This is the third installment of our customer journey blog, and we’re focusing on the consideration phase. At this stage, potential customers compare different products and brands, weighing their options before purchasing. Depending on how you handle this stage, it can either result in a churn or a purchase. To turn this interest into action, you need to create an engaging and frictionless browsing experience.
In this installment, we’ll explore how to optimize the consideration phase to improve navigation, create immersive product experiences, offer personalized recommendations, and use data analytics to enhance the customer journey further.
How Can You Make Navigation User-Friendly in the Consideration Phase?
When customers move into the consideration phase of the customer journey, they’re no longer just browsing but evaluating. They may leave for a competitor if your website or catalog navigation isn’t intuitive. To make their journey smoother, ask yourself, “Is my website easy to use?” Here’s how you can improve it:
- Use Clear Menus: Organize products into logical categories, ensuring your menu is easy to navigate.
- Add Search Bars & Filters: Let customers filter products by price, size, or type to help them find what they want faster.
- Include Strong Calls to Action (CTAs): Make sure buttons and links are obvious and guide users to the next step, such as signing up for a newsletter or viewing related products.
Think about shopping online for running shoes. You appreciate filters that sort by size, brand, and price. Without these, you might get frustrated and leave the site. Filters create an easy, smooth journey. The sooner a customer can find the exact right product, the sooner they will make their purchase.
Source: Addidas
Use Interactive Features to Engage During the Customer Journey
Your prospects want to engage more deeply with your products during the consideration phase. Ask yourself, “What can I add to my site that mimics an in-store experience?” Adding interactive features helps customers feel more confident in their decision-making:
- 360-Degree Product Views: Let customers explore products from every angle.
- Zoom & Augmented Reality (AR): Offer zoom functions to inspect fine details and AR to visualize items in their home.
- Shoppable Content: Add links so customers can add products to their cart without leaving the page.
Interactive features allow customers to experience products fully even if they are at home and can’t visit your store. Customers are more likely to purchase a product they have confidence in, and features such as 3D views, videos, and AR enable an all-around experience that improves the chance of conversion.
What Role Does Trust Play in the Consideration Phase?
Trust is a major factor in decision-making. Consider, “Am I using social proof to build confidence?” You can strengthen your relationship with prospects by showcasing trustworthy, user-generated content:
- Feature Customer Reviews & Testimonials: Displaying reviews and ratings on product pages helps reassure customers that they’re making the right choice. Ensure you include them in your key creative assets such as your website, digital catalogs and social media.
- Provide Valuable Educational Content: How-to guides, product care tips, and expert reviews position your brand as a trusted resource.
Most potential customers will check multiple review sites before purchasing a new laptop. Seeing consistent, positive feedback across platforms reassures them that the product is reliable. Detailed insights about performance, durability, and user experience from other buyers can address any doubts they have, making them feel more confident and secure in their decision to move forward with the purchase.
Reviews also offer a sense of transparency, showing customers that the brand values their feedback and builds trust by allowing real opinions to shine through. They are an essential part of the customer journey, and brands should ensure that they check and respond to reviews continuously.
How Can Personalization Drive a Successful Customer Journey
Prospects are weighing their options in the consideration phase, and it’s crucial to keep your brand top of mind. Retargeting and personalization tools are powerful ways to re-engage potential customers by delivering content that speaks directly to their interests and needs. Whether it’s personalized ads, timely live chat assistance, or tailored landing pages, using these tools can effectively guide prospects back to your site and drive them closer to making a purchase decision.
- Retargeting Ads: Use retargeting campaigns to remind prospects of the products they’ve viewed or left in their cart. Personalized ads showing the items they’re considering keep your brand top of mind and prompt return visits.
- Triggering Live Chat or Support: Use data to offer timely assistance through live chat, helping customers with questions when they are on critical pages, like a product or checkout page. This reduces barriers to conversion and creates a personalized experience.
- Personalized Landing Pages: A/B test landing pages to provide different customer segments with personalized layouts, content, or offers that resonate with their preferences, boosting engagement.
How Can Data Improve the Consideration Experience?
Data is crucial for understanding customer behavior during the customer journey. Ask, “Am I using data to optimize the user experience?” Here are ways to use analytics for continuous improvement:
- Analyze Heat Maps: Find out where customers spend the most time on your site and adjust product placements or content accordingly.
- Track User Behavior: Look at how long customers stay on certain pages or how often they use filters. This can help identify what’s working and what’s not.
For example, if you notice that many users are abandoning a particular page, it could signal that something is hindering their experience—perhaps the navigation is confusing, the product details are insufficient, or the page load time is too slow. By analyzing where and why users are dropping off, you can identify these friction points and make targeted improvements, such as simplifying the navigation, enhancing product descriptions with more detailed information or images, or optimizing the page’s performance.
This proactive approach helps reduce abandonment rates and keeps customers engaged longer.
Source: What is Hotjar
Engage, Delight, and Convert with a Seamless Experience
Converting prospects into buyers requires a combination of smooth navigation, engaging content, and personalization. By putting yourself in your customer’s shoes and asking the right questions, you can create a seamless experience that guides them through the consideration phase and toward a purchase.
Keep analyzing data and refining your approach to meet evolving customer needs. When you prioritize their journey, you’ll gain their trust and successfully convert them into loyal customers.