Evolving User Journey: Transformations Over the Past Decade

Times have changed, and the way businesses interact with consumers has evolved too.

A decade ago, brands would acquire new customers based on word-of-mouth or their outlet locations. However, the latest trends in user journey statistics show that over 50% of individuals following a brand on social media display customer loyalty.

The user journey in the past was different from what we see today. Customers visit a website but wait to make a purchase. A brand's website is only one aspect of the entire customer experience.

Businesses must draw a comparison of user journey today to create a holistic customer experience. Keep reading to learn about how the user journey has changed and what you can do to improve it.

Understanding Customer Experience and User Journey

In recent years, customers have become increasingly demanding, expecting brands to provide seamless, personalised experiences across all touchpoints. To meet their expectations, businesses need to understand the customer journey and their paths as they interact with your brand.

The customer experience (CX) is the overarching term that describes the sum of all customer interactions with a brand.

A good customer experience is seamless, consistent, and personalised. It's also important to note that customer experience is not just about the product but everything from customer service to marketing to website design.

User journey mapping is a tool that businesses use to create a visual representation of the customer journey.

By mapping out the journey, companies can identify pain points and areas for improvement. Additionally, journey mapping can help companies to create more personalised experiences by understanding

89% of brands today use CX as their competitive advantage, making it vital to understand how the user journey is formed and evolved.

The CEO of Growth Jockey, Ashutosh Kumar, has held C-Suite positions in OYO India, Reliance Jio, and Airtel. With personal industry insights on the customer journey, we offer a modern and dynamic strategy to unlock 10X revenue from customer acquisitions.

How Has the User Journey Changed in the Past Decade?

Since the dawn of industrial times, the goal of businesses was to meet demand. Eventually, the focus turned towards considering customer pain points while meeting demand.

With this, the crux of customer service was to offer a friendly experience. Even today, 42% of customers are okay with paying extra for warm service. However, customer experience is more than a warm greeting.

Following are the top three ways in which we identified the user journey changing:

1. An Omnichannel Experiences

As mentioned earlier, customer experience is an umbrella term that covers a user's experience on all your channels.

Around the 2010s, a customer would engage with a company directly, either through a sales or customer representative. Finding a brand store was purely based on a person's knowledge or access to an online directory.

Additionally, companies would meet with clients only during business hours. However, today customers want to reach you through their preferred channels on their clock. With companies serving a global audience, time zones cannot restrict customer experience.

Today, 80% of businesses are investing in an omnichannel experience, according to a report by PWC. Restricting your channels reflects a need for customer centrism. Combining the brand's in-person user journey with its digital experience is the key in today's market.

The rise in omnichannel preferences results from consumers' increasing technological access. This brings forward the next advancement in user journey.

2. A Mobile-Friendly Experience

Y2K introduced the era of mobile phones. However, until 2010, the phone was only good for calling a customer care representative.

62% of the GEN-Z population shops through mobile sites or applications.

A mobile phone is undoubtedly indispensable in individuals' daily lives. A brand not compatible with mobile phones risks losing more than half its potential returning customers.

Mobile accessibility is only the first step. It can be further frustrating if your website is compatible with a mobile device but requires frequent troubleshooting. A robust technological backend support for your front-end design executes an excellent user experience.

At Growth Jockey, our leaders specialise in digital commerce and technological integration. After thoroughly understanding your business needs, we give you a strategic roadmap for your zero-to-hundred journey.

3. A Humanistic Technology

Combining human touch and technology is one of the biggest challenges to customer experience.

A decade ago, companies competed exclusively on technology or human touch. Automation was the technology only a few giants had conquered. The others led in terms of friendly and warm customer service.

However, the modern customer has no time but also values personalisation. Combining technology with a human touch is how the expectations of a consumer journey changed over time.

55% of businesses today use chatbots for better leads and to help consumers save time. But almost half the consumers in the U.S. complain that their most significant issue with chatbots is their unhelpful answers.

That is where personalisation and human touch come into the picture. Chatbots may automate your marketing efforts. But they don't necessarily convert leads.

Consumer shopping behaviour today projects a 40% estimated growth in AI interactions by 2023. Thus, navigating the ground and using a live chat over chatbots may serve better in the long run. Additionally, brands must offer a chatbot with the option to connect with a customer representative.

AI is not designed to replace human labour but rather to enhance it.

How Growth Jockey Can Help You Leverage Automation

At Growth Jockey, we aim to help you discover the business world. Our dedicated team of experts analyses your operations and prepares a comprehensive report on the gaps and opportunities.

Technological consultants from our team will help you understand the projected ROI of AI and Machine Learning integration within your brand. We don't stop there. Consulting is the first step. We work to the end and help you execute automation to its full potential.

A virtual CEO from Growth Jockey will work with you as you grow.

Understanding Major Customer Experience Trends for 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way consumers themselves view their experience. More access to knowledge resulted in an informed buyer. While digital commerce is the long-term trend, other spheres are taking the lead:

• Sustainability: 51% of consumers prioritise sustainability today more than they did a year ago. A brand's environmental position and conscious production will be essential in its future projections.

• Cross-functional Involvement: 43% of customers prioritise a previously positive brand experience. More than just the sales or customer service team in the user journey is required. A complete customer experience includes executives from each level.

• Social Commerce: Focusing on user journey UX for website traffic is a fundamental process. One hundred thirty million users interact monthly with shopping posts on social media. WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook are now growing hubs for commerce.

Getting a head start on these trends and planning a roadmap for the next financial year can boost business exponentially.

The Way Ahead

The last decade has experienced constant transformational changes in user journey. Brands must keep evolving and changing to attract and retain customers.

The pandemic demonstrated that the most resilient businesses are those that can speedily respond to changes, both internal and external. You're setting yourself up for success if you stay tuned to your customer's preferences.

At Growth Jockey, we are dedicated to crafting personalised models that successfully tackle the key challenges encountered by our clients across diverse industries, enabling them to enhance the user journey. Regardless of your company's size, whether it's a small-scale enterprise or a large corporation, you can now leverage advanced technology to optimise the user journey. Take a decisive step towards unlocking the next level of growth for your brand by contacting us today!