The customer journey is a central topic for all retailers to consider to be able to successfully manage customer experience and to thereby ensure the survival of a business. Hence, managing and influencing customer journeys has been of importance since the emergence of retailing.
However, to successfully manage customer journeys has become increasingly complex with the development of omnichannel retail. Classical techniques to analyze and influence customer journeys are insufficient for today’s customers who are seamlessly using multiple devices and switching between different channels during their purchase journey while expecting a uniform and personalized customer experience.
This research paper studies the topic of customer journey analysis in omnichannel retail and discusses which requirements need to be fulfilled to successfully model, analyze and influence the respective customer journeys. By conducting a systematic literature review it was proven that a tool is needed to model and analyze individual customer journeys in omnichannel retail in real-time, making use of online and offline customer data. Through the method of semi-structured interviews, requirements that are related to developing and deploying such a tool were collected in an exploratory way.
This is from scientific importance as until now few research has addressed the topic of ways to model and analyze customer journeys in omnichannel retail. Additionally, with rising customer expectations and an increased competition between retailers, the importance of successfully managing customer journeys is indispensable in retailing.
The findings of this paper imply a high probability of an increasing need to deploy a customer journey modelling and analysis tool by omnichannel retailers. However, further in-depth analysis and specification of characteristics that this tool requires to fulfill are needed to successfully develop it.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Motivation
1.2 Problem formulation
1.3 Research questions
1.4 Intended Contribution
1.5 Structure of the thesis
2 Methodology
2.1 Research approach
2.1.1 Research design
2.1.2 Research strategy
2.2 Data collection
2.3 Sampling approach
2.4 Data analysis
2.5 Ethical considerations
2.6 Potential weaknesses
3 Literature Review
3.1 Description of the process
3.2 Omnichannel retail practices
3.3 Customer journey
3.3.1 The customer journey concept
3.3.2 Customer journey phases
3.3.3 Customer journey touchpoints
3.3.4 Customer journey analysis techniques
3.4 Chapter summary
4 Empirical presentation
4.1 Preliminary framework
4.2 Findings and analysis
4.2.1 Requirements derived from the omnichannel literature
4.2.2 Requirements derived from the customer journey literature
4.2.3 Requirements derived from the customer journey touchpoints and phases literature
4.2.4 Requirements derived from the customer journey modelling tools literature
4.2.5 Additional requirements derived from the interviews
5 Recommendation
5.1 Methodology
5.2 Technology
5.3 Data gathering
5.4 Data analysis
5.5 Implications
6 Concluding remarks
6.1 Reflection of the research approach
6.2 Conclusion regarding the research questions
6.3 Critical evaluation and recommendation for future research
Research Objective & Topics
This thesis aims to explore the requirements for a tool designed to model and analyze individual customer journeys within an omnichannel retail environment in real-time, leveraging both online and offline data. The central research objective is to identify functional and organizational prerequisites to support retailers in managing complex, non-linear customer experiences effectively.
- Characteristics of customer journeys in omnichannel retail
- Methods and techniques for customer journey analysis (CJA)
- Data integration and technical infrastructure requirements
- Organizational alignment and cross-departmental collaboration
- Customer-centricity and personalized service management
Book Excerpt
3.3.1 The customer journey concept
The customer journey concept has evolved from initial research in the field of customer experience management and from decision making models. Customers’ channel choices and buying decisions are strongly influenced by their experiences. According to Lemon & Verhoef (2016) customer experience is “a customer’s journey with a firm over time during the purchase cycle across multiple touchpoints”. The customer journey is considered the treatment of customer experience by Pucinelli et al. (2009) and Verhoef et al. (2009). The Marketing Science Institute (2014, 2016) states that customer experience is one of the most important research topics for upcoming years. This is due to the fact that previous research has shown that there is an increasing number and complexity of customer touchpoints and that creating positive, strong experiences within customer journeys can improve a company’s financial results by accelerating performance within the customer journey at different touchpoints, positive word of mouth and higher customer loyalty (Court et al., 2009; Homburg et al., 2015; Edelmann, 2010). Additionally, studies have shown that a positive customer experience can support a brand and create emotional bonds or conversely emotional scarring (Pullman & Gross, 2004; Berry & Carbon, 2007).
Customer experience has widely been studied within marketing literature since the 1960s, with early works by Kotler (1967) and Howard & Sheth (1969) focusing on initial theories on marketing and consumer behavior. For this research paper, the theories of customer buying behavior process models and service quality are especially important, since they study techniques that depict and analyze customer journeys and will further be discussed in chapter 2.3.2. To successfully manage customer experience, an understanding of the customer decision-making process is needed.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter introduces the motivation for studying customer journey analysis in the context of omnichannel retail and outlines the research questions and structure of the thesis.
2 Methodology: This chapter describes the exploratory research design, data collection via semi-structured interviews, and the methods used for data analysis and ethical considerations.
3 Literature Review: This chapter provides a theoretical foundation by discussing omnichannel retail practices, the customer journey concept, and various analysis techniques used in service management.
4 Empirical presentation: This chapter develops a preliminary framework for requirements based on literature and verifies these against findings from seven expert interviews.
5 Recommendation: This chapter provides practical recommendations for developing and deploying a Customer Journey Modelling and Analysis Tool (CJMAT) based on the derived findings.
6 Concluding remarks: This chapter reflects on the research approach, provides answers to the research questions, and offers a critical evaluation with suggestions for future research.
Keywords
Customer journey, omnichannel retail, customer experience, customer journey analysis (CJA), customer journey modelling and analysis tool (CJMAT), requirements analysis, touchpoints, omnichannel marketing, customer behavior, real-time data, attribution modelling, service blueprinting, customer centricity, decision-making process, stakeholder management
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research focuses on analyzing the requirements for a tool (CJMAT) that enables retailers to model and analyze individual customer journeys in an omnichannel environment using real-time data.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The work covers omnichannel retail practices, the conceptualization of the customer journey, current analysis techniques, data requirements, and the necessity of organizational alignment.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to determine the functional and organizational requirements that an effective customer journey modelling and analysis tool must fulfill to help retailers improve customer satisfaction.
Which methodology is applied?
The thesis utilizes an exploratory research approach, combining a systematic literature review with qualitative data collection through semi-structured interviews.
What is covered in the main body?
The main body reviews existing literature on retail and customer behavior, establishes a preliminary requirements framework, conducts empirical validation through interviews, and formulates recommendations for tool deployment.
Which keywords best describe the thesis?
Key terms include customer journey, omnichannel retail, customer experience, CJMAT, touchpoints, and real-time analysis.
Why is a holistic tool necessary in omnichannel retail?
Due to fragmented channels and non-linear customer behavior, a holistic tool is needed to integrate disparate data sources, enabling a unified view of the customer across the entire journey.
How does this study address the role of stakeholders?
The study highlights that siloed organizational structures hinder customer-centricity; therefore, it emphasizes that all relevant internal stakeholders must be involved in the development and adoption of analysis tools.
What role does data privacy play?
Data privacy is identified as a critical requirement; companies must ensure that customer data is collected with consent and managed in compliance with regulations like the GDPR.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Marie Klose (Autor:in), 2018, The Customer Journey in Omnichannel Retail. An exploratory requirements analysis for a customer journey modelling and analysis tool, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/456319
