Consumer Journey in Omnichannel. AHP provides clarity.

Omnichannel consumer journeys are multifaceted and complex—especially in the cosmetics segment. Discover how they can still be measured and managed in this case study. 

When and why do consumers choose a cosmetic product? And how can brands and retailers use insights into these questions to optimize online and offline consumer journeys? We developed answers for a leading cosmetics brand. The goal: to decode the complex journeys across various product categories and brands and uncover hidden cause-and-effect relationships.

The existing data from our client offered only limited insight into the consumer journey. Given the numerous consumer interactions, a tailored research approach was necessary to accommodate the client's specific requirements and questions. It was essential to address two key methodological aspects:

High number of touchpoints: Listing and evaluating the multitude of possible touchpoints individually would be too time-consuming and scientifically impractical.

Limited recall ability: Consumers often do not remember all touchpoints, meaning traditional surveys can only capture part of the shopping experience.

Thanks to our longstanding collaboration with the client, we had the confidence to take an entirely new approach. Instead of rigidly capturing all touchpoints, we opted for an adaptive hierarchical mapping. Here, participants evaluated only the channels relevant to them. What's special about it? An adaptive and reflective design. During the survey, participants could retrospectively adjust and supplement their journey, ensuring comprehensive capture of all touchpoints. Our team, comprised of data analytics and shopper research specialists, implemented the concept. They developed a user-friendly and concise online questionnaire.

This hierarchical structure reduced the survey time to just five minutes, even though theoretically 150 touchpoints could be covered. The adaptive design was extremely effective: 85% of the participants added at least one more touchpoint during the process. Overall, 35% more touchpoints were identified compared to traditional shopper journey studies.

Our client achieved an unprecedented level of detail in consumer journeys. The results highlighted the impact of individual touchpoints on purchasing decisions and brand loyalty. This allowed our client to precisely identify which areas influence sales and conversion rates. Budgets and strategies were optimized accordingly. The results were provided in an interactive dashboard that enabled detailed analyses by segments, categories, or individual brands.