Is the Purchase Funnel Dead… or Just Changing Shape?
An article in online interactive advertising
publication Adotas contends that the purchase funnel model of the consumer
decision-making process is outmoded. The purchase funnel assumes that
consumers gradually narrow their consideration set until they arrive at
their purchase decision – hence the funnel metaphor.
However, the writer feels that this model doesn't take
into account the ways shoppers go about making a purchase decision in the
Internet age. With so much information so readily available to consumers on
the Internet, they might initially narrow their consideration set, then
expand it, and then narrow it again. This is because
online searches for information - and
especially reviews from current users of the product - result in shoppers
considering options that had not originally been in their consideration set.
There are significant implications to this change in
the process. Marketers, especially those who sell bigger-ticket items that
customers are likely to research, may benefit from shifting resources from
raising awareness to improving the
customer experience. This is because, even if shoppers are not
aware of a marketer's product, they'll likely learn about it when they read
reviews written by current customers. And conversely, if the customer
experience is not good, a shopper may be aware of a product, but remove it
from her consideration set after reading negative reviews online.
Source: "Is
the Purchase Funnel Dead? How the Internet’s Rewired Consumer Buying
Behavior," Adotas, 3/20/06
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