Study – The customer journey is on the move

The typical shoppers takes many steps along the way toward a purchase, and the mobile and social channel are increasingly part of the route.



According to a new study of more than one billion brand and customer interactions from customer journey management provider Kitewheel, “State of the Consumer Journey 2016 Report.,” a year-over-year comparison of 2014 to 2015 data reveals that mobile apps represent the fastest growing channel, with interactions increasing tenfold from 2014 to 2015.



While the overall percentage of mobile app interactions is still small, Kitewheel advises this channel holds great potential for brands in 2016, but will require a strong real-time capability. In addition, though the bulk of interaction volume occurs on social media (48%), the study found that as businesses expand to new channels as part of their customer journeys, social's overall share of interactions declined 23% year-over-year.



And customer journeys are not just about emerging technologies, with long-established engagement tools showing a resurgence in popularity. Email surged 270% year-over-year to represent 23% of total journey interactions in 2015. Web interactions also continue to climb, reaching 20% of total interactions in 2015 This represents a 67% increase year-over-year.



"By placing a stronger emphasis on customer journey orchestration over the past year, brands have realized a wealth of new benefits, including increased awareness, engagement, conversion and retention," said Mark Smith, president, Kitewheel. "Our study shows that the sky's the limit when it comes to customer journey orchestration -- best practices will continue to emerge, allowing brands to incorporate more touch points into their omnichannel strategy and deliver the experiences consumers expect."