I recently decided that I needed a new car. My two children were so crushed into my beloved Fiat 500 that, when the eldest got out, he said that he couldn’t feel his legs. So off we went to our local dealer to look for a new car that would allow my son’s blood to circulate.
It was a disaster. From start to finish, I was ignored, patronised, ‘sold’ to and kept waiting for huge amounts of time. My youngest son, when I turned my back to be patronised and sold to by the car salesman, spilt his water and got his crisp packet caught in the door, resulting in a crisp volcano which I then had to clear up. It was not a pleasant experience. Needless to say, we returned home still with my trusty Fiat and with all of the joy removed from the car buying experience.
So at a time when cars are still one of the most expensive items we own, surely the buying experience should be as smooth as possible? Especially as research has shown that ownership and driving is becoming less important to us and in particular, to younger people. In 2007, 42% of those aged 17-29 owned a car, compared to 36% now (Lucky Attitude, December 2015).
And this isn’t peculiar to cars. Pain points exist across most consumer journeys. And in a world where 40% of us argue that we like to do things on the spur of the moment (TGI, Jan-Dec 2015) and where around a quarter of us have walked out of a shop and abandoned a purchase because it became inconvenient (nVision 2015), it’s becoming increasingly important for brands to identify where these pain points and barriers exist in the purchase process and remove as many of them as possible.
At OMD UK, we’re working with clients across the whole purchase decision process, mapping out key stages that enable us to, firstly, understand the key barriers and levers to purchase and then to understand the key points in the decision-making process where we can align our marketing to maximise its effectiveness.
But we’re finding this road is not easy. Layering digital data, with first, second and third party data and finishing this with a sprinkling of survey data is difficult and no two purchase models will need the same inputs with the same shaped model. Only with the right people, data that can be easily manipulated and systems that are flexible and easy to work with can we provide journey mapping that truly reflects real behaviours and preferences. But when we get it right, results are proving to be invaluable for our clients.
And, in case you were wondering, I’m now the proud owner of a Mini Countryman. Which my youngest son threw up in on its first outing to Dorset.