What is a customer journey?

In short, a customer journey is a roadmap of how a person interacts with a brand across different touchpoints. Tracking this journey gives you the right insights to create seamless experiences and ensures that every interaction is meaningful.

See customer journeys in action

Let’s revisit Emma’s unconfirmed registration dilemma and apply it to three very different customer scenarios that could be happening here.

First, Thomas, a first-time visitor, submits a registration form but never clicks the confirmation link in his email. His customer journey includes a timely reminder message and a follow-up email emphasizing the benefits of confirming his registration.

Next visitor, Maria, starts her registration process but never finishes it. Her journey includes a personalized reminder and a gentle nudge highlighting what she’s missing out on.

Finally, a loyal customer, Guy, delays confirming his registration because he’s unsure about the membership conditions. He keeps returning to the website, clicking through different pages to find the necessary information. His journey leads to a targeted message explaining exclusive membership conditions as well as perks, and inviting him to complete the process.

These examples show how customer journeys address different customer behaviors and drive conversions in real-world examples.

Let’s dig a little deeper into how customer journeys work.

Definition and purpose

A customer journey outlines all user interactions with a brand, from initial awareness to post-purchase engagement. It may include online and offline touchpoints like website visits, emails, in-store experiences, and support interactions.

More than just tracking transactions, it highlights motivations, pain points, and friction points that impact decision-making. Understanding this broader customer experience allows you to create more targeted and effective marketing strategies.

Data-driven mapping in Xperience by Kentico

Xperience by Kentico enables you to move beyond generic audience segmentation by linking individual customer histories with real-time behaviors. By analyzing browsing history and email interactions, Xperience associates anonymous visitors with contact records once they provide an email address. Every action is tracked and linked to their profile from then on, creating a complete engagement picture.

For example, if a user like Guy frequently visits a product page but never purchases, Xperience can trigger a well-timed incentive. This real-time approach allows you to anticipate needs and optimize interactions.

How customer journeys differ from other concepts

Customer journey tracking addresses the entire brand experience, whereas other frameworks serve different roles. For example, the buyer’s journey highlights the decision-making process leading to a purchase, while a user story defines specific needs in product development.

Let’s discuss each of these frameworks in detail and clarify their role in your marketing and sales efforts.

Next step

You learned what the main purpose of customer journey mapping is. Now let’s explore how these concepts intersect and complement each other in the next chapter – prepare to go back to basics.