Dating a millennial – the path to purchase model
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With the rise of digital, companies now start with the technology and try to fit in a communication strategy. What they should be doing is starting with a communication strategy and trying to see which channels make most sense within the user’s path to purchase. Deborah Ko, Behavioural Psychologist, discusses the revised path to purchase model for millennial consumers to show that offline and digital touch points blend seamlessly together.
![Our whole consumer model is based
on the baby boom. …[now the coming
generation] is setting up a whole new
consumer model.”
- Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial
22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 2](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
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Dating a millennial – the path to purchase model
- 1. Dating a millennial – the path to purchase model Breakfast series – Increasing Conversion 22 April 2015
- 2. Our whole consumer model is based on the baby boom. …[now the coming generation] is setting up a whole new consumer model.” - Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 2
- 3. We’ve all heard a version of this: “We need a digital strategy team.” “The only way to talk to millennials is through mobile. We need an app.” “Social media is big. Let’s get on Facebook. Let’s get a digital plan to get some fans.” “My website looks dated. We just need it to look more modern.” 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 3
- 4. You want a relationship with a millennial. 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 4
- 5. What you’re really saying: “We need a digital strategy team.” “The only way to talk to millennials is through mobile. We need an app.” “Social media is big. Let’s get on Facebook. Let’s get a digital plan to get some fans.” “My website looks dated. We just need it to look more modern.” “I need a dating strategy at the coffee shop” “The most popular way to get to the coffee shop is by car. I need a car.” “The coffee shop is really popular. I need to go and do something awesome there and she’ll like me.” “My wardrobe is dated. I think I need trendy glasses. 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 5
- 6. 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 6
- 7. How’d that turn out for you? 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 7
- 8. Step 1: Find out the things that matter most to your audience and understand how you fit into their lifestyle 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 8
- 9. Meet the millennial 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 9 15 - 35 yrs. old Affected by recession Most educated generation Born at inception of internet Most digitally connected Sharing mentality
- 10. Understand the her perspective. 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 10 She volunteers at an animal shelter She’s a dedicated yogiShe likes indie music and photography She is competitive She’s Catholic She’s a chemist
- 11. Understand the real decision factors. 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 11 You’re kind to others I find you attractiveYou like indie music and photography You’re ambitious You’re Catholic You’re witty
- 12. Why adding in ‘digital’ won’t work Functional & Informational knowledge Emotional appeal Self motivation 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 12
- 13. Into the minds of your consumers Functional & Informational knowledge Emotional appeal Self motivation 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 13 How useful is the solution? How difficult is it for me to carry out the solution? Do I have the necessary mental and physical capacity to carry out the solution? What is the person I want to be? Who do I want to be perceived as? What are my values and attitudes? How does the problem affect me emotionally? How would I feel if the problem was solved? How assured and supported do I feel in my decision?
- 14. Find out about their drives 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 14 SELF EMO INFO Align brand personality Focus marcomm on key brand attributes Develop targeted messages Identify the correct look & feel Identify emotional needs along the user journey Identify emotional triggers that prompt action Provide assurance and confidence at weak points in the journey Provide progressive disclosure Provide manageable choices Provide targeted information Improve information layout
- 15. Find out where they go 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 15 SELF EMO INFO Blogs, vlogs, newspapers, magazines, and advertisements provide inspiration and a space to dream Friends and family as well as social networks are often seen as places for social support Forums also have a supportive element to them TV, radio, blogs, vlogs, magazines, online shops and reviews, and forums are good places to get information and advice
- 16. Why you start with the individual before digital 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 16
- 17. Step 2: Identify the key decision factors and highlight the information that will help your audience make decisions easily 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 17
- 18. What do you add to the party? 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 18 How you treat her friends Your appearance Your interests Your behaviour Your beliefs Your wit
- 19. Hoteliers’ selling point beyond their hotels 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 19
- 20. Step 3: Create a unified communication and marketing strategy based on how users are motivated to search for information 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 20
- 21. Deciding if you’re worth it 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 21 What you’re like on dates Her friends’ observations What you’re like on Facebook What you’re like on LinkedIn What you’re like with your family What your friends are like Your Spotify playlist How you treat your customers in- store Their friends are buying your brand What you’re like on Facebook Consumer reviews Personal experience using brand What your brand stands for The experience of buying online
- 22. Step 4: Set up mini-conversions 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 22
- 23. Baby steps please! 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 23 Contact info? Another date? Introduce him to my friends? Start relationship? Introduce him to my family? Marriage??
- 24. More successful articles had more inclusive sentences in them 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 1.95 2 2.05 2.1 2.15 2.2 2.25 2.3 2.35 2.4 Percentageofsentenceswith inclusivewords Weighted rank of stories 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 24 Content audit There was a positive relationship between success of the article and how many times words such as “we, us, our, ours” were in the sentences (i.e., “Most of us eat every day”, “And we connect with the people”) Data obtained for June 20 – July 20, 2014 from Google Analytics for top 10 and bottom 10 stories
- 25. The millennial user journey
- 26. You want a relationship with a millennial. 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 26
- 27. Dating is complicated. She’s interested in dating She is looking for a certain type of person She needs to know you better She wants to be with you You start a relationship Was this a good idea? 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 27 Information sources ? Emotional journey
- 28. The path to purchase is complicated. Problem Solution Research Decision Purchase Validation 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 28 Information sources ? Emotional journey
- 29. The new path to purchase Problem Solution Research Decision Purchase Validation 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 29 Information sources ? Emotional journey
- 30. Be content-led, not medium-led. 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 30
- 31. Friends/Famil yCelebritiesAdvertisers 1. Am I missing something? 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 31 Billboards TV Magazine/ Newspape r Radio Blogs Social Media Social Media PPC Instagra m Instagram Web press Emotions: Dissatisfaction, fear, frustration Offline Online Problem Solution Research Decision Purchase Validation Info Emo Self Pinterest Push notification eDM
- 32. Friends/Famil y Celebrities Experts 2. Do I know how to fix it? Am I capable? 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 32 TV Magazine/ Newspape r Blogs Social Media Forums Web article Emotions: Hope, anticipation, skepticism, curiosity Offline Online Problem Solution Research Decision Purchase Validation Info Emo Self
- 33. Friends/Famil y Celebrities Experts 3. I think I know what I need. What is the best to meet my needs? 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 33 Blogs Social Media Forums Web report Emotions: Uncertainty, curiosity, fear of regret Customer service SMS / call Magazine/ Newspape r Onsite comparison Online product comparison/ reviews Online videos Blogs Offline Online Problem Solution Research Decision Purchase Validation Info Emo Self Web- site
- 34. SELF 4. I have enough information and confidence to make a decision 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 34 Convenient Within budget Emotions: Hope, anticipation, reassurance, fear, worry Social needs met Utility needs met Product is self expressive Quality needs met Problem Solution Research Decision Purchase Validation Info Emo Self Emotional needs met
- 35. Customer service 5. How easy/convenient is it for me to make the purchase? 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 35 Fast delivery options Ease of checkout Emotions: Excitement, frustration, impatience Secure Sales person Display Online product comparison/ reviews Offline Online Availability Problem Solution Research Decision Purchase Validation Info Emo Self
- 36. Friends/Famil y Problem Solution Research Decision Purchase Validation Celebrities Experts 6. Did my choice help solve my problem? 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 36 Blogs Social Media Forums Web press/vid eo Emotions: Satisfaction, delight, regret, frustration, anger, disappointment SMS / call Advertisers TV Magazine/ Newspape r Instagram Online product comparison/ reviews TV Magazine/Ne wspaper Offline Online Info Emo Self eDM
- 37. Leisure traveler journey 37 Awareness Research Decision Purchase See/read an ad Gets an email with offer Sees a friend's post about travel Sees news/blog post of travel Searches destination Recommendations online of activities Hotel ratings in the area Photos of the hotel Amenities and activities for the hotel Maps to plan out journey Transportation needs Photos and descriptions of activities Builds hotel criteria Finds flights Outline special needs (i.e., children) Decides on travel time/dates builds travel itinerary based on travel date/time Narrows down hotels based on travel needs/activities Buys through OTA Buys through loyalty/partner offers Buys through hotel website Buys through hotel hotline Buys through agent Request hotel for special needs/ arrangements
- 38. Leisure traveler journey 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 38 Preparation Check-in Stay Check-out Reminisce Researching travel tips (culture, attire, temperature, transportation, voltage) Prepare any visas or medical needs Packing for destination Excitement over itinerary Coordinate flights and hotel information Share excitement with friends Mobile check-in Concierge check-in Getting to the hotel (transportation) Exchanging money Settling into the room Buy local SIM card Figure out transportation Execute itinerary Document journey Explore area Partake in amenities Researching activities for next day Asking concierge for itinerary planning tips Buying tour packages on site Share photos and posts with friends Shopping for mementos Mobile check-out Packing make sure nothing is forgotten Mind shift back to homelife Getting to the airport (transportation) Last minute shopping Check-in to flight (mobile or onsite) Unpack Review and post photos Tell people about travel (WOM/ blog/ post) Review experience (rate hotel, rate activities) Become a loyal hotel member Subscribe to hotel newsletter
- 39. Dating the millennial 1. Know your audience on a deeper level 2. Figure out the message you want to convey based on your business goals 3. Decide where you want the message to go – digital or not 4. Recognise the information needs change throughout the journey 22/4/2015 Architects of digital change 39
Editor's Notes
- I’m not here to tell you that the path to purchase as we know it is dead. That would be presumptuous of my own generation, after all, I am considered a millennial by some. Today I’ll be exploring strategy, not traditional, not digital, but user-based strategy and why that focus is important to mastering both traditional AND digital communication channels. Actually, my goal today is to talk to you about what it’s like to date in the digital age. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/22/business/marketers-are-sizing-up-the-millennials-as-the-new-consumer-model.html?_r=0
- Before I go on about digital, let’s put this into terms that everyone has experience with. Dating. And for the sake of this talk, let’s say you don’t want just a date, you want a committed relationship. You want brand loyalty. So let’s just say I’m the matchmaker and you are ready for action. You’ve decided to date a millennial, in fact, you’ve spotted one that you’re pretty interested in. You’re this dude. Okay, casanova, what should you do? Let’s revisit these business needs again and see why they’re so weird in the perspective of dating. Let’s say digital is a place where she hangs out.
- Awesome. I’m wearing glasses, I’m at the coffee shop and I have a script I’m going to say, and I bought a car. This is going to work.
- She never talked to you? She didn’t even acknowledge the car?? What went wrong? You hired a bunch of people to develop a coffee shop strategy for you, it should have worked. That’s the problem. You need a dating strategy, not a coffee shop strategy. And that’s where a lot of companies get it wrong. They’re so fixated on the coffee shop because they know all the millennials go there for their coffee but it’s not enough to get them a first date, let alone a relationship. Cheer up casanova, a lot of the same rules apply. Let’s give lonely cat some tips to cheer him up. Well let’s start with some basics. How do you get her attention? Probably want to find out some things about her first. What are her interests? What are her tastes in music? Where do you guys have some common ground? Do you guys hang out at the same places? Is she even a nice person?
- So the point is that we need to understand her lifestyle, her likes and dislikes, we need to do some reconnaissance before we approach. We need to know the landscape in which she operates. So let’s meet the millennial. First off, her environment could have shaped how she grew up. Every generation has their own environment. We had 9/11, a recession, real talk about climate change – the internet. Now let’s talk about dating. We still want a connection, we still want the same things, but dating 10 years ago is not the same as it is now. Now we have eHarmony, match.com, okcupid, lovestruck, tinder, - just because a ton of people are on tinder doesn’t mean that the people YOU want to find are on tinder. Yes, we have a few new things to learn, this is where reconnaissance is crucial. These are all ways to get your foot in the door, but they don’t necessarily guarantee you’ll be in a real relationship. If you fixate on the coffee shop or the car as a solution to winning her heart, then you might as well just hang out with lonely cat because you’ve lost even before you started. 1982 – 2000 Affected by a global recession One of the most educated generations First generation born at the inception of the Internet age Most digitally connected generation – highly mobily integrated
- So we need to first know a bit more about her, what makes her tick, why she acts the way she does, what motivates her to do things. This would be considered the research phase, where we try to pinpoint the drives and barriers in your audience’s life towards certain things.
- Now we can also see through the research what her decision factors are. What is she judging YOU on? Do you meet those criteria? Are you positioning yourself well where she can make an assessment on these criteria?
- So what information are they searching for usually? Regardless of where they find the information (digital or non-digital means), most people are motivated by these three types of information. Individuals are motivated to purchase, to act, or to work based on their goals to fulfill their basic needs. These three areas are not new in psychology or business. We look at this to see why people strive towards goals. Companies having been using this model for years to better understand how to incentivise their workers. Psychologists have been using variations of this model to understand basic motivation from deciding to join a cult to why people are addicted to Facebook or purchase the new iWatch. We need to keep this at the heart of how we incentivise our consumers and provide them with what they want. Functional and Informational knowledge (how to, specifications) Emotional appeal (experiential) Self motivation (self expression, idealism, public image)
- How do consumers decide to engage with your products or services? These are the types of questions people think about when they seek information, when they evaluate your product or service, if they want to decide your product or service is important to them. This is the importance of user research. We need to understand not only how they would answer these questions, but more importantly, how your brand helps them achieve these things. As you can see, none of this has anything to do with digital. That part will come later, I promise. We need to understand their lifestyle and how our products fit into their digital and nondigital lifestyle. What part of their busy life are we satisfying? How does our product or service fit into their existing ecosystem of things and events?
- So why is digital strategy so weird here? Because from understanding self motivation, emotional appeal, and functional and informational knowledge, this isn’t digital.
- This is where things CAN get digital. From understanding your users, you can see what their lifestyle is composed of. Where do they get information? Where do they get feedback from others? Gathering all of the areas is important, you can’t think of digital as something completely on its own, it’s part of a larger information hunt. Just like when you think of how positively your date thinks of you, she’s going to be evaluating you more than on how you acted in the coffee shop.
- In a project we did for a company that connects military veterans, they wanted to know if it was important to develop a mobile app and what features would be most important. So where did we start? We needed to understand why they connect with other military veterans and how they do so. We did in-depth interviews with different military veterans to find out what it meant to be in the military, when they started thinking about reconnecting with others, how they did, and how the military social network helped them do this and what purpose it served to them. The very last question we asked was how they used mobile and when. We didn’t start with the mobile app, and we didn’t start with what people liked about our client’s services. We needed to understand the motivations behind connecting because this was how we were going to figure out how digital could support these existing processes. When you start with organic and genuine relationships, the important digital features the client was looking for are already apparent, because it’s based on what already has the seeds planted for quick and seamless adoption. We created 3 different psychographic personas – personas grouped based on their specific psychological needs and motivations. This makes it easier to think of digital features that address those needs. We had blood brothers who were part of the network because it helped them find others who understood the military lifestyle and could support them in dealing with war trauma and PTSD. They needed forums, group messaging, and an emergency helpline to their network. We also had networkers, those who only wanted to connect with people they served with either for career or personal reasons. Their information needs may They would only want group and private messaging and strong search functionality and filters to find those they lost contact with. And last we had Historians, they used the site to honor those who had died and to also look back on their own military career. They would need a lightweight yet visually helpful way of reviewing and seeing their timeline, tours, and medals. We also found that in fact, individuals primarily communication through their phones, not just for the client’s service, but when talking to other vets, such as in FB groups or text message.
- The thing is, that – like dating, millennials don’t make big distinctions between online and offline. You’re trying to date this girl. How does she decide if she wants to date you? She looks for evidence in lots of different situations to try to get a broader picture of who you are and how you fit into her life.
- For a major luxury hotel chain, we were tasked with understanding how to increase conversion through their booking engine. Sure we can create a website with a massive booking button, but in order to make it user centric, we went back to a much broader question – why do people travel? The hotel experience has to fit into their expectations of what travel means to them and model the content and the layout accordingly. We looked at self motivation – how do the experiences broaden my life, tell me something about who I am, tell other people about the type of person I am? One thing we found out was that a lot of people choose places based on how “instagrammable” it is. We looked at emotional appeal – much of travel planning is about dreaming. Experiential purchases are inherently emotional and individuals have often dreamt of how it will be when they travel long before they’ve decided where they will stay. We found that there was a high relationship between openness to new experiences and traveling to immerse oneself in another culture and price – showing that if you want new experiences and exposure to new cultures, then price is not a priority. We also looked at the functional and informational aspects – when people travel, they do look at the amenities and how the rooms and the services within the hotel will improve their travel experience. But they also assess the hassle of traveling such as location as one of the biggest determining factors. So what we know is that if hotels don’t make use of their location and provide a compelling case for how they can put individuals where they want to be, then they’ve lost a whole audience. Of course there are different types of people that will be driven by different things. Business travelers, retreat goers, honeymooners – it was important for us to look at their personas, and not just understand what the website needed, we needed to understand the lifecycle of their decision making process to see where our client needed to be joining the conversation and what they should be saying to add value.
- It’s just with digital, she has a few places she can look at to find out about you. The same things apply to your business. They want to know who you are and what you’re offering to them and they want to know more.
- Sure you’re looking for a real relationship, not a fling but you’ve just met her! Similarly, perhaps your users aren’t ready for your ultimate conversion goals yet. Maybe they can’t book the hotel room yet, but they’re willing to pin a picture of your hotel on their “Dream vacations” pinterest board, or they’re willing to sign up for a newsletter to get deals. These are tinier conversions that get them one step further each time to booking, IF this is what your ultimate business goals are. Knowing which mini-conversions lead to your ultimate conversion goal is also important. Maybe that pin to the “Dream vacations” never leads to a sell, but maybe it does. That’s what good KPIs can help determine.
- So let’s come back to your brilliant plan to get that date. You’ve done some actual research this time, to really try to get to know her, you drove to the coffee shop that she always goes to, managed a pretty good conversation about indie music and photography based on knowing what she’s interested in, and you think she may be intrigued. Excited yet?
- We start with an observation, someone might be unaware that they want something. Either you’ve hinted at it or they’ve been prompted into thinking about starting a relationship. There’s a pretty information-led process that she may go through in order to assess after awhile that this is a good idea. 10 – 15 years ago, you could probably have controlled the message a little better, on dates you’re usually on your best behaviour, the most she can find out about you is from grilling your friends and family, otherwise she’s got to go on what she sees that you’ve presented to her.
- Path to purchase isn’t that different. Traditionally, there were a few information sources that marketers had to worry about, there was an emotional journey in there and behaviours that occurred, but the information sources were much easier to control. You provided the information, they deliberated and moved further on the behaviour chain. Like the dating scene 10-15 years ago, control over your reputation was a bit easier.
- But now you have to worry about what stupid thing you posted about yourself in high school. The off comment that you wrote on Twitter drunkenly a couple years ago, the bad picture that you’re tagged in on facebook. The model hasn’t changed, it’s just there’s so much more information out there, and it’s not always the information you wanted. Let’s say you are a hotel company and let’s take an example of how a leisure traveller mentally navigates through the path to purchase model.
- The message you want to convey is probably most important. You have information you want your audience to know about. Figure out the message and THEN find out where it makes sense to distribute the information. Don’t start with where and then figure out what the message should be. You want her to know you’re an awesome person. You make sure she can find evidence in all the places that are important for her to look. You don’t start with the coffee shop and then figure out what she should know about you. So let’s see what it’s like to be content-led in the journey, NOT medium-led.
- So notice that digital and non digital sources are not really separated. Most leisure travellers start to dream when they feel stressed or want an escape. So you can see that a lot of their search is emotionally based. They will look for information that helps them to understand whether or not going to this place or that place will reduce their stress or boredom. These are all consumer touchpoints Bypass research with familiarity or brand loyalty
- Note that celebrities are not just actors or media celebrities, they can be popular bloggers, or other people who may not necessarily be experts but are respected nonetheless. Notice that now they’re looking to narrow down the location or experience. They’re going to want to know other people’s emotional reactions and experiences and assessing if that’s what they want to experience too. Now they’ve decided where they want to go. Next they need to know what they’ll do.
- Notice now how most of the research is information based. Now they want to know what they can do there, how long it will take them to get from place to place, how much it will cost, where everything is located.
- Now the big decision is weighed in, and there are constraints from the informational information with a lot of weight on the perceived emotional gains.
- As you can see, purchasing is a painful process. People are still seeking information and are trying to mitigate the pain of paying. Making this part painless is crucial. We had a client that had a 14 step booking system with a 40% drop off rate. They may have made a decision and were blocked by frustration. Make sure online AND offline approaches are easy and efficient.
- The interesting thing about traveling in the digital era is that the ability to make others jealous is a bit more apparent. So although a lot of travel is still emotionally based, and reminding individuals of the emotional experience of vacation is paramount, vacation now is also about curating enviable experiences.
- So now you’ve figured out what would best be suited to digital. This is where you can actually pinpoint based on what they need, what digital medium they may be looking at so you can figure out WHERE the digital efforts will be best placed. This is work we did for a hotel company that mapped out the emotional journey and the actions taken from a digital standpoint to help our client figure out which digital platform would help them best in providing support to their audience.
- Notice that throughout the journey, individuals are using different devices and they have different emotional experiences. So when we choose different digital solutions, we have to be very aware of where they are and what they’re using throughout the journey.
- So before you decide you need a digital solution, ask yourself why first. Ask yourself if it’s the best way to convey your message and speak to your audience. Learn about what your audience expects across mediums and understand that what they’re looking for changes over time.