ter half of last year, is yet to turn over the kind of prof­it that would be expect­ed for a busi­ness of their size, instead choos­ing to rein­vest earn­ings into fur­ther grow­ing sales and invest­ments.

The “?” Elevation

Per­haps the sto­ry that real­ly defines the com­pa­ny’s iden­ti­ty, and com­mit­ment to the high­est lev­els of cus­tomer ser­vice, are the brand’s noto­ri­ous ele­va­tions. Now a noto­ri­ous anec­dote of dot-com cul­ture, the sto­ry has it that Bezos, who has long main­tained a pub­lic email address, [email protected] , would for­ward cus­tomer com­plaint emails with a sin­gle ‘?’ in the email body, to an offend­ing depart­ment.

These emails are treat­ed with the high­est pri­or­i­ty (Bezos is known to take a keen inter­est in cus­tomer com­plaint issues) and the sto­ry is a great exam­ple of how the brand ensures a con­sumer voice inside the com­pa­ny.

Brand Profile: Amazon

• Glob­al ecom­merce and tech­nol­o­gy giant.
• Com­plete, and near unpar­al­leled range of con­sumer goods.
• A key strength of the brand is their rep­u­ta­tion for excep­tion­al cus­tomer ser­vice. The brand prides itself on their class-lead­ing logis­tics, which enables them to pro­vide both cos­mopoli­tan areas, or remote regions, with the same lev­el of ser­vice.
• The brand have built up a strong rep­u­ta­tion. In 2014, the brand topped YouGov­’s Glob­al Rank­ing of brand sen­ti­ment, with mar­ket­ing expert Bryan Eisen­berg call­ing them “the Earth­’s most cus­tomer-cen­tric com­pa­ny.” The same year,  Inter­brand named Ama­zon as the 15th most valu­able brand in the world.

In recent years, the brand have expand­ed from their tra­di­tion­al strong­hold in ecom­merce, to web ser­vices and con­sumer tech­nol­o­gy:

• Begin­ning with the huge­ly suc­cess­ful Kin­dle e‑Reader, the brand have since released the Fire tablet, Fire TV stick, and most recent­ly Ama­zon Echo – the voice acti­vat­ed com­put­er which has been described as some­where between “a use­ful gad­get and a mem­ber of the fam­i­ly.”
• The trump card in the Ama­zon’s deck is Ama­zon Web Ser­vices. Launched in 2006 and now oper­at­ing 1.4 mil­lion servers across the world, the firm was recent­ly described by Ama­zon founder Jeff Bezos as “a $5 bil­lion busi­ness and still grow­ing fast.” Dan Kurnos, an ana­lyst at the Bench­mark Com­pa­ny, told the BBC , that AWS “was sur­pris­ing­ly more prof­itable than fore­cast.”
• Com­peti­tors: Aliba­ba, Rakuten, Asos.com, and count­less more ecom­merce providers in var­i­ous ter­ri­to­ries, with var­i­ous nich­es. Apple, eBay, Google, Microsoft, Sam­sung, Rack­space, IBM , VMware (tech­nol­o­gy and cloud com­put­ing ser­vices).

The Amazon Customer Journey

It’s wide­ly under­stood that on Ama­zon, con­sumers can get just about any­thing. From obscure one-off pur­chas­es, to com­mon every­day items. Over time the retail­er have also built up an incred­i­ble rep­u­ta­tion amongst con­sumers which has cement­ed what cus­tomers expect from both the brand them­selves, and online retails in gen­er­al.

Ama­zon have achieved the envi­able feat of build­ing a strong rep­u­ta­tion amongst audi­ences across many ter­ri­to­ries and across diverse age groups. A 2014 report put togeth­er by Har­ris Poll ranked Ama­zon as the num­ber one brand in the world by rep­u­ta­tion.

In gen­er­al, the brand comes across extreme­ly well in terms of cus­tomer expec­ta­tions. It’s fair to say that with Ama­zon cus­tomers can rea­son­ably expect prices to be com­pet­i­tive, for deliv­ery to be swift, and for a fair and has­sle free returns pro­ce­dure should there need to be.

By all accounts, the brand is accept­ed by con­sumers and dig­i­tal mar­ket­ing ana­lysts alike to be a par­a­digm of cus­tomer-cen­tric­i­ty and excel­lence.

But how well exact­ly? In the sec­ond of our arti­cles ana­lyz­ing the cus­tomer jour­ney from con­sid­er­a­tion to check­out, fol­low­ing our eval­u­a­tion of the Argos cus­tomer Jour­ney ear­li­er this year, we put the ecom­merce giant to the test.

How well does Ama­zon pro­vide for dig­i­tal cus­tomers in search of an elec­tric tooth­brush?

Be Considered

As touched upon pre­vi­ous­ly, Ama­zon have built up a tremen­dous rep­u­ta­tion among con­sumers. Espe­cial­ly in West­ern mar­kets, Ama­zon is viewed as a por­tal from which con­sumers can access the infor­ma­tion about prod­ucts that they are inter­est­ed in pur­chas­ing.

As Google data indi­cates, “Ama­zon” is the most pop­u­lar retail search term in the U.S.

While oth­er retail­ers may rely on chan­nels such and social media, or organ­ic search to put them­selves into con­sid­er­a­tion, Ama­zon shows that a brand that tru­ly com­mits to build­ing pos­i­tive brand sen­ti­ment and rep­u­ta­tion can end up lead­ing the race, gain­ing a posi­tion in their space which puts them at the “top of mind” for con­sumers.

Con­sumers land­ing on the Ama­zon home­page will be met with a geo-spe­cif­ic ver­sion of the site, and thus, for many the Ama­zon search bar will be the start­ing point for the pur­chase jour­neys they will under­take.

Organic Search &  Paid Search

While much of Ama­zon’s traf­fic will come direct­ly from brand­ed search terms, that’s not to say that the brand does­n’t have a strong pres­ence in organ­ic search.

A unique fea­ture of Ama­zon search results in Google is that the pages that rank link direct­ly to pop­u­lar prod­uct pages, as opposed to com­peti­tors who link to ded­i­cat­ed cat­e­go­ry pages. The organ­ic search results for exam­ple, links to the Philips Soni­care prod­uct which has more than 4,000 reviews. This is in line with Ama­zon’s belief in sim­pli­fy­ing the num­ber of steps a con­sumer has to nav­i­gate to check­out.

Too Big For Google Shopping?

While many find it nec­es­sary to invest in Google Shop­ping results, Ama­zon is in a unique posi­tion among retail­ers in that their own search func­tion­al­i­ty is as pop­u­lar among con­sumers.

A search of sev­er­al typ­i­cal prod­ucts reveals that Ama­zon results don’t fea­ture in Google Shop­ping results. While their absence rep­re­sents a hit to their search vis­i­bil­i­ty on Google, how­ev­er the brand is rep­utable enough that the brand’s absence would be notable enough to lead con­sumers to Ama­zon direct­ly when com­par­ing prod­ucts.

Ama­zon seems to instead rely on paid and organ­ic vis­i­bil­i­ty in the search engine, and the brand have a small amount of invest­ment on the Google shop­ping results in the form of paid adver­tis­ing for the pop­u­lar search mod­i­fi­er “best elec­tric tooth­brush”.

Be Evaluated

Ama­zon’s own domain is where their main asset, an excep­tion­al user expe­ri­ence, comes to the fore.

Search­ing for “elec­tric tooth­brush” via the Ama­zon search engine reveals thou­sands of prod­uct results, ranked by rel­e­vance, which evi­dent­ly is heav­i­ly influ­enced by pop­u­lar­i­ty.

Prod­ucts have clear title descrip­tions, clear prices, and addi­tion­al buy­ing options, which opens up the retail­ers net­work of third-par­ty sell­ers in Ama­zon Mar­ket­place.

Incred­i­bly impor­tant to the Ama­zon user expe­ri­ence is the promi­nent use of user reviews. Ama­zon was an ear­ly adopter and pio­neer of user-gen­er­at­ed con­tent and reviews, and every prod­uct list­ed on the site is linked to ded­i­cat­ed cus­tomer reviews, which have become a go-to source for con­sumers every­where.

Ama­zon’s review sys­tem has become an incred­i­ble resource for user-gen­er­at­ed reviews, which stud­ies have shown elic­it high­er lev­els of trust espe­cial­ly among mil­len­ni­als .

Site Design &  Experience

Ama­zon prod­uct pages have become a tri­umph of util­i­ty and effi­cient design.

To begin with, the ini­tial above-the-fold prod­uct page is clean, clear, and con­tains plen­ty of neg­a­tive space, which accom­mo­dates the basic need con­sumers have to view images of the prod­uct, as well as the price and col­or options.

On the right hand side, items can be added to bas­ket via a sin­gle click, and for cus­tomers who have enabled 1‑Click order­ing, they can com­plete a pur­chase almost instan­ta­neous­ly.

1‑Click rep­re­sents one of the fastest and most stream­lined means for con­sumer to pur­chase a prod­uct online, should they wish to.

Scrolling down the page, cus­tomers are pre­sent­ed with a rich source of fur­ther prod­uct con­tent. Ama­zon secures an oppor­tu­ni­ty to upsell via the “Fre­quent­ly Bought Togeth­er” sec­tion, which in this case offers replace­able heads for the elec­tric tooth­brush.

The prod­uct descrip­tion is a rich source of infor­ma­tion and con­tains man­u­fac­tur­er con­tent about the prod­uct con­sumers may be seek­ing out, to com­pare or fur­ther eval­u­ate a prod­uct.

A rel­a­tive­ly recent­ly added fea­ture: “Cus­tomer Ques­tions and Answers” enables users to ful­fill an extreme­ly use­ful touch­point for con­sumers. Enabling con­sumers to par­tic­i­pate in ques­tions and answers allows Ama­zon to lever­age their huge cus­tomer base to achieve the scale they need to pro­vide infor­ma­tive answers for the mil­lions of prod­ucts in their ecosys­tem.

The Ama­zon mobile expe­ri­ence offers class-lead­ing speed and func­tion­al­i­ty for con­sumers. The app offers syn­chro­nized bas­kets from pre­vi­ous desk­top ses­sions, and vice ver­sa, per­form­ing the admirable feat of con­nect­ing user jour­neys between devices.

Equal­ly, and more on this in a moment, Ama­zon’s huge­ly effec­tive track­ing of search his­to­ry allows them to offer an incred­i­ble lev­el of per­son­al­iza­tion in dis­played pages.

If a user views a prod­uct on a logged-in desk­top, they can ful­ly expect to see the same or sim­i­lar prod­uct promi­nent­ly in their mobile app. If they want to pur­chase a prod­uct they were research­ing pre­vi­ous­ly, they could do this via the retail­ers app in just a few clicks.

Ecosystem &  Personalization

While ease and avail­abil­i­ty of the check­out sys­tem may sound like a sim­ple con­cept, it is the result of the brand’s huge rep­e­ti­tion­al assets which results in the user-gen­er­at­ed con­tent and col­lec­tive endorse­ment of prod­ucts that allow con­sumers to ful­fill all the nec­es­sary touch­points for pur­chase with­in the Ama­zon buy­ing ecosys­tem.

This is the area in which Ama­zon real­ly excels. The con­cept of a self-con­tained ecosys­tem which pro­vides for all user needs, con­nect­ing up the dif­fer­ent moments in the user jour­ney, and antic­i­pat­ing what con­sumers are look­ing for.

The rec­om­mend­ed prod­ucts are a per­fect exam­ple of this. Have a look at just how per­son­al­ized the Ama­zon site expe­ri­ence can be, based on pre­vi­ous search­es and queries:

From expe­ri­ence, after a prod­uct is pur­chase, the promi­nence of these dis­plays is often toned down as the brand rec­og­nizes that the prod­uct no longer rep­re­sents a need for that con­sumer.

Be Purchased

The fact that we have already touched on pur­chas­ing prod­uct sev­er­al times in this arti­cle, in 1‑Click, buy­ing options, and mobile app pur­chas­es, is a tes­ta­ment to just how well inte­grat­ed Ama­zon’s check­out sys­tem is to their over­all site expe­ri­ence.

The many fea­tures dis­cussed in this arti­cle essen­tial­ly enable con­sumers to research and eval­u­ate prod­ucts, and if and when they make the deci­sion to pur­chase, Ama­zon’s check out sys­tem is only a few clicks away from any point in that jour­ney.

For con­sumers who decide to pur­chase, a fac­tor in their deci­sion mak­ing may have Ama­zon’s excel­lent deliv­ery pro­vi­sions, which lever­ages the brand’s incred­i­ble logis­tics.

A high­light of this ser­vice is Ama­zon Prime. A sub­scrip­tion to Prime offers guar­an­teed next day deliv­ery for any prod­uct dis­patched from an Ama­zon Ware­house. Cost­ing $99 per year, the ser­vice also includes access to Prime Video, the brand’s stream­ing ser­vice and answer to Net­flix.

A lit­tle report­ed ben­e­fit, but one that falls in line with the brand’s cus­tomer-cen­tric prin­ci­ples is that if a prod­uct is reduced in price with­in 30 days of a pur­chase, Ama­zon will refund the dif­fer­ence . Such prac­tices are a great way to move con­sumers from a mind­set of pur­chase, to a mind­set of brand loy­al­ty.

Create Awareness & Build Loyalty

Ama­zon is a valu­able brand, and as such they can rely on estab­lished audi­ences and glob­al rep­u­ta­tion in con­tin­u­ing to win cus­tomers. How­ev­er that isn’t to say that they’re not par­tial the occa­sion­al viral video or social media cam­paign.

Cap­tur­ing the excite­ment and instant grat­i­fi­ca­tion of online deliv­ery, it is some­what rem­i­nis­cent of recent sim­i­lar adver­tise­ments from the likes of UK ecom­merce retail­er Argos. One of the retail­er’s most suc­cess­ful cam­paigns in recent years has been their unveil­ing of the con­cept of Ama­zon Prime Air.

Some may be skep­ti­cal, but like Google’s dri­ver­less cars, deliv­ery drones are a tes­ta­ment the tech com­pa­nies vision and ambi­tion in the field of cus­tomer-cen­tric inno­va­tion. More than any­thing else, this rep­re­sents the brand’s iden­ti­ty in the minds of con­sumers.

Seasonal Events: Black Friday/Cyber Monday

Final­ly, any study of the Ama­zon con­sumer jour­ney would not be com­plete with­out men­tion­ing the retail­er’s annu­al sales extrav­a­gan­za: Black Fri­day – and increas­ing­ly now, Cyber Mon­day.

Arguably, Ama­zon have been a key dri­ver for the growth of the event into the enor­mous­ly pop­u­lar shop­ping event it is today. The event con­tin­ues to grow year-on-year , and in some ter­ri­to­ries such as the UK , Ama­zon’s flash sales and light­ning deals, that see entic­ing time, and stock lim­it­ed dis­counts, have bro­ken sales records for the brand.

Such growth indi­cates that the ecom­merce retail­er has every rea­son to believe that their strat­e­gy to invest heav­i­ly in fur­ther growth could be an astute one.

Key Moments

• High­ly pos­i­tive brand sen­ti­ment, rep­u­ta­tion, and trust among con­sumers, with the brand top­ping ana­lysts rank­ings for cus­tomer-cen­tric­i­ty and cus­tomer ser­vice.
• Promi­nent vis­i­bil­i­ty in organ­ic and paid search results, for an unpar­al­leled range of prod­ucts, pulling in users under the umbrel­la of the brand’s user jour­ney.
• Enclosed ecosys­tem once con­sumers are with­in the Ama­zon site expe­ri­ence, ful­fill­ing mul­ti­ple infor­ma­tion­al, and review-based touch­points.
• Com­pre­hen­sive avail­abil­i­ty; mil­lions of avail­able prod­ucts; a net­work of third-par­ty sell­ers; and unmatched ful­fill­ment pro­vi­sions for both met­ro­pol­i­tan hubs and remote regions.
• Incred­i­ble sim­pli­fi­ca­tion of the path to pur­chase. Cus­tomer are able to pur­chase prod­ucts with as lit­tle as one click.
• Class-lead­ing review sys­tem and user-gen­er­at­ed con­tent. Ama­zon reviews have become a valu­able resource for con­sumers every­where look­ing to eval­u­ate poten­tial pur­chas­es.
• A rep­u­ta­tion for cus­tomer-cen­tric­i­ty and ser­vice, cement­ed into the minds of con­sumers all over the world.

Final Thoughts

With­out want­i­ng to labor the point, the stand­out fac­tor that uni­fies all of Ama­zon’s activ­i­ties is their unfal­ter­ing com­mit­ment to cus­tomer-cen­tric prin­ci­ples. The brand’s suc­cess is a tes­ta­ment to what can be achieved when a brand com­mits to a strat­e­gy designed around pos­i­tive rep­u­ta­tion and brand sen­ti­ment, built on series of sat­is­fac­to­ry moments, that in the end, puts their brand, and their ser­vices at the top of a con­sumer’s mind.

In many cas­es, con­sumers can have full con­fi­dence that when they buy a well-reviewed prod­uct on Ama­zon, they are not only get­ting great val­ue, but great ser­vice. With that lev­el of trust, the con­sumer jour­ney can be sim­pli­fied to a few mere steps.

While this arti­cle isn’t intend­ed to be a com­pre­hen­sive analy­sis of con­sumers’ online pur­chase jour­neys, it pro­vides a win­dow into the many ele­ments that com­pose the Ama­zon cus­tomer expe­ri­ence. And in the eyes of many, Ama­zon tru­ly are the lead­ers in cus­tomer-cen­tric online com­merce.

What do you think of Ama­zon’s con­sumer jour­ney?

Written by Pat Hong

Editor at linkdex/inked, linkdex.

Pat covers the SEO industry, digital marketing trends, and anything and everything around Linkdex. He also authors Linkdex's data analysis and reports, analysing the state of search in various industries.

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Mapping the Amazon Customer Journey: Insights and Strategies

Sravanthi Munagapati

You should embrace a customer-centered approach to succeed in the business world – Not just by paying attention to the customers but by becoming truly obsessed with their needs.   

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, the concept of customer journey has taken unprecedented significance. The brand aims to offer loyalty and memorable experiences for its customers. 

Among these e-commerce giants, Amazon stands as an example of customer-centricity, redefining how millions traverse the realm of online shopping.

In this article, we uncover the pivotal stages that shape your customer journey on Amazon from customer engagement and satisfaction to loyalty.

Quick Guide

How the customer journey on Amazon works

• What is an Amazon customer journey map?
• Why is Amazon customer journey mapping important?
• Five stages of the Amazon customer journey

How to create a customer journey map

The Amazon customer journey refers to the series of interactions, experiences, and stages that a shopper goes through while engaging with the Amazon platform and products. It consists of the entire process, from the initial awareness of a product to the post-purchase engagement and beyond. 

This journey is not just limited to the transaction itself; it also includes various touchpoints and interactions that shape the customer’s perception and overall experience with your brand or similar competitors .

What is an Amazon customer journey map? 

An Amazon customer journey map is a visual depiction of a customer’s entire process when engaging with the brand and its products. 

It offers a clear, step-by-step illustration of the customer’s experience from the initial awareness of products or services to the final stages of post-purchase interaction. This map highlights various touchpoints, emotions, actions, and decisions that customers make along the way.

By mapping out each stage of the journey, you can gain insights into how customers interact with your brand.  

The goal here is to create a more seamless, personalized, and satisfying journey for customers, ultimately leading to increased customer loyalty, positive reviews , and repeat business. The customer journey map is a valuable tool for refining strategies, optimizing processes, and aligning efforts to effectively meet customer expectations.

Why is Amazon customer journey mapping important for you?

Customer journey mapping is crucial because it offers insights into a customer’s entire experience when interacting with your products. Specifically, customer journey mapping holds significant importance due to the following reasons:

Understanding Customer Needs:

Mapping the customer journey helps you to gain a deep understanding of customer needs and preferences. This understanding is essential for tailoring products, services, and experiences to match customer expectations effectively.

Identifying Pain Points:

By visualizing the entire journey, you can identify any bottlenecks, frustrations, or obstacles customers might encounter. This information addresses customer pain points and improves the overall experience.

Optimizing User Experience:

Customer journey mapping highlights touchpoints where customers interact with your products, Amazon marketplace , customer service, and more. This insight helps you to optimize customer touchpoints to provide a seamless and user-friendly experience, leading to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty. This, in turn, increases your Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). 

Personalization and Recommendations:

Mapping the journey allows you to understand the type of products that customers are interested in. You can use tools provided by Amazon like ABA ( Amazon Brand Analytics ) and advertising reports to derive insights to target your audience through ads and increase your sales further. 

If you need help analyzing Amazon advertising reports, check out this article.  

Full funnel optimization:

By mapping the customer journey, you can identify the most effective communication channels for different stages of the marketing funnel. This could include email updates through the brand website, push notifications , or social media engagement, running Amazon DSP ads , and ensuring customers are informed and engaged at the right moments. Targeting all aspects of the funnel helps you maximize your advertising efforts and increase your brand reach. 

Recommended guide: How to optimize ads with AMC and Amazon Ad Server?

Building Loyalty and Advocacy:

A positive customer journey fosters customer loyalty and advocacy. Satisfied customers are more likely to become repeat buyers and will recommend you to others, positively impacting the brand’s reputation and revenue.

Innovation and Differentiation:

It can uncover opportunities for innovation and differentiation. You can identify unmet needs or areas where your competitors might fall short and create unique features or products to stand out.

Continuous Improvement:

The customer journey is not static; it evolves with changing customer behaviors, technologies, and market trends . Regularly revisiting the journey map enables you to adapt and improve your strategies to stay ahead.

Thus, Amazon customer journey mapping empowers you to deliver a more tailored, seamless, and delightful experience to your customers. It drives improvements across various facets of the business, ultimately leading to increased customer satisfaction, loyalty, and business growth.

What are the five stages of the customer journey?

The customer journey consists of five distinct stages each with its unique benefits. These stages help businesses understand and map out the customer’s experience from initial awareness to becoming a loyal advocate. 

Here’s an explanation of each stage:

The awareness stage is the beginning of the customer journey. At this point, potential customers become aware of a brand, product, or service. This awareness can happen through various channels, such as advertising , social media, word of mouth, or online searches. The goal in this stage is to capture the attention of the target audience and make them interested in learning more about what the business has to offer.

Consideration

In the consideration stage, customers are actively researching and evaluating different options . They are comparing products or services, read reviews, and seeking more detailed information. This is a crucial stage for businesses to provide informative content, showcase the unique value of their offerings, and address any questions or concerns potential customers may have. The goal is to move customers from considering options to favoring the business’s product or solution.

The purchase stage is where the customer decides to buy your product. They’ve researched and compared options and are now ready to complete the transaction. This could involve placing an order online, making an in-store purchase, or subscribing to a service. The purchasing process should be smooth, user-friendly, and secure to ensure a positive experience. Businesses should also consider offering discounts or special offers to encourage conversion.

Once a customer has made a purchase, the focus shifts to the retention stage. This stage is all about ensuring that customers are satisfied with their purchase and have a positive experience post-purchase. Providing excellent customer support, delivering a high-quality product or service, and maintaining ongoing communication are essential in this phase. Building a strong relationship with customers increases the likelihood of repeat purchases and long-term loyalty.

The advocacy stage is the pinnacle of the customer journey. Satisfied and loyal customers become advocates for the brand, sharing their positive experiences with others. They might leave glowing reviews, refer friends and family, and actively engage with the brand on social media or other platforms. Word-of-mouth recommendations from advocates carry significant influence and can bring in new customers. Businesses can nurture advocacy by continuing to provide exceptional experiences and rewards for loyal customers.

Understanding these five stages of the customer journey helps you to tailor your marketing, communication, and engagement strategies to meet customer needs at each step. By providing a seamless and positive experience throughout the journey, businesses can enhance customer satisfaction and ultimately drive growth.

To create a comprehensive customer journey map, follow these steps:

Step 1: Define Customer Touchpoints

Identify the touchpoints where customers interact with your brand. These could include interactions on your website, social media , emails, advertisements, or in-person interactions. These touchpoints will serve as the key moments in your customer journey.

Step 2: Conduct Market Research

Engage in user studies and surveys to gather insights directly from your customers. Understand how they discover your brand, what pain points they encounter, and where they interact with your offerings. This input will help refine your journey map.

Step 3: Develop Buyer Personas

Create detailed buyer personas that represent your target audience. Understand their demographics, preferences, and behaviors. 

You can answer questions like: 

• What’s their age?
• What are their interests?
• How do they communicate?
• What are their challenges?

These questions will help you tailor the journey map to the specific needs and expectations of different customer segments.

Step 4: Set Clear Goals

Establish clear goals for each touchpoint in the customer journey. Determine whether you’re aiming to increase brand awareness, drive sales, or enhance customer loyalty. Set a specific action plan that aligns with these goals to create a cohesive experience.

Let’s say that increasing brand awareness is your business goal. You should list the strategies that help you increase your brand reach. They could be running Sponsored brand ads , targeting competitor products, increasing social media presence, or collaborating with an influencer in the space.

Step 5: Analyze and Refine

Analyze the data collected and identify pain points, areas of improvement, and opportunities for enhancing the customer experience. Consider feedback from customer support teams to address recurring issues. Use this analysis to refine your journey map.

Step 6: Incorporate Updates

As your business evolves and shoppers’ preferences change, update your customer journey map accordingly. Regularly revisit and adjust your map to ensure it remains accurate and aligned with your brand’s goals.

These steps will let you create a customer journey map that provides a holistic view of the customer experience. Streamline your efforts to deliver a seamless and satisfying journey for your customers, and increase their satisfaction and loyalty, thereby, business growth.

The customer journey mapping on Amazon is not just about selling products; it’s about fostering relationships, anticipating needs, and delivering beyond expectations. This journey map reflects a dynamic ecosystem where convenience, personalization, and innovation converge to shape an unparalleled online shopping experience.

Do you need help in mapping your customer journey and creating a full-funnel advertising strategy? Let SellerApp help. Our team has helped 20,000+ brands like yours to strategize and execute advertising campaigns.

If you have further doubts, schedule a call with us, and our experts will get back to you!

Happy Selling!

Additional read:

What is an ASIN matrix ?

How does Amazon Marketing Cloud work?

What Is the RMA Number on Amazon?

7 Tips for Better Amazon Copywriting

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Customer Journey

Definition, mapping, examples and template.

The customer journey, also called the shopper journey, is the series of steps a customer takes when interacting with a brand, product, or business. It starts with the realization of a pain point and ends with a purchase decision. The customer journey refers to the entire experience a customer has from discovery to purchase.

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Brand Experience

Why Amazon is a leader in customer experience

Updated June 24, 2024

Amazon Prime day is upon us once more, and as the world’s biggest online retailer looks set to sell more products than ever before, it’s important to remember what got Amazon where they are - no, it’s not the products... it’s the service.

For over twenty years, Amazon has set the standards in e-commerce with almost unrivaled product inventory and competitive prices, and while that would be plenty for a successful business, what’s taken Amazon to a legendary brand is the combination of customer experience and product that keeps people coming back for more.

Delivery and returns

Amazon has been on the forefront of several innovations in terms of its logistics operation, with a whole host of options designed to make getting products from their warehouse to your doorstep with minimal effort on the user’s part.

The common denominator here is effort - whether you’re buying or returning a product, the experience is effortless - something customers are more than willing to give their loyalty for in exchange.

Delivery Options - As an online retailer, one of the biggest challenges for Amazon is competing with the “now” economy, and finding ways for people to actually receive items purchased. In order to make delivery easy for consumers, Amazon has introduced several options for shipping. Beginning with free shipping - all customers who spend $25 or more are eligible for free shipping with Amazon, and for $119 a year, Amazon Prime customers have the opportunity to get free shipping on thousands of single possible. Recently, Amazon has also introduced Amazon Lockers, which the company calls “self-service kiosks”, where a user can choose to have a package delivered for easier access to a pickup.

Physical Options - Amazon has entered the brick and mortar business by creating Amazon Bookstores , Amazon Go (a checkout-less grocery store), and purchasing Whole Foods, in order to provide immediate access in key markets for customers who are excited about the frictionless Amazon shopping experience, but require faster access to goods. For those less inclined to shop at a physical store, but still in need of goods quickly, Amazon also provides “Amazon Fresh”, which allows for same day, or scheduled delivery of groceries to your home, for an added fee, and “Amazon Restaurants” which provides delivery of meals for same day ordering.

Ordering Options - In order to actually make it easy for customers to purchase goods, Amazon has pioneered systems such as one-click ordering and “Dash” buttons. In one-click ordering, Amazon allows customers to purchase an item using pre-set options (ex. credit cards and shipping addresses), rather than having to take multiple clicks to purchase an item. With “Dash” buttons, Amazon recognizes the need of some customers to re-order certain items and allows customers to leverage the one-touch ordering options at times when they need to re-stock. In order to meet the customers at every touchpoint, Dash buttons are available on the web, in-app, using voice activation through Alexa, as well as for purchase. For example, if you have a Dash button for your Tide detergent, you can keep the button wherever you keep your Tide, and as you see the bottle running low, push the button for a quick order of new Tide.

Return Options - As a retailer, particularly online, it is also important to consider how your customers may prefer to return items. Amazon makes it easy for users to return items. Many products come with a prepaid, printed return label, though those labels are also accessible through the returns portal online. Last year, Amazon also started partnering with Kohls to put return kiosks in select locations, for customers who would prefer to make the physical drop.

Digital Service Experience

Part of providing a great product experience is to consider the digital experience for customers. As one of the first online retailers, Amazon created a model that set the standards in e-commerce.

App - One of the easiest ways to access Amazon and deals is through the Amazon app, especially for Prime Day. With the app, Prime members are able to set preview sale products and select to get notified when they become available. They are also able to order products using traditional online ordering, or Dash buttons, as well as access Amazon restaurants for same-day meal delivery.

Social Media - 72% of customers expect a response to a complaint in under an hour. Today, Customer Service via social is imperative. Amazon monitors the @AmazonHelp Twitter handle seven days a week in seven languages.

What Amazon has been able to do whether, through its website, the app or social media is to carry the experience through across multiple channels. They understand that wherever you meet their brand, they need to make an impression and provide the same customer experience that drives loyalty on other channels.

Product Experience

Building a great product is an important part of a customer’s experience. Amazon has created an ordering system that has provided several components we now expect as consumers.

Searchability - Amazon combines a Google-like ability to search with an ability to sort by Brand, Average Customer Review, Price, and availability, as well as by categories specific to the brand. This morning, I was looking for a new router to help speed up our at-home internet, and beyond the traditional preferences, I was also able to sort by connectivity type (Wireless preferred), computer type, and speed, which helps to make the best decision when it comes to equipping my home.

Product Education - To help you decide on a product, Amazon also provides the ability to learn more about how the product meets your needs. Primarily through reviews and ratings, which users can access to find out more about how a product performs compared to the actual description provided. Amazon also provides a handy recommender system to help users understand which products might best fit their needs based on terms searched, or based on products bought together by other users.

Artificial Intelligence - As part of Amazon’s mission to make life easier, they have moved beyond browser-based recommender systems, to intelligent products, like Alexa introduced in November 2014. More than a way to shop, Alexa is able to assist in playing music, setting alarms, providing news updates, and controlling networked smart devices. Like most Amazon products, the goal of Alexa is to help make your daily tasks easier and to learn to provide better suggestions while doing it.

Another of Amazon’s brands is well known specifically for being an “Experience Brand.” Zappos, former online shoe merchant, and current online apparel provider was purchased by Amazon in 2009 for $1.2 billion. Zappos is well known in for creating a culture of WOW, by not only going above and beyond for the customer, but also focusing on employee engagement - and it’s paid off with an incredible 75% rate of repeat business .

The history Zappos's service-centered is highlighted by CEO Tony Hsieh in Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose , and its mantra, "Powered By Service" is right on the company logo.

As users, we have high expectations when it comes to brands, largely because of the leadership of industry pioneers. As we are building our shopping carts today, we will certainly be taking full advantage of the customer experience.

Want to learn more about creating great customer experiences?

Qualtrics compiled a reading list based on recommendations from CX leaders, like Amazon. You can download that here . Additionally, a great launching point for improving e-commerce experience is to start asking your customers how their experience has been. Use our free e-commerce purchase feedback survey template to begin gathering feedback.

This post was originally published July 2018, and updated in 2022 for brevity and clarity. 

15 essential reads and podcasts for CX leaders in 2024

Chelsea Hunersen

Chelsea Hunersen is a contributor to the Qualtrics blog.

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Decoding Amazon’s Exceptional Customer Journey in E-commerce

In the competitive world of e-commerce, understanding the intricacies of the customer journey is one of the most critical aspects of any business.

Its significance lies in the fact that this journey encompasses the user’s path towards fulfilling a need, or in simpler terms, the process a customer undergoes when making a purchase.

The use of this methodology, combined with other customer service techniques, has enabled companies like Amazon to become leaders in customer experience. Therefore, this article will analyze some aspects that have allowed the e-commerce giant to grow and satisfy its customers.

Unveiling the Amazon Customer Journey

Like many e-commerce companies, Amazon pays special attention to its touchpoints with its customers at each stage of their customer journey. This allows them to make relevant improvements and always seek to optimize resources and simplify the purchasing process for users.

Learn why understanding your  Customer Journey  critically transforms your customer experience programs for the better. 

The vast amount of data makes measuring this precisely and evaluating each point with great accuracy possible.

Some of the stages and actions that Amazon considers are as follows:

1. Awareness:

As a digital company, Amazon invests heavily in digital media but also uses traditional media to expand their brand reach.

2. Consideration:

The consideration stage involves nurturing the seed of interest planted during the awareness phase . By doing so, they foster a sense of consideration among potential buyers. Amazon handles this perfectly by offering perfectly structured and attractive information on its portal.

3. Decision: Sealing the Deal

The decision stage is where customers make the final call. To ensure success, optimize your product listings, leverage customer reviews, and employ strategic pricing. This step is pivotal in converting potential buyers into satisfied customers. Amazon’s shopping cart is an excellent example of this.

4. Brand Retention: Fostering Long-Term Relationships

Amazon’s unique contribution to the customer journey lies in incorporating user retention . Post-purchase engagement becomes paramount at this stage. Implement strategies like personalized follow-ups, exclusive offers, and seamless customer service to fortify the bond with your clientele.

5. Advocacy: Turning Customers into Promoters

The final frontier in the Amazon customer journey involves transforming satisfied customers into brand advocates. Encourage reviews, testimonials, and social media sharing. A positive customer experience here becomes a powerful tool for organic brand promotion.

Example of Amazon’s Customer Journey

To provide a more explicit example of how Amazon’s Customer Journey would look, we’ve created one that considers the most common touchpoints within e-commerce companies. This way, you can observe each stage and some of their most common and effective actions.

Stage 01: AWARENESS

Stage 02: consideration, stage 03: conversion, stage 04: loyalty, stage 05: advocacy, crafting your own success story.

Understanding and optimizing your customer journey is the key to unlocking unparalleled success for e-commerce companies. Tailoring your brand strategy to align with these five stages will boost conversions and cultivate unwavering customer loyalty.

Embrace the customer-centric philosophy, and let your brand thrive in the ever-evolving e-commerce landscape.!

If you need assistance evaluating customer satisfaction levels or creating your first customer journey map, QuestionPro will gladly help. Not only do we have a wide range of tools and functions for any action that allows you to delve into the minds of your consumers, but you will also have access to a group of professionals who will support you in your project.

Would you like to learn more? We invite you to read more about our customer satisfaction management software and encourage you to improve your service to grow beyond your imagination.

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• By Infinite FBA
• July 13, 2023

The Amazon Customer Journey: A Complete Guide

• Infinite FBA

In the fast-paced and competitive realm of e-commerce , understanding the customer journey is paramount to the success of Amazon sellers. By implementing effective strategies at each stage, sellers can unlock tremendous opportunities to attract and retain customers, optimize conversions, and ultimately thrive in Amazon’s vast marketplace.

This article aims to provide sellers with a comprehensive understanding of the Amazon customer journey. We’ll delve into each stage of the customer journey, exploring critical factors like product discovery, evaluation and decision-making, the purchase process, post-purchase engagement, and challenges encountered along the way.

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The Amazon Customer Journey: An overview

The online shopping journey encompasses a series of stages that customers navigate, each playing a crucial role in shaping their overall experience. Understanding the customer purchase funnel is vital for sellers looking to optimize their strategies and deliver exceptional customer satisfaction.

Product Discovery

The Amazon customer journey map begins with product discovery, where customers become aware of Amazon as a platform and explore the vast array of offerings. They utilize search functionality, browse categories, and leverage personalized recommendations to find products that meet their needs.

This stage shapes customers’ initial impressions of a product or brand. It influences their perception, trust, and interest in exploring further.

Experiences in the product discovery stage influence the evaluation stage, as customers carry their initial perceptions and expectations forward when assessing products. The information gathered during evaluation feeds into the purchase decision.

During the evaluation stage, customers assess the shortlisted products in terms of their features, pricing, and customer reviews. They delve into product descriptions, specifications, and images to gather relevant information.

The evaluation stage is pivotal, directly impacting the customer’s purchase decision. Customers rely on thorough evaluations to assess value, quality, and reliability, determining whether the product meets their expectations.

Positive evaluations increase the likelihood of purchase, while negative assessments can lead to hesitation or abandonment of the product.

After evaluating their options, customers proceed to the purchase stage. They add chosen items to their shopping cart, enter shipping details, and select a payment method.

The purchase stage is a critical point of conversion. A smooth, secure, and intuitive purchase process reinforces customer confidence, while any issues or complexities can lead to lost sales.

The purchase stage, if positive, reinforces customers’ trust and satisfaction. A smooth transaction can leave a lasting impression and positively impact the post-purchase stage.

Post-Purchase Engagement

The online shopping journey extends beyond the purchase stage, encompassing post-purchase engagement. Customers eagerly anticipate the arrival of their products, and during this stage, they provide feedback, leave reviews, and engage with the Amazon community.

The post-purchase stage is crucial in building customer loyalty and advocacy. Positive experiences drive customer satisfaction and may encourage repeat purchases and referrals. On the other hand, negative experiences can result in dissatisfied customers and tarnish a brand’s reputation.

Post-purchase engagement shapes customers’ future decisions. Satisfied customers are more likely to provide positive reviews and engage with the brand, fostering loyalty. Conversely, negative experiences can lead to customer dissatisfaction, decreased loyalty, and potential negative word-of-mouth.

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Stage 1: product discovery on amazon.

Understanding and implementing these strategies allows sellers to improve their product’s visibility during the product discovery stage on Amazon. 

The role of search algorithms and keywords in product visibility

Amazon’s search algorithms determine which products appear in search results based on relevance, customer reviews, and sales history. Optimizing keywords within product listings is essential for increasing the chances of appearing in relevant searches.

Optimizing product listings for better discoverability 

Sellers should optimize product titles, descriptions, and backend keywords to enhance product discoverability during the e-commerce customer journey. A well-crafted product title should include relevant keywords, brand information, and specific product attributes. 

Descriptions should be informative, highlighting unique features and benefits while incorporating relevant keywords naturally. Backend keywords, not visible to customers, offer an opportunity to include additional relevant terms to boost discoverability.

Leveraging product categories and filters for improved search results 

Selecting the appropriate product category and utilizing relevant filters can significantly improve search results and enhance customer product discovery experience. Accurate categorization ensures products appear in the right sections, increasing visibility to interested shoppers. 

Utilizing relevant filters such as price range, brand, or customer ratings allows customers to refine their search, leading them to products that align with their preferences more easily.

The importance of compelling product descriptions and attractive visuals 

Compelling product descriptions and attractive visuals are vital in capturing customers’ attention and driving conversions. Clear and persuasive descriptions should highlight key product features, benefits, and use cases, addressing potential customer concerns. Incorporating bullet points and concise paragraphs makes information easily scannable. 

Additionally, high-quality product images from multiple angles, including close-ups of relevant details, help customers visualize the product and build trust in its quality.

Stage 2: Evaluation and Decision-Making Process

Actively managing reviews, providing exceptional customer service, and ensuring product quality and competitive pricing instills confidence in potential customers, differentiates sellers from competitors, and ultimately drive conversion.

The impact of customer reviews, ratings, and testimonials on purchase decisions 

Social proof is a powerful influencer, as potential buyers rely on the experiences of others to gain insights into product quality, performance, and overall satisfaction. Positive reviews and high ratings build trust and credibility, assuring customers that the product meets expectations, while negative reviews can raise concerns and prompt customers to consider alternative options.

Strategies for encouraging positive customer feedback and managing negative reviews 

To encourage positive customer feedback, sellers can implement a number of Amazon customer journey mapping strategies such as providing exceptional customer service, promptly addressing customer inquiries or issues, and offering post-purchase support. Requesting reviews politely and giving clear instructions on how to leave feedback can also increase the likelihood of receiving positive reviews. 

When it comes to negative reviews , sellers need to respond promptly, empathetically, and professionally. Addressing concerns and offering solutions publicly showcases a commitment to customer satisfaction and can help mitigate the impact of negative feedback. Proactively managing and learning from negative reviews demonstrates a seller’s dedication to continuous improvement.

The significance of product images, pricing, and product comparison features

High-quality product images, competitive pricing, and product comparison features are essential in the evaluation and decision-making process. Clear and visually appealing images allow customers to visualize the product , understand its features, and assess its quality. When combined with value and quality, competitive pricing can attract customers and position a product favorably among competitors. 

Enabling easy product comparisons through comparison charts or highlighting key features empowers customers to make informed decisions and choose the product that best suits their needs.

Leveraging the power of Amazon Prime membership and benefits 

Amazon Prime membership holds a significant influence on customer decision-making. Prime members enjoy free and fast shipping, exclusive deals, and other services like Prime Video and Prime Music. Sellers can leverage these benefits by ensuring their products are eligible for Prime shipping, increasing their appeal to Prime members seeking convenience and expedited delivery. Offering exclusive discounts or promotions for Prime members can also attract and retain this customer segment. 

By tapping into the power of Amazon Prime, sellers can enhance the overall customer experience and gain a competitive edge in the evaluation and decision-making process.

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Stage 3: Purchase Process on Amazon

Focusing on optimizing the purchase process on Amazon can significantly enhance the customer journey and drive higher conversion rates. When the purchase process is prioritized, sellers can provide a seamless and positive purchase experience that boosts customer loyalty and drives business growth.

Streamlining the shopping cart experience for increased conversions 

An optimized shopping cart experience is crucial for maximizing conversions, and sellers can simplify the process by minimizing the steps required to complete the purchase. Clearly display pricing information, including applicable taxes or fees, to avoid surprises at checkout. Additionally, provide convenient shipping options, such as expedited or free shipping, to meet customers’ expectations for speed and cost.

Simplifying the checkout process and providing multiple payment options 

A seamless and user-friendly checkout process is essential to minimize cart abandonment. Reduce unnecessary form fields and offer guest checkout options to streamline the process. Various payment methods, including credit/debit cards, digital wallets, and Amazon Pay, allow sellers to cater to customer preferences. The more payment options available, the easier customers can complete their purchases.

Capitalizing on features like one-click purchasing and Subscribe & Save 

One-click purchasing eliminates the need for customers to re-enter their payment and shipping details, streamlining the checkout experience. Encourage repeat purchases and improve customer convenience by promoting the Subscribe & Save program, which allows customers to automatically receive regular shipments of their chosen products at a discounted price.

Maximizing order fulfillment and shipping efficiency 

Efficient order fulfillment and shipping are essential for customer satisfaction. Provide customers with accurate tracking information to monitor their shipments’ progress. Timely shipping is crucial, so strive to meet or exceed estimated delivery dates. Communicate with customers if there are any delays or issues to manage expectations effectively.

Stage 4: Post-Purchase Engagement and Loyalty Building

Focusing on post-purchase engagement and loyalty building lets sellers nurture long-term customer relationships and foster brand advocacy.

The importance of post-purchase communication and order tracking

Effective post-purchase communication is vital for building customer satisfaction and loyalty. Provide clear and timely communication regarding order tracking details and updates. Keeping customers informed about the status of their orders enhances transparency and reassures them that their purchase is processed efficiently.

Strategies for encouraging customer feedback and reviews 

Encouraging customers to leave feedback and reviews is instrumental in building social proof and fostering trust. Implement personalized follow-up emails, thanking customers for their purchase and kindly requesting their feedback. Incentives like discounts on future purchases can motivate customers to take the time to share their experiences.

Leveraging personalized post-purchase experiences to foster loyalty

Leverage Amazon customer analysis data and preferences to provide personalized recommendations, related products, or exclusive offers based on their purchase history. Tailored post-purchase communication, such as customized emails or follow-up messages, shows customers that you value their business and understand their needs.

Building trust through efficient returns and refunds processes 

A seamless and customer-friendly returns and refund process is crucial. Clearly communicate the return policy and make it easy for customers to initiate returns or exchanges if needed. Promptly process returns, provide prepaid return labels when possible, and offer hassle-free refunds to minimize any inconvenience to the customer. Responsive customer support during the returns process demonstrates a commitment to customer satisfaction and reinforces trust in your brand.

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Start Your Amazon Selling Journey Today

In the dynamic world of e-commerce, understanding and optimizing the customer journey map on Amazon is paramount for sellers looking to thrive in the marketplace. Each stage plays a pivotal role in shaping the customer experience and building long-term relationships, from product discovery to post-purchase engagement.

By recognizing the importance of product visibility, optimizing listings , post-purchase engagement, and leveraging search algorithms, sellers can enhance their chances of being discovered by potential customers and improving customer loyalty. Streamlining the purchase process, providing multiple payment options, easy refunds, and capitalizing on features like one-click purchasing and

Amazon Prime benefits contribute to seamless transactions and customer satisfaction. Start your Amazon selling journey today, armed with the knowledge and strategies to navigate the customer journey with finesse and unlock the potential for growth and success in one of the world’s largest e-commerce platforms.

The InfiniteFBA team is made up of proud Amazon FBA geeks and e-commerce experts obsessed with finding new ways to boost sales. We’ve done the homework so you don’t have to. Our team of successful sellers provides genuine, accurate and up-to-date reviews of Amazon Seller tools and services.

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Navigating the amazon customer journey.

Thought Leadership from the Brightest Minds in the Industry .

Understanding customer journeys on Amazon

Download amazon seller guide.

This guide will help you get started, understand the basics of Amazon selling, and explain in simple words how it all works.

Understanding customer journeys on Amazon is crucial for brands looking to enhance their performance on this vast platform. Navigating the journey effectively can significantly improve customer engagement, increase sales, and foster loyalty at each stage in the Amazon customer journey, which will help sellers achieve better results and reach their goals. 

In-Depth Exploration of the Amazon Customer Journey

Amazon ’s e-commerce strategy is thoroughly centered around creating customer-focused experiences that are smooth from beginning to end. Here’s a detailed look at each critical stage of the customer journey:

1. Awareness Stage:

This initial phase is crucial as it’s when potential customers first encounter your products. They might discover your brand through various channels such as targeted ads, social media, word-of-mouth, or simply by browsing Amazon. The objective here is to capture their interest with eye-catching visuals and engaging, concise messaging that highlights the uniqueness of your products.

2. Consideration Stage:

During this stage, customers often compare your offerings with those of your competitors. They meticulously examine your product descriptions, read through customer reviews, and analyze pricing details. Providing transparent, detailed, and compelling content is vital here to assist them in understanding the benefits of choosing your product over others.

3. Purchase Stage:

At this point, the customer is ready to make a purchase decision. A clear, simple, and efficient checkout process is key to converting their interest into a sale. Ensuring that product listings are straightforward, with no hidden complexities or barriers, can greatly enhance the likelihood of conversion.

4. Retention Stage:

Once a purchase is made, your focus should shift to encouraging repeat business . This involves efficient customer service , simple return policies, and proactive follow-up communications. Offering regular updates about new products and exclusive promotions can keep your brand at the forefront of their minds, increasing the chances of them returning.

5. Advocacy Stage:

The ultimate goal is to transform satisfied customers into active promoters of your brand. Engaging with customers authentically, valuing their feedback, and incentivizing them to share their positive experiences can lead to valuable word-of-mouth marketing.

Crafting a Customer Journey Map on Amazon

To effectively manage these stages, creating a comprehensive customer journey map is crucial. Here’s how you can develop this map:

• Identify Touchpoints: Pinpoint where customers interact with your brand on Amazon. This includes everything from viewing product pages to contacting customer service.
• Gather Data: Utilize Amazon Brand Analytics and other tools to gather data on how customers discover and interact with your listings. This information can reveal valuable insights into their behaviors and preferences.
• Develop Customer Profiles: Create detailed profiles for your typical customers. These should encompass demographic information, purchasing behavior, and preferences to help tailor your marketing strategies more effectively.
• Set Objectives for Each Stage: Define clear goals for each stage of the journey. For instance, aim to enhance product visibility during the awareness stage or improve customer satisfaction during the retention stage.
• Review and Adjust: Continually assess the effectiveness of your approach at each stage and make necessary adjustments. This iterative process helps ensure your strategies remain effective as market conditions and customer behaviors evolve.

Successfully managing the Amazon customer journey is critical for establishing a thriving brand on the platform. By meticulously understanding and enhancing each stage of this journey, you can boost customer satisfaction, increase sales, and cultivate lasting loyalty.

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What Amazon did to fine-tune their customer journey and how you can, too

Love it or hate it; there’s no denying amazon’s impact on the world..

When CEO Jeff Bezos steps down from his position at the end of 2022, he will be leaving the helm of a trillion-dollar organisation. From basement bookshop to global mega power, there are few arenas Amazon have not turned their attention to. When stacked up against the household name, it might seem far-fetched that your business and theirs could have anything in common.

Amazon positioning itself in the online retail market before the world started to make the transition from the high street might’ve been a calculated risk, but it paid off for two fundamental reasons: trust and laser focused customer experiences.

Amazon built its business by fostering trust within the consumer, and they maintain their position by delivering a level of customer experience that has set the bar for their competitors. When asking their customers to try something new and take a leap of faith, Amazon was able to deliver on that promise.

Amazon consistently recognises that in retail we are in an age where the customer’s journey rules. Their expectations must be matched by their experience. Deliver an incredible customer journey and you’ll have a customer who wants to come back to you again and again. Fall short, and you stand to lose that customer before they have ever directly engaged with your product or service.

Here is where your business can have a lot in common with Amazon!

Your customer journey is about so much more than a quick sale. Going above and beyond is the bare minimum if you want to build a robust, sustainable business with customers who love what you do.

But what does a good customer journey even look like?

It’s not just web design and marketing. Everything from the first thing your customers see on your website down to the nuts and bolts of how that website runs feeds into the broader customer journey. thinkTRIBE can help you understand how everything works together, and can give you real-time, actionable insights on your site. They can show you what is working, where you can improve, and how you rank against your competitors by putting you in your customer’s shoes.

Whether you are just starting out or on your way to being a household name yourselves, fine-tuning your customer’s journey with thinkTRIBE can help you take that step from satisfactory to spectacular.

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Amazon Success Story: How it Became the eCommerce Giant

Alvin Wiseman

• March 8, 2023

Table of Contents

A Brief About Amazon

Highlights of amazon, jeff bezos's early life.

The Beginnings of Amazon

Amazon's Key Acquisitions

Amazon funding and investment.

Amazon's Main Competitors

What Made Amazon Successful?

A peek into amazon's future plan.

1. What makes Amazon unique?

2. what are the strategies used by amazon to achieve success, 3. what has been amazon's approach to entering new markets.

Some tactics that amazon uses to enter and dominate new markets are:

• Acting as a fuel for small businesses
• Implementing AI and advanced technology
• Expanding to emerging markets
• Making critical acquisitions

4. What are the key factors behind Amazon's success?

The key factors of Amazon’s success are:  

• Loyalty and pricing
• Supporting decisions
• Fast and convenient
• Platform-specific
• Content as a service
• Omni-channel
• Curation and specialty items

5. How has Amazon adapted its business model to remain competitive?

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Inside Amazon’s Growth Strategy

If the key to success is focus, why does Amazon work?

• Apple Podcasts

Since Amazon started as an online retailer in 1994, it has expanded into streaming, cloud computing, content creation, and even groceries. But traditional business strategy tells us that the key to success is focus. So, why does Amazon work?

“I think in Amazon’s case, everything is very tightly connected. If you remove one part, the whole becomes less,” says Harvard Business School professor Sunil Gupta . “That’s the key question: are the pieces fitting together nicely, or they just happen to be another business because it’s profitable?”

Gupta has studied Amazon’s growth strategy and he tells Cold Call host Brian Kenny how Amazon looks beyond traditional industry boundaries to define their competitors and why connecting products and services with their customers is at the core of their strategy.

Key episode topics include: business models, growth strategy, operations and supply chain management, innovation, technology and analytics, online retail, customer-centricity, customer experience, competitive strategy.  

HBR On Strategy curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock new ways of doing business. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR Cold Call episode: If the Key to Business Success Is Focus, Why Does Amazon Work? (May 2019)
• Find more episodes of Cold Call .
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org .

HANNAH BATES: Welcome to HBR On Strategy , case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, hand-selected to help you unlock new ways of doing business. Amazon started as an online retailer back in 1994. Since then, it has expanded into streaming, cloud computing, content creation, and even groceries. But if traditional business strategy tells us that the key to success is focus – why does Amazon work ? Today, we bring you a conversation with Harvard Business School professor Sunil Gupta – who has studied Amazon’s growth strategy. You’ll learn how Amazon builds its business around its customers — rather than its products and services. You’ll also learn how they look beyond traditional industry boundaries to define their competitors – and why connecting products and services with their customers is at the core of their strategy. This episode originally aired on Cold Call in May 2019. Here it is.

BRIAN KENNY: In the world of computer science, Jon Wainwright is kind of a big deal. A pioneer of computer languages, he was the principle architect of both Script 5 and Manuscript. What makes Jon a legend has nothing to do with programming. Let me explain. On April 3, 1995, Jon was in need of some work-related reading material. So, he fired up his T1 modem and navigated the fledgling internet to the beta version of a new online bookstore. With the click of a mouse, he became the very first customer to make a purchase on Amazon.com. Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies, the book he purchased, never became a best seller. But Amazon took off like a rocket ship and hasn’t slowed down since. With a market cap larger than all other retailers combined, including Walmart, Amazon owns 49% of all online sales. In the time it takes me to read this introduction, the company will earn over 300,000 dollars. Will we ever see the likes of it again? Today, we’ll hear from professor Sunil Gupta, about his case entitled, “Amazon in 2017.” I’m your host Brian Kenny. You’re listening to Cold Call, part of the HBR Presents network. Sunil Gupta is an expert in the area of digital technology and its impact on consumer behavior and firm strategy. He is the author of the recently published, Driving Digital Strategy, a guide to re-imagining your business. This case is the perfect stepping off point to cover some of the ideas in that book, Sunil. Thank you for joining me today.

SUNIL GUPTA: Thank you for having me.

BRIAN KENNY: This is your second spin I think on Cold Call. We appreciate you coming back.

SUNIL GUPTA: I enjoy doing this.

BRIAN KENNY: Good, as long as it’s not too painful for you. I like having you here. I’ve had an opportunity to read the book. The case I think is really kind of a great foundational piece to launch into some of the ideas. I’m going to assume anybody listening to this podcast has purchased something on Amazon or watched something on Amazon Prime. I had forgotten about their modest beginnings and just how much they’ve grown and expanded and changed. The case was a great reminder of that. We’ll get into some of that. Let me start by asking you, just to set it up for us. What led you to write the case?

SUNIL GUPTA: As you said, everybody knows Amazon. At the same time, Amazon has become quite complex. I mean, they have gone into businesses that defy imagination. That raises the question, is Amazon spreading itself too thin? Are they an online retailer? Are they video producers? Are they now making movies? In strategy, we learn, everybody should focus. Obviously Jeff Bezos missed that class.

BRIAN KENNY: He didn’t come to HBS by the way.

SUNIL GUPTA: You sort of start wondering as to, what is the magic behind this? What is the secret sauce that makes Amazon such a huge success? The market gap almost touched a trillion dollars a few months ago.

BRIAN KENNY: Insane.

SUNIL GUPTA: That was the reason why I thought A, everybody knows about it, and B, it’s hugely successful and C, his business model seems to defy logic.

BRIAN KENNY: The case we know by the title takes place in 2017. Maybe you can just start us off by setting it up. How does the case open up?

SUNIL GUPTA: At that point in time, Amazon had just bought Whole Foods, which was very counterintuitive because Amazon has been an online player. So why is it getting into offline business? That was against his grain as an online player. The second thing is food is a very low margin category. You sort of say, Amazon is a technology company, its stock is going to stratosphere. Why buy a low margin business that Amazon actually had been trying Amazon Fresh for 10 years and hasn’t succeeded? Why don’t they give up? That was a starting point. But of course, the case describes all the other 20 different things that they have done in the last 20 years and asked the question, what is Amazon up to?

BRIAN KENNY: Amazon and Jeff Bezos are sort of synonymous. He’s a cult of personality there, kind of like Steve Jobs was with Apple. Jeff’s been in the news a lot lately for other reasons, you know, personal reasons. He is still obviously, probably one of the best known CEOs in the world. What’s he like as a leader?

SUNIL GUPTA: I don’t know him personally. Based on the research that I’ve done, he certainly is very customer obsessed. He’s focused on customer. He always says, “You start with the customer and work backwards.” He still takes evidently calls on the call center. The culture is very entrepreneurial, but also very heart driven. I mean, the idea for example of Amazon Prime evidently didn’t come from Jeff Bezos, it came from a low person in the organization. He’s quick to adapt the ideas if he sees some merit in it. It’s almost a 25-year-old company that still works like a startup.

BRIAN KENNY: Was the original concept for Amazon … I mean, I know he sold books originally. Was it ever really a book company?

SUNIL GUPTA: I think it started more as an online retailer. Book was an easy thing because everybody knows exactly what you’re buying. It’s no concern about the quality. His premise in the online store was a very clear value proposition of three things. One was convenience that you can shop in your pajamas, so we don’t have to fight the traffic of Boston or Los Angeles. The second was infinite variety. I don’t have the constraint of a physical store. Even if I have Walmart, which is a huge store, I can only stock so many things. As a result, you only have the top sellers. In Amazon, I can have the long tail of any product if you will. The third was price. It was cheaper, simply because I don’t have fixed costs of the brick and mortar store. I can reduce the cost structure and therefore I can be cheaper. Those were the three key value propositions. That’s how it started. The idea was, I’ll start with books and then move on to electronics and other things. But then of course, it moved far beyond being an online retailer.

BRIAN KENNY: This gets into some of the ideas in your book. I was really intrigued in the book about the notion of what kind of business are we in? Just that question alone. At face value, it looked like Amazon was a retailer. They went in directions that nobody could have imagined. The case really goes into some of a litany of all the things they tried.

SUNIL GUPTA: Right. Again, the purpose of the case was to illustrate as to how these are all connected. From a distance they look completely disconnected and completely lack of focus. Let’s start with how the concept evolved. The first thing was, as I said was online retailer. Very soon it became a marketplace. Now, what is a marketplace? They basically allow third party sellers also to sell on the Amazon platform, which is distinct from a traditional retailer. Walmart doesn’t allow me to set up shop within Walmart, but Amazon allows me to do that. Now, why would they do that? Simply because it increases the variety that they can sell on the platform. Therefore, consumers are quite happy with the variety of the product they can get on Amazon. Amazon gets commission without having the inventory and the capital cost. Perhaps the most important thing of becoming a platform is it creates what we call the network effects. If there are lots of products, everything I can buy is available on Amazon. More consumers are likely to go there. Because there are more consumers, more sellers are likely to go there. It just feeds in itself. More consumers mean more sellers, more sellers mean more consumers, and it becomes a virtual cycle. That’s why there is only one Amazon. Even if I start an online retail, which is in many ways better than Amazon, nobody’s coming to gupta.com, because buyers and sellers are not there. That became the next phase, change from online retailer to marketplace. Then it went into AWS, and you sort of say, “Well, how can it go into a technology company and compete with IBM and Microsoft?” It was competing with Walmart before.

BRIAN KENNY: That’s the web services division.

SUNIL GUPTA: That’s the web services. In fact, at that point in time, Wall Street was very down on that. They said, “What is Bezos thinking?” The idea again, if you think about it, it was very simple. Amazon was building this technology for its own purpose. And then, they started giving this technology, using this technology for the third party sellers, who were selling on its platform.

BRIAN KENNY: Let me just interrupt for a second. That’s a marked, a marked change in direction. They had always been a consumer platform. Now they’re in a business-to-business play. I bet a lot of consumers don’t even know about Amazon Web Services.

SUNIL GUPTA: Correct. Again, not in a traditional sense saying, “This is my market.” That’s simply saying, “I have this capability. There’s a demand for this capability. Can I do it?” Part of that was opportunistic also. If you remember in 2001, the dot.com bubble crashed. If you’re a B2C company, you hedge your bets and get into B2B business. Part of that may have been luck. That was, again, a change of direction. And then, Amazon started producing hardware, Kindle, and now competing with Apple. You sort of say, why is an online retailer getting into hardware production? If you think a little bit about it, the answer is very easy. Kindle was designed to sell eBooks as people move from buying the hard copy books to downloading the eBooks. The Kindle is the classic razor and blade strategy. I sell razors cheap in order to make money on the blades. I’m not making that much money Kindle, but I’m making money on eBooks, which is very different from Apple’s strategy. Apple actually makes money on devices, but Amazon is not making money on devices, or at least not making huge money on devices. Similarly, it moved into online streaming of the video content and suddenly became a competition on Netflix. You sort of say, “Why is a retailer becoming a competition on Netflix?” Again, if you think a little about it, the answer becomes clear. As you and I moved on to not buying DVDs, but actually streaming the stuff, that’s what Netflix did. They used to send the DVDs to us.

BRIAN KENNY: I remember that. I still have a couple.

SUNIL GUPTA: Amazon is very good in sort of moving with the customer. If the customer moved from buying books to eBooks, I move in that direction. If customers move from buying DVDs to streaming, I move in that direction. Now, can Amazon do it? Of course, they can. They have AWS. Netflix is one of the largest customers.

BRIAN KENNY: Are they leading or following? Are they creating a market? In the beginning it seemed like they created something entirely new. Now, are they anticipating, or are they just sort of reacting to what’s happening?

SUNIL GUPTA: No, it’s a combination of both. In some ways they are actually following the consumer behavior and say consumers are moving to a streaming and move with that. They were not the first ones. Netflix actually started the streaming thing. Then, they sort of come up with it. If you think about it, Amazon became not only distributing third party content on videos, but now they have Amazon Studio. I mean, they are making movies, and the competition now becomes Hollywood instead of Walmart. You sort of say, “What has gone wrong with Jeff Bezos? Why is he making movies?” Movies are pretty expensive business and highly risky. The key to that is to understand the purpose of the movies. The purpose of the movies is to hook the consumers from Amazon Prime. If you remember, Amazon Prime started with 79 dollars per year. The benefit at that time was two-day free shipping. Now, you and I are smart enough to sort of do the math in our heads saying, how many shipments do we expect next year, and is 79 dollars worth it or not? Bezos does not want you to do that math. He basically says, “Oh, by the way, I’ll throw in some free content, some free music, some free unique movies.” Now you can’t do the calculation. Why does he care about Prime? Right now, Amazon has about one hundred million Prime customers globally. Let’s say I get an average 100 dollars per year, that’s 10 billion dollars in my pocket before I open the store.

BRIAN KENNY: Right.

SUNIL GUPTA: The research also shows that Amazon Prime customers buy three to four times more than non-Prime customers. I mean, if you’re a Prime customer, you don’t even price shop.

BRIAN KENNY: Once you’re Prime, you’ve got to justify being a member. You buy everything on Amazon.

SUNIL GUPTA: Exactly. Your purchase increases. You become price sensitive, which is fantastic. In fact Jeff Bezos has gone public and say that every time we win a Golden Globe award for our content, we sell more shoes. The purpose of creating their own content is not to make money on the content. This is another different razor to sell you more shoes. Once you understand that, what looks like disparate business is actually extremely tied together.

BRIAN KENNY: It all comes right back to the core. They haven’t always had good ideas. Have they had some misses along the way too?

SUNIL GUPTA: I think the biggest failure was Fire phone.

BRIAN KENNY: Remind us what that was?

SUNIL GUPTA: Amazon launched their own phone. They were obviously very late in the market. iPhone was already there. Samsung had done very good. You have two major players, if not many others, who are very well established. Consumers love their iPhones. The question of course was, why is Amazon launching the phone? What are the odds of success? Clearly the odds of success were low. The reason to launch it was they didn’t want to be beholden to the iPhone or the Googles of the world. They know that the world is moving towards mobile, in terms of shopping, certainly in emerging markets, everybody’s moving to mobile shopping. If tomorrow Apple or Google sort of restrict the Amazon use, or availability of Amazon, because they’re all competing with each other now. It becomes a challenge. To Amazon’s credit, I mean, it’s true for all innovations. Not all innovations succeed. You’ve got to take a shot. If you think about it, all the technology and thought process that got into Fire phone, was not completely a waste. That went into Echo. Now Alexa is a big hit.

BRIAN KENNY: They’re a market leader in that in that. Let’s talk a little bit about the ideas that underlie his Amazon case. I think it starts with knowing what business you’re in. Your book addresses this. I think I know we’re in the education space here at Harvard Business School. Should we be thinking about other businesses?

SUNIL GUPTA: You’re right. The bigger question that Amazon case raises is: how do you define what business you are in? Most of us tend to define business by the traditional industry boundaries. If I’m a bank, I’m in banking and other banks are my competition. I think industry boundaries are getting blurred today. Amazon can get into banking. I have lots of customers, I can start giving loans to small and medium enterprises.

BRIAN KENNY: They know a lot about those customers.

SUNIL GUPTA: They know a lot about customers. The key asset is now customers and data, and not the product and services that you offer. Once you know about customers, you can do lots of different things. One thing is, I would say is the industry boundaries are getting blurred. You need to think about not competition, but what do customers want. Do I have capabilities to serve that? The second thing is the traditional definition of where competitive advantage comes from is changing. What I learned, in doing my MBA class many years ago, we used to read Michael Porter’s competitive strategy stuff. If I were to simplify and summarize what I learned in competitive strategy was competitive advantage comes from making your product better or cheaper. Differentiation or cost leadership, which makes sense. If you think about it, it’s very much product-focused. I think in today’s world, competitive advantage comes from connecting products and connecting customers. The Kindle and eBooks is an example of connecting products, multiple products right? Making movies of Amazon and selling more shoes is connecting products. Razor and blade have been around forever. I think what is different today is razor and blade could be in completely different industries. Movies and shoes. The other side is connecting customers. We are in a network economy. That’s why there is only one Facebook, or one WhatsApp. If you are the only person on Facebook, what’s the value of Facebook? Not much, unless you love yourself. As more and more people get onto Facebook, the value of Facebook increases. It’s not about improving product. Without changing product, Facebook value increases. I think in this connected world that we live in, it’s about connecting products and connecting consumers.

BRIAN KENNY: We’ve got a lot of listeners out there. Many of whom are probably leading firms of one kind or another. How do they even go about exploring redefining their business?

SUNIL GUPTA: I think again, you need to think about what is your key asset? Everything starts with the consumer. In the Amazon case, you move with the consumer to some extent. I asked the same of a company for a medical device manufacturer. I said, “Who’s your competition?” The typical answer is: the other medical devices. Medical business is now becoming a lot about data. Google is getting into that. Apple. iPhone is becoming a medical device. Suddenly you have a very different kind of player getting into this thing. When I say, “What business are you in?” You need to think about who might actually get into that business and that changes the whole picture.

BRIAN KENNY: Why is Amazon so good at engaging customers?

SUNIL GUPTA: I think it comes from the culture of being customer obsessed, that no matter what the customer is right. They deliver on that promise. I mean, the level of convenience that customers expect from companies has changed. It used to be, if a company delivers a product within a week, that was considered good. Now, if you don’t deliver on the same day it just seems awful. They’ve raised the bar in everything. Of course, they’re using technology very effectively, whether it’s in their warehousing, whether now they’re investing in drones. I think they’re still a 25-year-old startup.

BRIAN KENNY: That’s another point that I wanted to touch upon. They’re able to adapt their supply chain it seems almost effortlessly to whatever business direction they move in. Is it possible for another entry to come into this space and scale in the same way that Amazon has? Is this a once-in-a-lifetime type thing?

SUNIL GUPTA: That’s a tough question. I think Amazon, it’s not that they’re adapting supply chain for everything, right? For example, I don’t think Amazon supply chain is ready for delivering frozen food yet. If I have a supply chain to ship you electronics, I can use the same supply chain to ship you prescription medication. That opens up another billion dollar, several billion dollar market. If I call myself an online retailer, I will never think of prescription drug delivery. If I think of my capabilities, I have the warehouse to deliver electronics and books. Why can’t I deliver your prescription medication? That opens up completely different businesses.

BRIAN KENNY: What are the kind of pitfalls that you need to be careful of, as you start to move into adjacent markets?

SUNIL GUPTA: I think definitely the big challenge is: how far do you go? On one hand it’s good to expand the business scope because the industry boundaries are getting blurred. The danger is do you lose focus? The classic challenge of losing focus. There’s a balance. I think in Amazon’s case, if you notice, everything is very tightly connected. If you remove one part, the whole becomes less. That’s the key question: are the pieces fitting together nicely, or they just happen to be another business because it’s profitable?

BRIAN KENNY: We’ve done a couple of cases on Cold Call that touch on the organizational impact of firms that move into new businesses. Some of them are examples of where it’s benefitted the employees. In other cases, it seems to have disrupted the culture in negative ways. How do you see this playing out at Amazon? Does it impact them in any way?

SUNIL GUPTA: If you look at Amazon, it has grown the top line 20, 25% every quarter without fail, except for one quarter in 2001. Right now, it’s in 2019, their sales are 232 billion. I don’t know that many companies, which grow at that rate, even when they’re over 200 billion. I think, if you’re on a winning team, that as an employee, it has to energize you. If you are in a culture which encourages experimentation and innovation, it has to excite you. At the same time, I’m sure it’s a very demanding culture, and there have been reports about how demanding the culture of Amazon is. It probably is not for everybody. For the people who are innovative, who are entrepreneurial, who want to be on a winning team, I’m sure it’s an exciting place.

BRIAN KENNY: There are sort of shades of Apple there. I mean, I think Apple had the same reputation. You’ve discussed this case in class with students.

SUNIL GUPTA: Oh, many students.

BRIAN KENNY: What are sort of the top line things that surprise you as you discuss it?

SUNIL GUPTA: The nice thing about this case is, everybody knows Amazon as a consumer. Everybody has shopped at Amazon. It’s very easy case. In fact, it’s a very short case that I give, at the opening of most sessions. People see it as very surface level. They sort of don’t realize the deep insights that comes out. As a three page case, you sort of say, I will be done in ten minutes, but then you peel the layers of the onion. That was a shocking thing to them, as to how you peel the layers of the onion and how you see the connection across different things. Why did Amazon buy Whole Foods? It makes no sense. Why did they get into AWS? It makes no sense. When you start un-peeling that layer, you see the connection as to why Amazon is doing all these different things. I think that’s the “A-ha” moment that comes across.

BRIAN KENNY: Much more on that in your book. How’s the book doing?

SUNIL GUPTA: Book is doing great.

BRIAN KENNY: Great.

SUNIL GUPTA: Fabulous. It was released in August. I’ve been going around on tour for many, different parts of the world.

BRIAN KENNY: I bet you can buy it on Amazon.

SUNIL GUPTA: You can certainly buy it on Amazon.

BRIAN KENNY: That’s great. Sunil, thanks for joining us today.

SUNIL GUPTA: Thank you very much Brian.

HANNAH BATES: That was Harvard Business School professor Sunil Gupta – in conversation with Brian Kenny on Cold Call . If you liked this episode and want to hear more of Harvard Business School’s legendary case studies in podcast form – search for Cold Call wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll be back next Wednesday with another hand-picked conversation about business strategy from the Harvard Business Review. If you found this episode helpful, share it with your friends and colleagues, and follow our show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. While you’re there, be sure to leave us a review. We’re a production of the Harvard Business Review – if you want more articles, case studies, books, and videos like this, be sure to subscribe to HBR at HBR.org. This episode was produced by Anne Saini, Ian Fox, and me, Hannah Bates. Special thanks to Maureen Hoch, Adi Ignatius, Karen Player, Ramsey Khabbaz, Nicole Smith, Anne Bartholomew, and you – our listener. See you next week.

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September 19, 2024

Written by Mary Beth Westmoreland, Vice President, Worldwide Selling Partner Experience

5 new generative AI tools to accelerate seller growth and enhance the customer shopping experience

Here’s how Amazon's AI-generated review highlights help you make better shopping decisions

Discover how to use AI-generated customer review highlights with these step-by-step instructions.

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2. Expanding generative AI product listings capabilities to get more products in front of customers faster

Amazon launches fully-managed, end-to-end Supply Chain by Amazon service, driving an average 20% higher sales conversion

Supply Chain by Amazon is radically simplifying seller operations, lowering costs, and getting products from factories to customers more quickly and efficiently.

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What I Learned From Amazon's Jeff Bezos: How To Stay Customer-centric

Amazon is known as one of the most customer-centric companies in the world. There is a lot that you can learn from them.

Amazon is known as one of the most customer-centric companies in the world. Jeff Bezos & Co make their customers and their (future) needs the starting point and top priority for innovation. There is a lot that you can learn from Amazon.

When I first bought a book through Amazon some 15 years ago, I was a little surprised by the combination of nice price, fast delivery and excellent customer service. In the past years we all have been used to this great Amazon experience. It is something we seem to take for granted, though in reality this kind of customer-centricity is very rare.

Why Amazon Is So Successful

At the very heart of Amazon’s success is the total obsession with customer-centricity. Their motto is to start with the consumer and then work backward, not the other way around. This is supported by an amazing data capability that delivers Amazon an unparalleled insight into customer behavior, needs, and preferences. This results in a strong focus on delivering a superior customer experience.

“The most important single thing is to focus obsessively on the customer,” Amazon founder Jeff Bezos once said. “Our goal is to be the earth’s most customer-centric company.” How do Bezos and his employees get it done?

1. Get out of the building

Amazon really wants to know what makes the customer tick. This is done through big data, but also simply by talking to the target group.

This can take the form of taking to the streets of India in order to understand the jobs of Indian merchants, as well as the pains and gains they experience when buying and selling goods online.

2. Amazon is not expensive

Although third parties – such as publishing houses – are less happy about this, Amazon does everything it can to offer the customer the best deals possible.

As we can see, most books, CDs and DVDs are offered for lower prices on the Amazon website than by the competition.

3. The entire customer journey is frictionless

Amazon has a very information-rich website; the web giant even promotes honest reviews! Furthermore, there is an easy 1-Click Ordering option.

As a cherry on top, many times a product will be in your house earlier than was promised. Many smaller web sellers do the exact opposite: making promises they cannot keep.

In rare instances something will still go wrong. No problem! Just by indicating that you have not received a product, you will get a refund without further questions. At Amazon the customer is always right.

4. Amazon Knows How to Say They’re Sorry

In 2009 Jeff Bezos deleted books by George Orwell (!) from people’s Kindles without informing them first. The reason was that the publisher of the e-books didn’t have permission to produce electronic copies of the titles.

After a public outcry, Bezos apologized for the manner in which the problem had been handled. He wrote on the corporate Amazon blog:

“This is an apology for the way we previously handled illegally sold copies of 1984 and other novels on Kindle. Our ‘solution’ to the problem was stupid, thoughtless, and painfully out of line with our principles. It is wholly self-inflicted, and we deserve the criticism we’ve received.”

Such a frank admission is rare and inspiring at the same time.

Amazon In The Future

Meanwhile, Amazon is also going offline as the Amazon Go concept shows. Customers no longer have to wait in line to pay, a big dissatisfaction as we all know, but can just walk out without even having to scan their groceries. It is only a matter of time before Amazon will roll out this concept in the Whole Foods retail chain it bought in 2017 and shake up offline retailing with their customer-centric mindset.

If Bezos & Co will continue to optimize each step in the customer-journey, I have no doubt that Amazon will keep surprising us the coming years.

Great! So you want to measure yourself against best-in-class innovators? Our Innovation Readiness Benchmark helps you to assess your innovation power and gives you a valuable insight in the areas where you need to improve.

Eric de Groot

Boardroom strategist with unparalleled creative brainpower. Always focused on growth. Creates speed by combining business modeling with inventive pragmatic solutions. Invests in involvement over a sustained period.

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The 10-Second Customer Journey: The CXO’s playbook for growing and retaining customers in a digital world Paperback – June 11, 2024

Purchase options and add-ons.

You've Got 10 seconds to Win or Lose a Customer. This is the Ultimate Guide to Rapid Conversion in Digital Marketing.

The customer landscape has transformed, and marketers, advertisers, and business owners must adapt to a world where buying decisions are made in seconds, not months or days. The biggest obstacle? FRICTION. Those who can minimize friction and guide potential buyers swiftly through the buying process will triumph. (Hello, Amazon 1-click purchases.)

However, reducing friction requires the seamless integration of marketing, product, e-commerce, and service into a cohesive, friction-free customer experience―a feat that siloed companies struggle to achieve.

Enter The 10-Second Customer Journey . This is your ultimate playbook for capturing rapid conversions and growing your customer list. Todd Unger , Chief Experience Officer (CXO) of the American Medical Association, leverages his three decades of expertise in consumer marketing, advertising, digital products, and digital marketing to offer a step-by-step guide. He'll teach you how to become your own Chief Friction-Reduction Officer, reignite customer growth, and enhance engagement.

Why You Should Read This Book:

• Conquer the New Digital Experience Landscape: Adapt old marketing concepts to the needs of today’s digital customers. UX is king.
• Identify and Target the Right Customers: Discover how to pinpoint your ideal audience and convert them into loyal customers quickly.
• Test and Optimize Your Approach: Master the art of testing various strategies to find the most effective way to reach and engage your customers.

Written in an engaging style and packed with original insights , this is a must-read for current and aspiring marketers, customer experience leaders, and digital executives aiming to build robust customer experience strategies for their brands and organizations.

• Print length 184 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Practical Inspiration Publishing
• Publication date June 11, 2024
• Dimensions 5.5 x 0.51 x 8.5 inches
• ISBN-10 1788605039
• ISBN-13 978-1788605038
• See all details

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From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

If you're in marketing, advertising, or any business role where ROI is measured, this is a must-read. The author does an amazing job breaking down how the digital landscape has changed the game and how to adapt quickly. The focus on reducing friction is spot on―think Amazon's 1-click purchases but for your business. The insights on integrating marketing, product, and service for a smooth customer experience are super practical and immediately useful. - Amazon 5 *

Finally - a crisp, common sense road map for how to understand and motivate customers in the modern digital storm. Compelling and practical. - Amazon 5 *

"An energetic marketing-focused plan for increasing customer satisfaction." - Kirkus Reviews

Having led customer experience and overseen this critical business function, I have personally experienced the struggle of making an abstract topic concrete in different organizations. Todd turns decades of experience into practical advice with actionable approaches that anyone can understand. Finally! - Jeffrey J. Jones II, President and Chief Executive Officer of H&R Block, Former President Global Ride Sharing of Uber, Former Chief Marketing Officer of Target

In The 10-Second Customer Journey , Todd distills more than 30 years of marketing and digital experience into an actionable roadmap for driving growth in today’s marketplace. More importantly, this book shows how seemingly unrelated parts of a career accumulate and layer on top of one another, until one day, they come together in a way that’s perfect for the times. This is an excellent guide to modern-day marketing and customer experience and the role of the Chief Experience Officer in driving the future. - James Reed, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Reed and Author of Life’s Work, The 7-Second CV , and Why You?

For brands and companies to grow, they will need to excel in every aspect of customer experience. This book illuminates what experience is in all its complexity. It shows how critical it is to remove friction in every part of the customer’s journey, no matter where that journey begins or where it goes. A must-read for every business and business leader since you can’t build a business without world-class customer experience. This is a primer on optimizing experience that is both actionable and inspiring. - Rishad Tobaccowala, Author of Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in the Age of Data , Former Chief Strategist of Publicis Groupe

The 10-Second Customer Journey beautifully melds critical concepts that I have learned (often the hard way) over the course of a long career, with a few that are uniquely suited to help modern marketers navigate a complex, cluttered environment to grab all the customers they need. It’s a great example of business writing that will be a mandatory read for my “Customer Empathy & Brand Experience Design” course at Duke, and I’m already putting it to great use counseling established and startup brands. True to its title, The 10-Second Customer Journey is a fast path to marketing excellence. - Brad Brinegar, Chairman Emeritus of McKinney and Executive In Residence at the Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative

As CEO of the American Medical Association, I’ve seen firsthand the power of The 10-Second Customer Journey playbook in action. Todd’s approach has transformed our growth trajectory, audience understanding, and digital platform. Even more, his growth-driven view of customer experience has increased teamwork and helped unify our mission and marketing initiatives. It’s been instrumental in fulfilling our role as Physicians’ Powerful Ally in Patient Care™. - James L. Madara, MD, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President of the American Medical Association

Todd Unger connects the dots between old-school marketing know-how and modern digital-savvy power in this practical guide to reaching today’s consumer. Useful, interesting, helpful... You will keep this book around for reference. - Donn Davis, Founder and Chairman of Professional Fighters League

Do you know how to convert browsers into customers in just ten seconds, and keep them for life? Todd compellingly argues that every 10-second customer interaction is a critical make-or-break experience. These moments define your relationship with customers, so handle them with the utmost care. Todd distills his decades of experience into a crisp playbook for executives and all customer-facing team members. From advice on “creating products that don’t suck” to guidance on “developing a test- and-learn culture,” this book is a treasure trove of hard-earned lessons. You owe it to your customers, and your business, to heed his advice. - Chunka Mui, Co-author of A Brief History of a Perfect Future: Inventing the World We Can Proudly Leave Our Kids by 2050

Over the years, I have observed hundreds, if not thousands, of people enter the realm of customer experience management with limited knowledge of how to adapt to and succeed in wrapping their arms around the discipline. Todd does a phenomenal job helping inform the scope and impact of getting introduced to this critical lifeline for true success. Great job pulling from real-life experience. Way to go, Todd! If you want to succeed, you’d better read! - Lou Carbone, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Experience Engineering, Inc., and Professor at Michigan State University Broad School of Business

Disconnections across leadership, teams, and operations have always been a huge obstacle to great customer experience. As Todd points out in The 10-Second Customer Journey , today’s split- second buying decisions make the stakes even higher. As one of the first Chief Customer Officers in the United States and an early leader in the field of customer experience (CX), I found the book’s customer-first approach spot on. At its heart, Todd’s playbook isn’t just about technology, it’s about integrating customer insight and technology to deliver your brand’s promise. This book is indispensable reading for anyone working in or leading customer experience efforts today. - Jeanne Bliss, Author of Chief Customer Officer 2.0 and Co-founder of the Customer Experience Professionals Association

The realities of today’s digital economy are very challenging to navigate. There are constant changes in platforms, tools, regulations, and the introduction of trending mediums that require speculation and risk taking, such as the Metaverse and AI. Todd has had incredible success as a leader in marketing over decades, and his track record speaks for itself. The 10-Second Customer Journey breaks down how to remove the noise in the term “digital transformation” and focus on the core pillars and playbooks of growth marketing. This is a must-read not only for Chief Marketing Officers, but also for Chief Executive Officers and Chief Financial Officers so they can articulate strategies to their board, ask the right questions in leadership and management meetings, and be fluent in growth for the rising digital economy. - Reid Lappin, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Vokal, a Leading Growth Agency

Todd has drawn on his decades of senior corporate experience and enduring passion for customer excellence and re-writes the rules for customer experience in the split-second digital age. This groundbreaking book covers everything from outlining the critical role of Chief Experience Officers to developing a customer experience vison and detailed playbook for action. Finally, we have the guide we need to win the 10-second customer journey. - Claire O’Neill, Former UK Business Minister and Global Decarbonization Advisor

Marketing has become wildly complicated. This book turns complex tactics into a clear road map for action. Anyone managing a brand or company will benefit from the terrific frameworks and insights in this book. - Tim Calkins, Clinical Professor of Marketing at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

In The 10-Second Customer Journey , Todd nails the importance of delivering frictionless experiences to grow any business. Even better, he delivers practical advice on how to do it well. A great read for marketers and management focused on exceptional customer experience. - Julia Fitzgerald, Chief Marketing Officer of Build-A-Bear and Author of the Best Seller Midsize

From the Back Cover

The customer changed. And marketers, advertisers and business owners are still playing catch-up in a world where buying decisions are made not in months or days, but in seconds .

The enemy in today’s customer environment? FRICTION. And those who can minimize friction, guiding potential buyers rapidly through the ‘tornado funnel’ buying process, will win.

But taming friction is no small feat. It takes the seamless integration of marketing, product, commerce and service into a cohesive, friction-free customer experience. And that’s something today’s siloed companies are still not set up to do, resulting in a bevy of new C-Suite leaders, including the Chief Experience Officer (CXO).

The 10-second Customer Journey provides the playbook for growing and retaining customers in a landscape transformed by digital.

Todd Unger, CXO of the American Medical Association, provides a step-by-step guide based on three decades of consumer marketing, advertising, digital product and digital marketing and commerce experience. He’ll teach you how to become your own Chief Friction-Reduction Officer and reignite customer growth and engagement.

About the Author

Todd Unger is the Chief Experience Officer of the American Medical Association, where he has driven record growth and gained international recognition for the AMA’s CX program. He is the co-creator and host of AMA Update, the organization’s award-winning daily video/podcast series, available on the AMA’s YouTube channel and on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

A transformational marketing and digital executive, Unger’s experience places him at the nexus of marketing, content, e-commerce, technology, product development and customer service―the building blocks of today’s customer experience.

Unger’s career began at marketing and advertising powerhouses Procter & Gamble and Leo Burnett Company. He then leapt into the exploding digital world as a product manager in the early days of America Online and served as General Manager of AOL’s local city guide operation, Digital City. As a Chief Digital Officer and CMO, he’s led digital marketing, product, and content teams across large and small media companies, including Lifetime Television, Time Inc., and the Daily Racing Form.

Unger is a frequent speaker and podcast guest on the topics of marketing and customer experience. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

https://www.toddunger.com/

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Practical Inspiration Publishing (June 11, 2024)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 184 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1788605039
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1788605038
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.8 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.51 x 8.5 inches
• #280 in Customer Relations (Books)
• #396 in Web Marketing (Books)
• #597 in E-commerce Professional (Books)

About the author

Todd Unger is Chief Experience Officer of the American Medical Association, where he has driven record growth and gained international recognition for the organizations Customer Experience (CX) program.

A transformational marketing and digital executive, Unger’s experience places him at the nexus of e-commerce, content, technology, product development, marketing and customer service—the building blocks of today’s customer experience.

Unger spent a decade at marketing powerhouses Procter & Gamble and Leo Burnett (where he helped invent GladWare Containers) before he leapt into the exploding digital world as a product manager in the early days of America Online, leading the AOL Local business and pioneering a predecessor to today’s Yelp. As a Chief Digital Officer and CMO, he’s since led digital and marketing teams across large and small media companies, including Lifetime Television, Time 4 Media (a division of Time Inc.), and the Daily Racing Form.

A frequent speaker and podcast guest on Marketing and Customer Experience, Unger also hosts the AMA’s award-winning video/podcast series, The AMA Update. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

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Customer Journey - 8 Steps To Building A Customer Journey Map (With Examples)

According to Salesforce research, 80% of customers now consider their experience with a company as important as its product. The above data shows the importance of customer experience or customer experience journey for businesses.

But the question is how to build a customer journey map ? Let's find out in today's article.

Customer journey is crucial for business

What Is A Customer Journey?

Customer journey simulates how customers experience a brand over time or the journey that connects customers with the brand. 

Describing the customer journey helps businesses accurately capture customer journey touchpoints  and what customers think, interact with the brand, and ensure consistency at all touchpoints and across all channels. 

The customer journey has become more complex in the modern era thanks to online and offline purchases.

Customers interact with brands on many platforms in many different ways from different starting points, such as marketing campaigns, referrals, search engine optimization, social networks, or marketing communication channels to build an image, personality, and theme for the brand.

Finding a suitable customer journey map is crucial for businesses

Here are examples of some basic customer journeys:

• Customers interact on social networks and know about the existence of the business – social networks.
• Users are searching for product information on Google and seeing your website in the first position on the first page in search results – SEO.
• Users refer to information on the website and register for a form to receive documents, product information - content on the site.
• The user contacted customer service, or sales wanted to sign up for a trial – are both teams able to convince the customer to decide at this point?
• Users become paid customers – Email marketing is a great option to connect and build lasting relationships.
• Customers stop using the service – you need to determine the reason.
• You try to convince customers to stay with a more compelling offer – email marketing or social media.

Customers interact with brands on many platforms

Customer Journey Map Concept

What is a customer journey map.

A customer journey map is a visual representation of a customer's experience with a business. It can be understood as the story of the customer experience with the brand from the first interaction in the long-term relationship.

Customer journey mapping includes: All customer actions to achieve goals (learn, compare, and buy). The entire touchpoint where customers interact with your business from starting to know your brand through ads, face-to-face interactions, and more. The design of the entire journey map helps businesses connect with customers, understand their difficulties, as well as the pros and cons of your services and products.

Thereby, management can know trends and issues to take measures to improve customer experience, increase conversion rates, and at the same time promote purchase rates and ensure seamless and consistent customer experience across channels and touchpoints.

PDCA - Today's Most Popular Continuous Improvement Cycle

Customer journey mapping

Benefits of the customer journey map

Staged in that interaction will help businesses grasp the problem, identify the " right disease ," and optimize each activity. Ultimately, your task is to meet the previously set goals (selling products or services, raising brand awareness), thoroughly solve the problems customers are facing, and build lasting relationships between customers and businesses.

The benefits of customer journey maps include the following:

• Choose the right marketing method.
• Focus on the target customer group.
• The motto 'Customer first' can be applied, all for the customer.

One of the key aspects of the customer journey is personalization. A recent study said that 84% of customers feel that good service when making a purchase is an important factor in helping them make a purchase decision.

Research by Aberdeen Group shows that businesses that are designing customer journey maps will have outstanding growth compared to other companies, such as: 10 times reduction in customer service costs 56% increase in cross-sales and upsell sales 54% increase in profits from ROMI marketing

The question is, how can businesses achieve such growth? The main issue will depend on how well the company understands customers.

Customer-focused strategies or plans have become mandatory criteria for business development today. Besides, the above study shows that 86% of customers can spend more to get a better shopping experience.

Therefore, retailers need to understand customers' psychology and thoughts to improve the customer experience for their products and services.

The customer experience map is the key to solving the question above. A good customer experience map can help businesses understand their customers better and capture their perspective, thereby making decisions to build relationships and improve customer experience—long-term relationships with customers.

A customer journey map (Source: https://rittmananalytics.com/)

Collecting detailed and complete customer information is important in building an effective and accurate customer journey map. Some important questions businesses can ask when collecting information are as follows:

• Who is the customer segment of your business?
• What are the main channels customers interact with companies?
• What are your products and services that customers prefer?
• What are the points that customers are not satisfied with the company, products, and services?
• Customers can share information across all stages of their journey, and every search, click, like, comment or purchase can reveal important customer insight.

Enterprises need to collect and understand timely data and information in real-time, accurately and comprehensively. To do that, the customer data platform (CDP) or customer data platform is an indispensable tool for businesses.

Collecting detailed and complete customer data

What does a customer journey map include?

1. purchase process.

Customer journey maps include different milestones in the customer journey. You will need to start by outlining the path the business intends for your clients to achieve its goals. Utilizing typical buying process stages, you can horizontally list each stage.

2. User actions

This factor refers to what customers do at each stage of the purchasing process. They can talk to their friends and family about their demand and potential ways to meet them during the awareness stage.

They can preview your website and eventually utilize cash or a debit card to make a buying decision. This factor explores different methods your clients can reach their goals.

3. Emotions

No matter how big or small the goal, it is critical to remember that your customers are potentially dealing with their problems. That means they may feel several emotions - relief, happiness, excitement, or anxiety.

If your process is complicated or takes much time, they might feel various emotions at every stage. Adding these feelings to the customer journey map helps you to minimize negative feelings about your journey. Therefore, they do not turn into negative opinions about your brand.

4. Pain points

By adding pain points to your customer journey map, you can identify which stage your customers have negative emotions and infer the reasons.

5. Solution

As the final factor of a customer journey map, a solution is where you think about potential approaches to enhance your buying process, so your customers can have less trouble and have positive emotions when they support your business.

The growth of customer journey

What are the touchpoints in the customer journey map?

The touchpoint in the customer journey map is where customers can form an opinion about your business.

You can find touchpoints in places where your business comes into direct contact with potential or existing customers such as display ads, employee interactions, and even Google reviews can all be customer touchpoints.

The brand exists beyond marketing materials and websites. Therefore, it is advisable to consider different touch points in customer journey maps. The reason is that they can help discover opportunities to improve the buying journey.

Touchpoints (Source: Salespanel.io)

Steps To Build A Customer Journey

Drawing customer journey maps helps businesses understand customer behavior. 

It allows companies to gain insights into their customers' pain points and how they can improve the customer experience and identify potential customers, and potential customers to make purchasing decisions.

Here is the 8-step process of mapping the customer journey suggested by Hubspot:

Step 1. Define your goals

You need to understand why you do this; what is the goal? Who exactly is the target audience? What experience is it based on?

Step 2. Create a customer profile and define their goals

In this step, you need to conduct surveys to get feedback and suggestions (feedback, review) from customers (actual or potential customers) through a questionnaire. Some of the questions could be:

• Through which channels and means did you know our brand?
• What attracts you first when entering the website?
• Problems you are facing or need support from us?
• How much time do you usually spend visiting the website?
• Have you ever purchased products or services from us? What is the purchasing decision factor?
• Have you ever interacted on a website to buy but decided not to buy? What made you make a purchase decision?
• On a scale of 10, how would you rate the navigation on the website?
• Have you contacted our customer service department? How helpful were the responses, on a 10-point scale?
• Your suggestions to make your interaction more convenient.

Step 3. Choose your target customer portrait

Once you understand the characteristics of each customer that interacts with your business, narrow it down to one or two of them.

Choose target customers 

Step 4. List all touchpoints

Touchpoints are all the places on your website where customers interact with your business. This is an important element in the customer journey mapping process because it gives us a deeper insight into customer behavior.

Do not stop studying customer behavior only on the website; you can look at other channels such as social networks, paid advertising, email marketing, and media specializing in product and service reviews and reviews.

Studying customer behavior

List all the actions customers take throughout the interaction with the brand, for example, Google search engine-related keywords, click on the email you send… This is an opportunity for businesses to streamline information later.

Emotions and motives

Emotions drive every customer's behavior. And that emotion varies across different stages of the customer journey.

And the emotional factor in each customer's behavior is the pain point or problem they face. Understanding these will help you build a seamless customer journey on time.

Obstacles and pain

One of the obstacles that can be seen is the cost.  So understanding those obstacles and problems and dealing with them will make the customer experience smoother. 

Identify customer's obstacles

Step 5. Identify the elements you want to show on the map

There are 4 types of customer journey maps ; depending on the purpose of your business, you can choose the appropriate map type:

Current State – (Empathy Map)

This is a common type used to simulate the actions, thoughts, and emotions customers experience when interacting with the company. This map is very useful and can help to improve the customer journey continuously.

Day in the life – (Experience Map)

This map describes the actions, thoughts, and emotions that customers experience in all activities taking place in daily life.

This category offers a broader perspective on the client's life and pain points. They often address unmet needs before the customer is aware of the market.

Future State

This category describes the actions, thoughts, and feelings you believe customers will experience when interacting with your business. This type is often used to illustrate a vision and set clear goals for the near future.

Service blueprint

This map starts with a simplified version of the ones above but clarifies the elements responsible for delivering the experience, like people, technology, policies, and processes.

This map is often used to identify main causes in the current customer journey or identify steps that need to be taken for the future customer journey.

Service blueprint (Source: boagworld-cdn.sirv.com)

Step 6. Identify resources

This section clarifies the resources you'll need to create your desired customer journey. So you need to list and utilize all the help you currently have and the ones you will need to improve your journey.

For example, your map shows an error in customer service, and the customer service department does not have a useful tool to track customers after they purchase and use the service.

Thanks to that, you also more accurately predict the impact of more resources on revenue and business performance to convince the management department.

Step 7. Get into action

Only completing the customer journey map is not sure to complete the task, but also to analyze the results.

• How many people have clicked on the website but haven't made a purchase yet?
• How can businesses support customers better?

Analyzing the results will show where customer needs are not being met so businesses can provide the right customer experience. Each customer group will have its own journey that customers experience through reading emails and searching online.

Get into actions

Step 8. Change, adjust in practice

The analyzed data will let businesses know what they need to do next, such as making adjustments on the website, creating a more prominent Call to Action button, or having a longer description to clarify a good feature. 

In addition, your map also needs to be re-evaluated on a monthly or quarterly basis to find gaps or opportunities to improve the customer experience better.

Customer Journey Map Case Studies

Here are some good examples of building a successful customer journey map.

#1. Spotify

Spotify is committed to helping people listen to whatever music, whenever and wherever they want. They wanted to improve engagement by adding a powerful sharing function, allowing users to expand their social functionality by sharing music in the Spotify app and using built-in third-party apps.  

Spotify customer journey map

In this map, we see the user experience from when a user opposes Spotify on mobile to whether they like a song a friend shared. Across each stage, brands list what customers interact with, do, think, and feel. 

The agency used data research and customer surveys to understand how users believe in the customer journey to gather this information.

Based on customer journey maps, Spotify can know user weaknesses and address them for a seamless music-sharing experience that encourages more users to share music more -- and do it more often.

This customer journey map is great as it helps identify key areas of customer interaction, consider customer behavior, and deliver an enjoyable customer experience.

#2. TurboTax

Turbo Tax is the leading online software package for tax returns. This solution can deliver a customer journey map for better understanding of the overall customer experience.

TurboTax's customer journey map

The team utilizes a combination of customer surveys,  data research, and main conversations with tax experts to understand how the product matches the lives of those who use it.

Amazon is one of the world's e-commerce giants with its own technology and systems to take customers through their sales journey. Their customer journey map will take most people days to read and understand as it's quite complicated.

Amazon's customer journey map

However, after all, if it is applied in the right way, it can help understand the customers and introduce a suitable  customer journey strategy  to develop businesses.

Wrapping Up

In general, the customer journey map has been getting more attention thanks to the outstanding advantages it brings.

Most prominent is the trend of personalizing the business customer journey to increase customer loyalty and improve the customer experience when interacting with your brand, products, and services.

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