Finding inspiration for customer journey mapping "Product people - Product managers, product designers, UX designers, UX researchers, Business analysts, developers, makers & entrepreneurs 15 September 2022 False Customer Development, Guest Post, Product Culture, Product Design, User Experience, Mind the Product Mind the Product Ltd 641 Finding inspiration for customer journey mapping Product Management 2.564
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Finding inspiration for customer journey mapping

Customer journey mapping (CJM) is an underestimated marketing tool. Because customer journey maps can be hard to create and their results can’t always be tracked, it can be tempting to use other ways to increase conversion rates on a company website or online shop.

But sometimes, you need to create a customer journey map to understand what your prospective customers are doing on your website, why are they buying your goods or services and—more importantly—why they are not buying. Customer experience mapping can help you to understand why there are not as many completed purchases as you would want, and to analyze what you can do to increase your conversion rate.

Although there are many tools available that can help you to create a customer journey map, some effort from your company marketing, UI, and UX specialists is still required. Only when CJM is done right, can you get closer to your clients and understand their needs and wishes.

I think customer experience journey mapping benefits hugely from some inspiration so I’ve pulled together some nice examples of what other companies have done. Hopefully they will make you think about what you can do to understand your customers better.

Take inspiration from Starbucks

The customer experience map created by Starbucks shows the possible steps of the customer who came to Starbucks to drink some coffee and work and the emotions he or she can feel in each place. It’s not a map which is likely to work for e-commerce but I think it’s very interesting and inspirational.

1 StarbucksCJmap

Line charts can work

In the line chart, you can see the possible customer steps, the points of pain and the points of delight the customer meets. This data can help when analyzing customer behaviour and improving the website or app interface. The line maps only work when the customer has only one possible way of acting.

2 customer experience

Time-bound map

You can create an experience map that shows your customer actions according to the time of the day. This can be especially useful for businesses that operate 24/7.

3. Time-bound map

Do-it-yourself mapping

You don’t necessarily need any special apps or services available to create a customer journey map, you can do it yourself using a board and pieces of paper.

4. DIY map

Brand experience map

There are customer experience maps devoted to the complete experience the customer gets while using the brand. For example, this map was created by the beauty brand Lancôme.

5 Brand experience map

Offline customer journey map

Customer journey maps can be useful not only for online stores but also for offline ones. If you have a coffee shop or a small convenience store, you can make your own CJM just like Ikea did.

6 Offline customer journey map

Repeating actions

Customer journey maps can come in various forms, sizes, and colors, For example, KLM created the round map below to track the customer experience from ticket purchase to the flight. It’s useful when the customer can perform the repeating actions on your website.

7 Round map

Map for special segments

It’s necessary to create a customer journey map for each segment of your target audience. For example, an insurance company can create a map of the possible steps performed by young families who want health insurance or a cosmetics counter can create a customer journey map for women in their 30s.

9 Map for special segment

Make it easy to read

Even though customer journey maps are valuable marketing tools, you don’t need to take them too seriously and make them too complicated. This  London-New York customer journey map from Lego is easy to read and understand and looks really appealing.

10 Bright maps

There’s more where that came from! Access more great insights on customer journey mapping

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About the author

Customer journey mapping (CJM) is an underestimated marketing tool. Because customer journey maps can be hard to create and their results can't always be tracked, it can be tempting to use other ways to increase conversion rates on a company website or online shop. But sometimes, you need to create a customer journey map to understand what your prospective customers are doing on your website, why are they buying your goods or services and—more importantly—why they are not buying. Customer experience mapping can help you to understand why there are not as many completed purchases as you would want, and to analyze what you can do to increase your conversion rate. Although there are many tools available that can help you to create a customer journey map, some effort from your company marketing, UI, and UX specialists is still required. Only when CJM is done right, can you get closer to your clients and understand their needs and wishes. I think customer experience journey mapping benefits hugely from some inspiration so I’ve pulled together some nice examples of what other companies have done. Hopefully they will make you think about what you can do to understand your customers better.

Take inspiration from Starbucks

The customer experience map created by Starbucks shows the possible steps of the customer who came to Starbucks to drink some coffee and work and the emotions he or she can feel in each place. It’s not a map which is likely to work for e-commerce but I think it’s very interesting and inspirational. 1 StarbucksCJmap

Line charts can work

In the line chart, you can see the possible customer steps, the points of pain and the points of delight the customer meets. This data can help when analyzing customer behaviour and improving the website or app interface. The line maps only work when the customer has only one possible way of acting. 2 customer experience

Time-bound map

You can create an experience map that shows your customer actions according to the time of the day. This can be especially useful for businesses that operate 24/7. 3. Time-bound map

Do-it-yourself mapping

You don't necessarily need any special apps or services available to create a customer journey map, you can do it yourself using a board and pieces of paper. 4. DIY map

Brand experience map

There are customer experience maps devoted to the complete experience the customer gets while using the brand. For example, this map was created by the beauty brand Lancôme. 5 Brand experience map

Offline customer journey map

Customer journey maps can be useful not only for online stores but also for offline ones. If you have a coffee shop or a small convenience store, you can make your own CJM just like Ikea did. 6 Offline customer journey map

Repeating actions

Customer journey maps can come in various forms, sizes, and colors, For example, KLM created the round map below to track the customer experience from ticket purchase to the flight. It’s useful when the customer can perform the repeating actions on your website. 7 Round map

Map for special segments

It’s necessary to create a customer journey map for each segment of your target audience. For example, an insurance company can create a map of the possible steps performed by young families who want health insurance or a cosmetics counter can create a customer journey map for women in their 30s. 9 Map for special segment

Make it easy to read

Even though customer journey maps are valuable marketing tools, you don’t need to take them too seriously and make them too complicated. This  London-New York customer journey map from Lego is easy to read and understand and looks really appealing. 10 Bright maps

There's more where that came from! Access more great insights on customer journey mapping