As digital technology has enabled shoppers to easily research and buy
products online, sellers have been scrambling after them, trying to
understand and satisfy their wants. Savvy companies, however, are using
new tools, processes, and organizational structures to proactively lead
digital customers from consideration to purchase and beyond. They are
creating compelling customer journeys and managing them like any other
product—and gaining a source of competitive advantage. Building
successful journeys requires four key capabilities: automation, to
smoothly carry customers through each step of their online path;
personalization, to create a customized experience for each individual;
contextual interaction, to engage customers and appropriately sequence
the steps they take; and journey innovation, to add improvements that
enhance and extend the journey and foster customer loyalty. In addition,
the most successful companies have a particular organizational
structure, with a chief experience officer overseeing a journey-focused
strategist and a “journey product manager.” This latter role is
critical—the journey product manager leads a team of designers,
developers, data analysts, marketers, and others to create and sustain
superior journeys, and he or she is accountable for the journey’s ROI
and general business performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]