Shopping Journey

What Is a Shopping Journey?

The customer journey refers to the full experience someone has with a brand—from initial awareness through to purchase, usage, and post-purchase support. It includes every touchpoint where a person interacts with the brand, such as seeing an ad, browsing online, talking to customer service, or receiving follow-up emails. This journey is often emotional and relationship-focused, emphasising how a brand meets the needs and expectations of the customer over time.

What is the Shopper or Shopping Journey?

In contrast, the shopper journey is specifically about the path someone takes to make a purchase. It focuses more on decision-making at the point of sale—whether online or in-store—and includes steps like identifying a need, researching products, comparing prices, navigating shelves or websites, and completing the transaction. While a customer might already be loyal to a brand, a shopper could be influenced by price, convenience, packaging, or promotions in the moment.

Importantly, not all shoppers are customers, and not all customers are the end users. For example, a parent shopping for a child is a shopper, while the child is the customer.

Benefits of Shopping Journey mapping

Mapping both journeys helps businesses craft better strategies. While customer journeys inform brand building and long-term engagement, shopper journeys influence merchandising, retail placement, promotions, and conversion tactics.

To be successful, businesses must align both journeys—offering a seamless experience across channels, from brand discovery to point-of-sale. This means integrating data, understanding behaviours at each stage, and delivering personalised, relevant messages that guide both shoppers and customers effectively.