A new report by Forrester Research suggests that marketers need to stop looking at the purchase process as a “funnel” and start thinking of it as a dynamic series of interactions.
Corinne Munchbach, who authored the Forrester report, encourages content marketers to focus on the “customer life cycle” (including social media interactions) during the four phases of a purchase: product discovery, exploration and research, purchase, and post-purchase engagement.
Online Product Information Crucial to Sales Process
Munchbach notes that during the “exploration and research” phase, a majority of online shoppers are using a combination of search engines, retailers’ websites, and manufacturers’ websites to research products. Only 42 percent said they’d visit a brick-and-mortar store for product information.
This demand for online product information means two things for manufacturers:
- Manufacturers need to make sure their corporate websites offer compelling and complete product information.
- Manufacturers need to develop a content strategy for all their major retail channels.
You can read more at internetretailer.com.
