To understand the pivotal role of buyer friction, consider this analogy: imagine setting out on a road trip where your vehicle (your product) is primed, and the destination (purchase) is clear. Now, think of buyer friction as potholes or roadblocks. The more there are, the higher the chances of your vehicle breaking down or you choosing another route.
The problem, these buyer 'potholes' aren't as obvious to startups (or even the buyers for that matter). Buyer friction can be as simple as 1-2 more clicks than necessary, or perhaps understanding your pricing model , or even an outdated payment gateway.
For ages, product designers have taken meticulous care in ensuring a smooth path along the user experience. Their primary objective has been to create products that resonate with end-users, free from glitches and frustrations - performing countless research for patterns that pre-empt their next step.
However, we now need to extend this journey back to the very beginning to the marketing and sales cycles to make sure we eliminate any chance of losing the right buyer for trivial reasons.
The Prelude to the User Journey
The buyer journey doesn't end when someone makes a purchase. It's simply the opening act to the user journey. It's essential to think of these journeys as a two-part play. If Act 1 isn't engaging, the audience might leave before Act 2 even begins. This notion parallels the startup world.
Moreover, UX isn’t confined to the digital realm of an app or website. It starts the very second your brand gets the attention of its ideal customers. It's the cumulative experience spanning all stages of the buyer journey.
What is killing startup growth
Attention: A tech startup experiences buyer friction when potential customers find it difficult to notice its new product announcement amid the noise of competitors and other distractions in the market.
Awareness: Buyer friction in this stage occurs when the startup's target audience struggles to understand the unique value proposition of its tech solution due to complex messaging or unclear branding.
Interest: Buyer friction emerges when prospects express interest in the startup's product but face hurdles in accessing in-depth information, such as limited availability of product demos or technical specifications.
Consideration: In the consideration stage, buyer friction may arise if potential buyers encounter a convoluted pricing structure that makes it challenging for them to compare the startup's offering with alternatives.
Acquisition: Tech startups encounter buyer friction during acquisition when the checkout process on their website is lengthy and complicated, leading to potential customers abandoning their purchase.
Re-engagement: Buyer friction occurs when a startup attempts to re-engage previous customers who have lapsed, but sends irrelevant or excessive email communications, causing annoyance and disinterest.
Nurturing: In the nurturing stage, buyer friction arises when the startup provides generic content and fails to tailor its communication to the specific needs and interests of leads, resulting in disengagement.
Retention: Buyer friction at the retention stage can manifest if a tech startup neglects customer support and fails to promptly address issues or inquiries, leading to customer churn.
The Modern Buyer: Drowning in a Sea of "Value"
Remember the last time you tried selecting a movie to watch from a streaming platform? With thousands of options at your fingertips, it's easy to get overwhelmed. And if the platform made it difficult to sift through genres or had poor reviews – you might've switched to another service or foregone the movie night altogether.
Buyers today are in a similar scenario. They're inundated with choices, making their attention spans shorter than ever. What they yearn for is a swift, efficient, and pleasant buying experience. If your startup fails to deliver that – be it due to a convoluted sign-up process, unclear product value, or indifferent customer service – they'll quickly pivot to a competitor.
The Trinity of Purchasing Forces:
There are three primary forces that drive a buyer towards purchasing a product:
Pain of their Current Circumstances: Much like someone wearing shoes a size too small, the discomfort forces them to look for a better fit. This pain nudges the buyer to explore new solutions. Startups need to quantify, highlight and (at times) educate buyers on this, to open their eyes to a better way.
Perceived Value of an Alternative: Let’s say a runner hears of a new shoe design that reduces muscle fatigue. That value proposition might sway them to consider the new shoe. Perceived value is the idea and feeling of 'a better way'. This tends to be where most companies put all their focus at - screaming at their customers to look at how amazing they are. Good to do, but only 1 piece of the puzzle.
Buyer Friction: The silent killer. Think of it as someone wanting to buy those innovative shoes, but every shop they visit is out of their size, or you need to purchase online to be able to pick up in store, or that they might have to purchase the laces separately... No matter how much they desire them, if the buying process is too arduous, they'll abandon the mission.
In conclusion, it's not enough to merely have an exceptional product or service. Startups must treat the entire buyer's journey with utmost importance, from the very first touchpoint to post-purchase engagements.
🥡Key takeaway: Treat your buyer journey like your user journey - talk to your buyers as often as possible, do as much research as you can in order to empathise with each and every step along the acquisition process. Then continuously define and refine the process such that each step becomes simple, easy and a enjoyable experience.
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