What is the user journey?

The term user journey is derived from the common customer journey, which in marketing shows the various stages and phases a user goes through before buying a product or requesting a service. There are various points of contact (touchpoints) along this "journey" that are intended to increase product interest and convince the customer to buy.

In contrast to the customer journey, which refers to the regular purchase process on site, the user journey is a purchase process that takes place online. The distinction between the terms was made because the internet is faster-moving and offers different conditions for a purchasing process than a physical store. Consequently, the customer journey was supplemented by a few touchpoints and adapted to the preferences and needs of the customer.

Within the user journey, social media channels and search engines in particular play a decisive role, with the focus usually being on pull effects and the influence of social networks. Whether a product is purchased or not is no longer decided on the spot, but takes place in the digital sales world of the internet.

In order to influence the purchasing process during the user journey and the customer reaction, five phases, which are considered to be points of contact with the user, can be used in marketing: The latent phase, the discovery and attention phase, the consideration phase and preference by the user in the user journey, the purchase completion phase the post-purchase phase and continuation of the user journey.