The journey starts with awareness—when the buyer first learns about the product or service through immersive content, targeted marketing (leveraging AI and customer data platforms), unified experience across platforms and personalisation (e.g. tailored recommendatios based on previous behaviours or searches).

Once the buyer is aware of the product or service, they begin to evaluate their options and assess if the offering fits their needs. This means seamless navigation, product transparency (in terms of specifications, pricint and reviews) as well as self-serve options (i.e. product configurators, estimators to help buyers see how the product or service fits their needs and AI powered assistants to field common queries).

The actual buying process should be smooth, fast, and without friction. Think one-click checkouts, multiple payment options, unified carts (across desktop, mobile and other devices) and a seamless cross channel experience (offering consistent promotions, loyalty points and offers).

The experience doesn’t stop once the buyer has made a purchase. In fact, the post-purchase experience is crucial for retention, loyalty, and advocacy. This means accurate order confirmation and tracking, pro-active customer support (chatbots, FAQs, live support), automate follow up to request feedback and complementary products as well as loyalty programmes and a simple returns process.

A perfect journey doesn’t end with the purchase—it turns buyers into advocates who will share their positive experiences and promote your brand. Encouraging customers to share their experiences on social or via reviews, engaging them with your brand through online communities and offering personalised re-engagement offers based on past purchases and behaviours is key.