What are the most effective ways to use behavioral psychology to improve the customer journey?

Notre comportement et nos décisions sont à plus de 90 % guidés par nos émotions. L'odorat a un lien privilégié avec nos émotions à son mécanisme de fonctionnement. Un parfum congruent permettra d'influencer positivement le comportement du consommateur. Une étude BVA a démontré qu'une identité olfactive permettait en moyenne d'augmenter de 50% la fréquentation d'un lieu et de favoriser la perception positive d'une marque. Une identité olfactive est un des meilleurs moyens de guider et d'influencer le comportement si celle-ci est bien réalisée.

1_ you provide value to the customer and in return, the customer considers himself obliged to repay the favor 2- The customer is always worried about losing and feels the pain of losing more than gaining something. 3- Social confirmation This principle states that people look at the behaviors and actions of others when deciding to do something. Especially when they are sure of them 4- People like to be compatible and one with their thoughts and speech. 5- Customers are more convinced by the approval of people or brands that have more credibility and power 6_ Customers respond more to the requests of people who are interested in them 7- Customers value scarce services or products more than abundant services.

For example, if we're having a contest where people can show off how well our XYZ Washing Powder works by posting before-and-after pictures or videos on social media with #SparklingResultsContest and tagging us. When others see real people getting great results, it makes them trust our product more. The pictures and videos show that it works, and when people see it, they're more likely to try it too. Plus, everyone sharing their experiences creates a big group of people who like our washing powder, making it even more popular. That is the power of social proofing.

In the fast-paced world of sponsorship and commercial marketing, social proof is your secret weapon. It's all about tapping into that natural instinct we have to look around and see what others are doing, especially when we're a bit unsure. You can really ramp up your credibility and get those conversion rates soaring by showing off how many people love your product or service. Think about it – testimonials, those gold-star ratings, glowing reviews, and even a few well-placed endorsements or awards can make all the difference. Put them front and centre on your website, in your emails, or in your ads. It's like giving your customers a nudge and saying, "Hey, don't just take our word for it – look at all these happy folks!"

Potential buyers are looking for testimonials that are helpful, and that they can relate to. But lots of b2b and b2c brands are not doing social proof or testimonials that way. Effective social proof taps into the transition and change that the buyer is looking for. It helps establish what the person was going through before they bought the product, their potential objections, other solutions they've tried in the past, and so on. Then, and only then, can you state the benefit or outcome.

In my opinion, people buy from people they like! Yet the majority of consumers make their buying decisions emotionally (Pain - Fear - Pleasure) where they justify these decisions intellectually. Therfore, "Emotional Selling" is a successful strategy that focuses on a customer's emotional experience; and it defines all the emotional triggers that prompt a person to buy. It works!

Foster a sense of community among customers. When customers feel they are part of a community, they develop a stronger emotional connection to the brand. This can be achieved through social media engagement, forums, or customer events.

One of the easiest ways to appeal to people’s emotions and values is to put yourself in the customers shoes. It’s easy when you’re trying to sell a product or service to think about why it’s the best or why they need to buy it - but that’s not always how people shop. What are their pain points, how will your product improve their quality of life or save them time. This is always the best place to start because if you don’t know what these are - you don’t know who your customer is. Following on from this, people buy from people they know, like and trust. So building your content pillars and a targeted marketing mix should help your customer get to know you and add value to them. Emotions and values are built over time and connections.

Absolutely, leveraging behavioural psychology to enhance the customer journey through emotional and value-based appeals is a potent strategy. Emotions and personal values are indeed pivotal in shaping consumer behaviour. By employing storytelling, captivating imagery, carefully selected colours, and resonant words or sounds, you can evoke emotions like happiness, excitement, curiosity, or gratitude. This emotional resonance strengthens the connection between your brand and your customers. Additionally, aligning your product or service with the customers' core beliefs, goals, or aspirations not only reinforces this connection but also demonstrates how your offering can help them realise their desired outcomes.

Yes, appeal to emotions and values –– but structured through the transition and journey that the person made. One way to do that is by using the classic PAS formula (Problem, Agitate, Solution).

Urgency and scarcity works... but only when it's real. Make sure that you explain WHY there's urgency (i.e. a timed deadline), and WHY there's a limited number of items for sale. This taps into not only emotions but the rationale part of our brain as well. Example: Urgency leading up to a major holiday works because it's REAL. You need to finalize your purchase before Dec 20th, otherwise we won't be able to ship your product before Xmas... etc.

If there is one area to focus on - this is it! When legends of behavioural economics Daniel Kahneman and Richard Thaler were asked about the one thing that would make the biggest difference to people's behaviour, they both said: MAKE IT EASY We spend far too much time in marketing focusing on the "push", and generally far too little on the "pull". Put another way, removing stuff is often more powerful than adding it. Go through every stage of the customer journey and understand exactly what may be getting in the way of your target audience getting to the next step. Then work systematically to reduce or remove as many of the barriers as possible. It's simple in theory, but hard in practice. But I promise it'll make a HUGE difference!

Customer journeys are end-to-end experiences which decides whether a visitor gets converted. Customers visit websites or apps to fulfill a need/purpose (ranging from just reading information to making a product/service purchase) and with the rise in AI and Technology, there is a huge risk of increased competiton. Hence it becomes important for organizations to ensure that customers get a seamless and frictionless experience. Some ways to achieve this is by analyzing competition and market trends to understand what customers need and what customers don't need. After building a product, A/B testing is also essential to ensure that customers get the best solution possible.

Leveraging confirmation bias can be a game-changer in enhancing the customer journey. By tailoring messages and offers that align with what customers already believe or desire, you create a more resonant and effective experience. Whether it’s through smart segmentation or pinpoint targeting, the key is to showcase your product's features and benefits in a way that echoes your customers' expectations and needs. It’s not just about showing them what you offer, but framing it in a way that fits snugly into their existing worldview. This approach can significantly boost engagement and satisfaction, making it a savvy strategy for any marketer.

Live case studies which would impact the buying decisions/ behaviors also relevant data points of success stories based on real life contingencies to be able influence the customers

In my experience, the first step is to research and understand your target market(s). Not just demographic factors (single, married, age, etc) but also what they are passionate about or enjoy (psychographics). We also want to have a thorough understanding of how the product or service benefits the target and use in messaging. Cognitive bias is real - make sure your messaging is specific to your target. Many times customer service campaigns or the customer journey do not work because of a lack of understanding of what the customer wants. There is no amount of empathy, inference, body language, or neuro-linguistic programming that will overcome that factor within the customer journey.

Remember that there are factors outside of your control that affect how a user perceives your brand. If you are the Steelers Marketing Team, and your goal is to sell as many tickets as possible, remember that your target audience's customer journey begins when they get into their car. Do they hit traffic? Can they find a place to park? Was the parking attendant helpful or harmful? As a marketer, it’s your job to think about the entire customer journey, not just the one you control. Channel empathy and solve problems that they didn’t know were even there. That’s how you use psychology in marketing to create differentiation.