Retailers: Exploring Customers' Feelings to Influence Buying Decisions - Essay Sample

Introduction

The customer journey map is a critical component of retail and marketing plans. This process must be well coordinated to ensure that the customers have a memorable journey that informs their decision to buy now or in the future (Paluch, 2018). The empathy with the customers may be subject to various and differing elements that are related to the retail journey.

Question 1

As a retailer, I will explore the feelings and the thinking process of the clients to ensure that they influence their decisions to buy and the challenges that they face in deciding to buy from fast foods. I will be able to create an exciting mix of products and giveaways that do not only meet the needs but provide solutions and create joy to the customers (Clinehens, 2019). The retail process will also see me create a perception around my product users to stand out among the other sellers of fast foods. Most customers, especially the females' love being unique and trendy; thus, in the customer map, I will go for special barbeque and flavored foods as may be requested by the customer. Outstanding services will attract more customers to come to my products at my fast food store.

I will also empathize with my customers through the management of the information that they get from external sources concerning the range of products that my food outlet offers. What customers hear is very influential towards their decisions to buy any item from my store (Clinehens, 2019). In this case, therefore, it is critical to ensure that I understand when they opt to go for alternatives at the expense of my products. Finally, I must ensure that I offer exactly what my food outlet promises to deliver (Paluch, 2018). Clients' decision o buy or not is informed by the outcome of the goods that they consume. Therefore, it is my prerogative as a seller to ensure that the customers get value for their money. This journey must also seem to consider the pains and the gains for the customers in whatever they chose to buy in the store.

Question 2

The customer journey is a very detailed process through which it looks basic and obvious on the surface. Therefore, it is incumbent on the client to decide on whether to buy or not. Before the start of mapping, customer perception and preferences are needed in advance as this will direct the way to be mapped. The information on their preferences and tastes, as well as previous experiences, is held as a direction towards their decisions to go for certain products (Paluch, 2018).

There are customers, their emotions lead, especially ladies who are my leading target market. They develop a passion for the products that have fulfilled their wants. At the same time, they may disdain and hold strong resentment for the products that either failed them in the past or that failed to meet their needs (Paluch, 2018). The prior knowledge of their physiological factors such as expectant ladies is necessary to categorize the buyers as different factors will influence their customer journey. They will be emotionally driven towards a certain appeal or face a pull in a particular direction.

The online worry for most clients is always the legitimacy of the seller. In this case, therefore, it remains important to realize and acknowledge the various factors needed, such as the customer assuredly that the sales are genuine and that the delivery will be made in real-time (Clinehens, 2019). The best approach in this way is to give the customers a harmonized points of touch for both online and offline retail services. The service must be the same, speed of delivery, as well as the staff that serves (Paluch, 2018). This way, the fears and emotional conflicts that the customer may be confronted within their buying journey will have been eradicated.

Question 3

The customer journey s fraught with many pains and challenges in the process of coming up with a decision to make a purchase and even further to come back for repeat purchase. Some of the fundamental challenges that a customer may face include the price hurdle. At times a client may find the foods costly and beyond their budget, thus forcing them to cut their budget scope. The other challenge is the confusing presence of close substitutes (Clinehens, 2019). This may lengthen the duration and the process of the customer journey with the challenges as to whether they should go ahead and buy the food or cook at home. The safety of the foods may also come to question and confuse in such a painful process.

The provision of round the clock customer service is necessary to ensure that the customers' fears and emotional challenges are solved in entirety. In the same way, they are providing an online delivery system that provides the customer with a wider scope of choices and price comparison. The delivery can also be adjusted and as such the physiological challenges are solved whereby emotional customers or expectant ladies will not have to struggle with walking into the store to get the services.

References

Clinehens, J. (2019). How to Create a Customer Journey Map. The Startup Medium. Retrieved from https://medium.com/swlh/how-to-create-a-customer-journey-map-ffbd580284d7

Paluch, K. (2018). How To Map Your Customer's, Journey. Branding Strategy Insider. Retrieved from https://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/how-to-map-your-customers-journey/#.Xjna8k8zZdg