buyers journey map

Customer Journey Maps: How to Create Really Good Ones [Examples + Template]

Updated: April 17, 2024

Published: May 04, 2023

Did you know 70% of online shoppers abandoned their carts in 2022? Why would someone spend time adding products to their cart just to fall off the customer journey map at the last second?

The thing is — understanding your customer base can be very challenging. Even when you think you’ve got a good read on them, the journey from awareness to purchase for each customer will always be unpredictable, at least to some level.

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While it isn’t possible to predict every experience with 100% accuracy, customer journey mapping is a convenient tool for keeping track of critical milestones that every customer hits. In this post, I’ll explain everything you need to know about customer journey mapping — what it is, how to create one, and best practices.

Table of Contents

What is the customer journey?

What is a customer journey map, benefits of customer journey mapping, customer journey stages.

• What’s included in a customer journey map?

The Customer Journey Mapping Process

Steps for creating a customer journey map.

• Types of Customer Journey Maps

Customer Journey Mapping Best Practices

• Customer Journey Design
• Customer Journey Map Examples

Free Customer Journey Map Templates

Free Customer Journey Template

Outline your company's customer journey and experience with these 7 free templates.

• Buyer's Journey Template
• Future State Template
• Day-in-the-Life Template

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The customer journey is the series of interactions a customer has with a brand, product, or business as they become aware of a pain point and make a purchase decision. While the buyer’s journey refers to the general process of arriving at a purchase, the customer journey refers to a buyer's purchasing experience with a specific company or service.

Customer Journey vs. Buyer Journey

Many businesses that I’ve worked with were confused about the differences between the customer’s journey and the buyer’s journey. The buyer’s journey is the entire buying experience from pre-purchase to post-purchase. It covers the path from customer awareness to becoming a product or service user.

In other words, buyers don’t wake up and decide to buy on a whim. They go through a process of considering, evaluating, and purchasing a new product or service.

The customer journey refers to your brand’s place within the buyer’s journey. These are the customer touchpoints where you will meet your customers as they go through the stages of the buyer’s journey. When you create a customer journey map, you’re taking control of every touchpoint at every stage of the journey instead of leaving it up to chance.

For example, at HubSpot, our customer’s journey is divided into three stages — pre-purchase/sales, onboarding/migration, and normal use/renewal.

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Outline your company's customer journey and experience with these 7 free customer journey map templates.

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Buyer Journey Mapping in 7 Easy Steps [EXAMPLES + TEMPLATE]

Apr 15, '22 / by Beth Carter

Editor’s Note: This blog post was originally written by Christina Bockisch and published in 2018. We have refreshed and updated the post to include more helpful examples!

I had just moved to Boston. In November. My legs were freezing, cold air was whistling up the back of my jacket and I couldn’t stop shivering.

I recognized I had a problem, so I turned to Google to do some research. I read a couple of articles and browsed some different styles of jackets. Soon I realized the best solution for me was a parka, instead of the warm-but-too-short jacket I currently had. So, I braved the Boston cold, went to multiple stores all over the city, and found a thick The North Face parka that saved me from freezing.

In other words, I completed my buyer’s journey.

In the story above, my buyer’s journey began the moment I realized I had a problem: I’m cold. I then went on to define my problem: My short jacket doesn’t keep my legs warm enough. Next, I identified a solution: I need a parka. And finally, I chose the right brand to solve my problem: The North Face.

It’s a simple example, sure. But whether you’re selling something as straightforward as winter jackets or as complex as SAP cybersecurity software, it’s important to understand how your potential customers think about their pain points as they move through this buyer’s journey and make their buying decision. This enables you to create content that directly aligns to each stage in that journey, which in turn enables you to deliver a far superior customer experience. And yet, it’s surprising how many B2B marketers ignore the buyer’s journey in their content strategy process.

What is the buyer’s journey?

The buyer’s journey describes the process your buyers go through as they become aware of a problem, evaluate potential solutions to their problem, and ultimately decide on the specific solution that’s right for them.

In marketing terms, we think of these stages of the buyer’s journey as:

• Awareness stage
• Consideration stage
• Decision stage

Awareness Stage

In the awareness stage, a person is experiencing symptoms of their pain point, but they don’t quite understand exactly what their problem is. Their goal at this stage is to help your customer more clearly define the problem they’re experiencing.

• I have a sore throat. Am I getting sick?
• I’m not getting enough traffic to my website. Why?
• Our production machinery is getting old. Is it time to replace it?

To create content that helps buyers in the awareness stage, focus on addressing pain points, challenges and goals at a relatively high level. Make sure the content is informative and resist the urge to start selling the buyer on your particular solution to their problem. Keep it low pressure.

Useful content like guides, blog posts, infographics, and quizzes will help your buyers wrap their heads around their pain points, so they can figure out what their next step should be.

Consideration Stage

In the consideration stage, the person understands what the problem is and begins researching possible solutions.

• I have all the symptoms of strep throat. Should I see a doctor, or should I try a home remedy?
• My website is not properly optimized for search engines. Would it help to start a blog?
• We should begin planning now to replace our machinery next year. What features of a new model will be important for us?

Businesses often struggle with creating consideration stage content because it feels like the right time to start promoting your business as the best solution. Don’t! Instead, the consideration stage is the perfect opportunity to serve up in-depth content that acknowledges different approaches that could possibly work for the buyer. Among these options, you can still (subtly) position your company as the best solution.

Consideration-stage content is also a terrific way to identify potential good-fit leads – the buyers who are right for your business and can benefit from product or service you sell.

Decision Stage

In the decision stage, the person has settled on a specific approach and is putting together a short list of vendors to possibly buy from. Their goal here is to narrow down that list and ultimately make a final buying decision.

• I think I should go to urgent care. Here are the urgent care centers near me that also accept my insurance.
• I would like to blog, but I need help. Here is a list of three agencies that might be a good fit for me.
• We need better production automation capabilities. Here are the models on the market today that offer what we need.

With decision-stage content, you can finally openly promote your product or service. Show how you solve your buyer’s problems and explain why your option is the best approach. Be honest yet humble, and wherever possible back up any claims with data. For example, rather than unprovable statements like “We are the best in the market,” instead try to be more specific: “We have a 4.9 out of 5 rating on this industry site” or “We helped Company XYZ grow by 50% last year.”

Data sheets, comparison blog posts, case studies, ROI calculators, and buying guides are powerful content for the decision stage.

An important note about the buyer’s journey stages

In an ideal world, every person would move through the buyer’s journey exactly the way I described above – in a straight line from awareness to consideration to decision. And as they move through that journey, they’d have all the information they needed to make a purchase decision once they arrive at the decision stage.

Unfortunately, real life is rarely so neat and tidy.

People today don’t always move through this journey in a linear fashion. Buyers are human. They’ll jump around, skip stages, and sometimes go backwards rather than forward. They can even get all the way to the decision stage only to realize they misidentified their pain point, which means they have to start the whole buying journey process all over again.

Your job as a marketer is to plan for as many of these situations as possible. The best way to do this is to create a content strategy that covers all the stages of the buyer’s journey. This will ensure that no matter where someone is in their specific journey, when they find your brand, they’ll find all the information they need to make an informed buying decision.

Related Content: Content With Purpose: How to Align Content to the Buyer’s Journey

7 steps for mapping the buyer’s journey.

Now that you have a better understanding of what the buyer’s journey is, here is a helpful buyer journey framework for you to follow when building your content strategy.

1. Define your buyer personas.

I think I say this every time I write a blog, but if you haven’t already created your buyer personas, stop what you’re doing and create them now. Seriously.

If you don’t know who your buyers are – and specifically if you don’t know your buyer persona’s challenges, questions, and goals they’re trying to accomplish – you’ll have a hard time creating a buyer journey map and accurately aligning your content to that journey.

For guidance on getting started with buyer personas, check out this post that highlights specific questions to ask during buyer persona interviews.

These sample buyer persona templates may also be helpful.

Okay, so let’s assume you have your buyer personas fully identified and documented. Now you’re ready to start building your journey map.

2. What are your most important buyer persona challenges?

To map the awareness stage of the buyer’s journey, first, identify the obstacles and problems that prevent your buyer from accomplishing their goals.

Next, think about how your buyer first begins to realize this obstacle or problem even exists. What challenges begin to emerge? What concerns do they begin to have? What puts this on their radar?

There will be a lot to think about here, so write it all down. (Side note: Now would be a good time to download the Buyer’s Journey Toolkit we provided above. Trust me, it’ll help tremendously.)

3. What are all the possible solutions to these problems?

To map the consideration stage of the buying journey, think about the different approaches your buyer might consider as they try to figure out how to solve their problem. After all, there’s usually more than one way to skin a cat. Is there a do-it-yourself approach? Are there off-the-shelf solutions? Or does the problem require something more specialized or customized?

As the buyer explores these different solutions, what questions will be top of mind for them? What concerns will they likely have?

4. What other companies offer your type of solution?

To map the decision stage of the buying journey, list the other companies that offer a type of solution comparable to yours. (I’ll admit that thinking about your competitors is no fun, but it needs to be done.)

What questions will your buyer have when they vet each of these competitors? How will they evaluate these options? Which features will be most important to their decision?

For example: Your buyer might quickly cross “do nothing” off the list. But they’ll also probably look closely at all their software options, looking at things like cost, functionality, and ease of use. They might conduct a few demos to get a feel for how the different software options work.

Similarly, they might start building a short list of IT service providers. They might look for case studies to see how the different service providers work. And they might even contact you for a consultation to see if you’d be a good fit for them.

5. Identify points of friction along the buyer’s journey.

Whew – you’ve mapped out the awareness, consideration and decision stages of the buyer’s journey. Congratulations! But your work isn’t done quite yet.

What might prevent the buyer from moving smoothly from one stage to the next? What challenges do they encounter during their journey? What might cause them to move backward? What might prevent them from making a purchasing decision?

And what can you do to ensure this doesn’t happen and that you’re providing the smoothest customer experience possible?

This is going to require you to think hard about what your buyers are actually doing rather than what you hope they’re doing. But by identifying these possible points of friction that might prevent a buyer from becoming a customer, you’ll be able to create content that truly helps and sells.

6. How does your existing content fit into this buyer’s journey?

You likely already have some content on your website, like blogs, ebooks, guides, consultations and more. Audit your existing content , and think about where each piece falls in in this customer experience map. Which content addresses pain points and challenges at a high level? Which content is focused on specific solutions? Which content proactively sells your business as the right partner?

Don’t rush through this step.

Once you have a good handle on what role your content can play, map each piece of content to the corresponding stage of the buyer’s journey.

7. Create new content to fill in the gaps.

Now that you know where your existing content fits into the buyer’s journey, identify any gaps. Many B2B marketers find they have a lot of awareness-stage and decision-stage content but that they don’t have enough consideration-stage content. Don’t stress – this is totally normal.

As you strategize how to fill in these content gaps, we recommend starting at the end of the buyer’s journey and moving backward. In other words, first create your decision-stage content, then consideration, and then awareness. This accomplishes two things: First, it helps you keep your eye focused on converting buyers into customers . And second, it ensures that for every new content piece you create, you already have a “next step” to point to.

For example, if you first create a decision-stage vendor comparison checklist and then you create a consideration-stage ebook, when a buyer downloads the ebook you're able to share your vendor comparison checklist with the buyer as a natural next step. But if you start by creating the ebook, you won’t have any next-step content ready to share with those buyers.

As you’re creating all this new content, continually refer back to your buyer journey map. Make sure each piece of content addresses the specific questions, challenges, and goals your buyers have at each stage of the game.

When you do this, you’ll provide helpful, valuable and relevant information that provides your buyers with the information they need when they need it and reduces friction along the way – ultimately leading to happy, satisfied customers who will turn into promoters of your brand.

Now that you know what the buyer’s journey looks like for your customers, it’s time to create content for each stage of this journey. Download our free editorial calendar template and start planning your content today!

Topics: Content Marketing , Strategy

Written by Beth Carter

I love to write and I'm a total grammar freak. I also passionately believe that conversational, approachable and insightful content can help people solve real problems and can make a real difference in the world.

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Customer journey map: How to visualize the buyer experience

El customer journey o recorrido del cliente es el camino que realiza el cliente desde que tiene una necesidad hasta que compra el producto o servicio. Mientras que el customer journey map es una representación visual de este viaje del consumidor. Sigue leyendo y aprende cómo crear un customer journey y utilizar un customer journey map.

If you skip to the end of a book, you’ll know where every character ends up. But without reading the middle, you won’t understand what took place. A story can’t occur with just a beginning and end—you need the journey between. The buying process is like a story. Analytics show you where each customer ends up, but to understand why they got there, you must examine the buyer journey. 

A customer journey map helps you visualize a customer’s experience from point A—their pain points—to point B—their purchasing decision. When you know what leads people to one decision versus another, you can tailor your business strategy accordingly.

What is a customer journey map?

A customer journey map is a tool that helps you track a customer’s behavior through the buying process. The map includes the customer’s thoughts and feelings about their problem, as well as the corresponding actions they take. 

Simply put, customer journey maps help you:

1. Identify and understand which customers are interested in your product or service.

2. Tailor your messaging so customers understand the benefits of your product or service.

What are the 6 components of a customer journey?

A customer journey map has six components that—when observed together—give you a clear picture of why a customer behaves the way they do. While these components are all relevant to a customer journey map, they don't necessarily happen in order.

The buying process: Start by outlining what you know about your customer’s buying process. How do they move from awareness to interest to eventual purchase?

Customer actions: Customer actions focus on the specific actions your customers take. This can include actions like reading an article, downloading an ebook, or requesting a sales demo.

Customer touchpoints: Different from user actions, touchpoints are company-focused. What does your company do to engage with your customers? These may include posting an ad on social media or distributing an email newsletter.

Emotions: For every action your customer takes, they’ll have a specific thought or feeling tied to that decision. Knowing these emotions provides the “why” for customer behavior. 

Pain points: Pain points drive a customer to purchase your product. They either have a problem to solve or want to fill a need in their life.

Expectations: Customers looking to fix their pain points will have certain expectations for what they’re seeking. This is how they narrow down their product search. 

When you analyze customer actions, make sure you’re taking all six elements into account. For example, emotions happen throughout the entire process, whereas pain points and expectations typically influence the buying process. 

How do you map a customer journey?

You’ll map the customer journey by working through each action your customer takes and assigning emotions to accompany them. Marketing and sales teams often use customer journey maps to assess their current strategies and improve them. You can also use customer journey maps when developing new marketing or sales campaigns. That way, your customer stays front of mind. 

Use the steps below to build a customer journey map. Consider the different stages of the user experience, from their first interaction with your company to their last. 

1. Set your map objectives

Any time you begin a new project or build a new tool, you’ll need to set objectives . When you know what you want to accomplish with your map, you can move through the development process with clarity. Your customer journey map objectives may include:

Determining why customers abandon their carts

Understanding what makes a customer commit to a purchase

Identifying areas where you can influence the customer journey

When setting objectives, pull together a cross-functional team to provide insight. Make sure to ask individuals on the sales, customer support, and marketing teams about how they perceive customer behavior. By incorporating everyone’s viewpoints, you can round out your goals and achieve greater success.

2. Create buyer personas

Buyer personas—also called customer personas—are fictional customers that represent your target audience . The persona profiles who the customer is, what they like and dislike, and their general motivations or frustrations. By looking at a buyer persona, you’ll have the information you need to tell your customer’s story. 

Target market: Women

Target audience: Mothers 

Buyer persona: Daniela Vargas, 32, married with one child.

The target market for your product may be women, but if you serve all women, you’ll still have various audiences. By building out a fictional persona, your team can more easily empathize with your potential customer and create messaging that’s relevant to them. 

Your marketing and sales teams likely have multiple buyer personas—one for each type of person who buys your good or service. After all, people have unique buying experiences depending on who they are. Therefore, you’ll need a unique journey map for every persona.

3. Label customer actions and touchpoints

Customer actions focus on every action the customer takes, while touchpoints are the vehicle for those actions. Touchpoints can include interactions before a customer finds your website or once they’re on your website. Use analytics from past customers to assess how the buyer from your target audience might interact with you online. 

Customer touchpoints outside of your website:

Social media posts

Email newsletters

Customer actions outside of your website:

Searches for your website on Google.

Navigates to your website from a paid ad on Google.

Clicks your website link from a social media post.

Navigates to your website from an email.

Opens your email but doesn’t take action.

Likes your social media ad but doesn’t go to your website.

Customer touchpoints on your website:

Website landing pages

Customer actions on your website:

Puts items in their shopping cart.

Stays on a page for a specific period of time.

Clicks an ad on your website. 

Leaves your website.

Abandons their shopping cart.

Completes a purchase.

Make a timeline of these touchpoints to use as the foundation of your buyer’s story. With this visual representation, write down each customer action associated with the touchpoints.

4. Map the customer journey

You should now have a timeline of how your customer got from their awareness of your product to their final action—whether they decided to purchase or something else. Divide the timeline into stages based on the buyer’s journey.

Stages of the buying process

Awareness: The customer realizes they have a problem that needs solving and determines that your product or service may be the solution. 

Consideration: The customer considers whether to buy your product or service.

Comparison: The customer may compare your product to others on the market.

Decision: The customer decides that your product is best. 

Purchase: The customer buys your product or service.

Retention: The customer likes your product or service and returns for another purchase.

Advocacy: The customer likes your product or service so much that they recommend you to others.

Your first three touchpoints may fall into the awareness stage, while the next two may move into the consideration stage. Not every customer will move through these stages seamlessly, but these transitions can show you where to improve. 

Fill in the story

To complete your journey map, write a step-by-step storyline to fill in the gaps between your touchpoints. Since you know the background of your persona, use what you know to explore what they were thinking when they initially searched for your product. If the customer abandons their cart, consider how they went from being interested to jumping ship. 

Add customer emotions

Your customer will have unique thoughts to accompany every action or situation of their journey. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and try to understand how they feel. Emotions are hard to determine, but with support from your buyer persona, their touchpoints, and your storyline, you can make confident assumptions.

5. Evaluate your marketing strategy

Your completed customer journey map will show you turning points where a customer hesitated to buy your product or abandoned it altogether. For example, a customer that goes to your website but bounces quickly has made it to the awareness stage but may not move into the consideration stage. 

Assess what customers need to move between these stages and adjust your marketing strategy accordingly. In this scenario, ask the following questions:

How long did they stay on our website?

Did they move past the homepage? If not, why not?

What are the weaknesses in our homepage?

How could we improve our homepage to engage customers?

If a customer bounces from your website after viewing the homepage, then the first impression you’re giving them may not be strong enough. It’s possible that your homepage design isn’t intuitive or your content doesn’t stand out. By examining the turning points in your map, you can find ways to make the next customer’s journey more linear.

Customer journey map example

In this customer journey map example, Sally’s pain points are that she struggles to stay organized at work. As Sally makes her journey from problem to solution, there are various touchpoints that guide her. For example, she decides task management is a good solution because she’s heard success stories from friends. She then sees a social media ad for a project management software company that influences her to consider the company’s brand. Sally’s emotions throughout the buying process explain how she processed each step.

Company: Project management software company

Scenario: Sally needs a task management solution to get organized and improve her work performance. 

Expectations: Easy-to-use tool, holds her accountable at work, affordable solution 

1. Realizes she has an organization problem at work

2. Determines task management can solve the problem

Touchpoint: Word of mouth, radio/TV/print

Corresponding emotion: “I need to solve this problem.”

Consideration

3. Sees social media ad for task management software

Touchpoint: Online ads

Corresponding emotion: “This product looks interesting”

Comparison:

4. Compares software to others on the market

5. Reads user reviews of software

Touchpoint: SEO, blog

Corresponding emotion: “What tool best fits my needs?”

6. Decides your product is worth trying

Touchpoint: Customer reviews

Corresponding emotion: “Did other users like this product?”  

7. Goes to software website and signs up for trial offer

Touchpoint: Blog, website

Corresponding emotion: “This looks like the best option, I’ll try it."  

Retention/Advocacy

8. Purchases software once trial period is complete

9. Recommends software to coworkers

Touchpoint: Email, website, word of mouth

Corresponding emotion: “This tool is worth the investment. I should tell my team.”

What are the benefits of customer journey mapping?

Customer journey mapping is beneficial because it gives you a new perspective on how customers act, think, and feel when interacting with your brand. Other benefits include:

Inform your customer service: When you can see your customer pain points clearly, you can use them to better support customers and improve their experience. 

Eliminate ineffective touchpoints: The customer journey map will show you which touchpoints aren’t working. If a customer interacts with your brand but doesn’t move forward in the buying process, then you may need to adjust that touchpoint. 

Focus strategy on specific personas: The customer journey map helps you find a strategy that works best for one group. When you create a map for each target audience, you can customize your strategies for each one.  

Increase understanding of customer behavior: Understanding your audience is crucial to selling products or services. The journey map shows you how customers behave and gives you insight into why they behave that way. 

You can make maps for the current state of your customers or a predicted future state. Both types of customer journey maps can help you learn the customer’s perspectives.

Use a customer journey map to better understand your audience

Your maps can serve as a resource for marketing and sales teams. Once you create one, store it in an accessible place so others can reference it. When you keep your map digital, you can also change it as your audience changes. 

Work management software provides a central source of truth for your team and stakeholders. Whether you’re sharing your customer journey map or putting your improvements into action,  Asana  will keep your team on the same page.

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Customer journey mapping 101 (+ free templates)

When I was a kid, I remember watching my parents switch between different credit cards to get the best rewards for a particular purchase. They almost always pulled out the American Express first because (as they explained to me) the base reward rate was higher than even the sector-specific perks offered by other cards. Twenty years later, when I decided to get a high-end credit card, Amex was the first one that came to mind.

Customer journey mapping is the process of planning out people's awareness of and relationship to your brand, starting with their very first impression—even if, as in my case, that impression is made a full decade before they can actually use your product.

Table of contents: 

What is a customer journey map?

The customer journey is split into two parts: the buyer journey and the user journey. The buyer journey covers everything up to the point of purchase. After that point, the customer becomes a user, and all of their experiences are part of the user journey. 

Think back to any recent purchase of your own, and try to trace your own customer journey:

When and where was your first contact with the product or service?

How many channels of communication with the company did you have available?

How was the contact you had, if any? Was it personal or formulaic?

Were your problems, if any, solved? If so, were they solved in a timely manner?

What do you now know about the brand besides the product or service itself?

Stages of the customer journey

The customer journey map can be split into five phases: awareness, consideration, conversion, retention, and brand loyalty.

Customers can't decide whether or not they want your product if they don't know that it exists. In the earliest phase of the customer journey, a business's goal is to reach the individual and, ultimately, attract them to the brand.

Consideration

Once potential customers are aware of your brand, the next phase they enter is called "consideration" or "research." This is when the customer's perspective shifts from simple awareness of your brand's existence to an understanding of the value that you have to offer them. 

Some businesses also include a mini-stage called "Intent" or "Onboarding," when the customer has decided they're interested in the product and is testing it out. The company's goal in this stage is simply to provide an exceptional user experience—they want to make sure the product works as intended and the customer's questions and requests are handled well.

A business can identify customers that are primed for conversion based on behavior in the consideration stage. Someone who signs up for a newsletter isn't a hot sales prospect quite yet, but when they start opening more emails and spending more time on the site, that's when brands know they're ready for a conversion push.

An abandoned cart email pushing a browsing shopper to complete a purchase

A physical mail offer pushing a potential customer to open an account

A seasonal campaign highlighting why a product is perfect for a particular holiday, celebration, or event

When a conversion is successful, a potential buyer becomes an actual customer. The goal in the retention stage is to demonstrate to the customer why they were right to make their purchase, and set them up to make more purchases or renew services in the future.

The retention stage is also where the user experience or user journey begins. The company's job in this phase, then, is to provide the best possible user experience. Easy installation, frictionless customer service, and—this part should be obvious—a product or service that works well and provides the user what they need are all key components to improved customer retention.

Brand loyalty

In the final customer journey phase, users go from run-of-the-mill satisfied customers to active advocates for your business. 

Keep in mind: a customer doesn't need to be a zealot for your company to be an unintentional brand advocate. One of the biggest reasons I made the decision to apply for Amex's high-end card is because my best friend has it. She didn't specifically recommend it to me, but I became interested after experiencing a lot of the card benefits vicariously through her.

Parts of a customer journey map

What is the customer doing? In this section, you'll jot down the main things the prospect, lead, or customer does during this stage. For example, if you're a personal trainer, an awareness stage key step might include something like "Prospect wants to get in shape."

What is the customer thinking? Put yourself in the customer's shoes and think about what questions they might have at each stage. In the consideration phase, questions like "Is this worth my time/money?" or "Will this help me solve my problem?" will come to the forefront. 

Where and how could the customer encounter our brand? After you've outlined what your customer is thinking at each stage, align each question with the relevant touchpoint that could address it. Each question must have at least one touchpoint that directly and specifically addresses the customer's needs and questions at that point.

What touchpoint opportunities are missing? When you have a question or milestone that doesn't have a corresponding touchpoint, you've found a gap in your customer journey. That means customers at this stage are going to be left with unmet needs and unanswered questions and may look more seriously at competitor products as a result. You'll need to develop touchpoints to fill this gap.

How to create a customer journey map

Step 1. define objectives.

The first step is to identify the goals of the journey map. Start by asking yourself these questions (or similar ones):

Do you want to sell more products to a specific customer base? 

Do you want to close more of your existing deals? 

Do you want to find out why no one is adopting the latest addition to your product or service? 

Step 2. Create personas

Some good questions for this stage in the process include:

Why are people using your system, product, or service?

What problems do people use your product to solve? 

How, when, and where do they use your product or service?

Step 3. Collect data

Here are some examples of data you'll want to collect:

Stages of the sales process

Common sales pain points

Market segmentation criteria

Customer feedback on the sales and support processes

Any other information your teams suggest including in your map

Step 4. Map stages

Once you know your objectives and the hypothetical customers you want to achieve them with, you'll get out your customer map (and all that delicious data you just collected) and list all touchpoints where customers interact with your brand. These should fit, at least loosely, into the stages of the customer journey listed above:

Depending on the complexity of your sales tactics, your brand may have additional stages to include in that list or may have substitutions, but for most products or services, these five are pretty fundamental to successful, repeatable sales processes.

Step 5. Visualize and analyze

Using your customer journey data and newfound insight into the stages of your brand's sales process, you can now build out a visual map of the customer journey. Do this using one of our templates or by using your own research as inspiration to plot a map tailored to your products or services.

Bonus: Share

Once you've filled out your map, it's a good idea to share it with relevant team members to get feedback on touchpoints from their perspectives. Your marketing team, for example, might notice that some personas are more likely to interact with your brand via social media than PPC ads, or your UX team might notice that some target personas are actually likely to be more interested in a product feature you hadn't thought to connect them to.

Customer journey map templates

We have you covered with some map templates for common customer journeys. You can customize each of these to fit the individual needs of your personas. Singing "The Road Goes Ever On" as you set out is optional but encouraged.

General customer journey map template

This customer journey map template is separated into five stages along the leftmost column, with guiding questions to help plan the customer's experience in each stage. Make a copy of the Google Sheets file, and then you can easily tweak it to match your preferred stage names and questions.

Day in the life map template

A great way to map mini-journeys within the larger customer experience lifecycle is with a "day in a life" journey map. This map plots the same things as the general customer journey map—key milestones, questions, touchpoints, and gaps—but over a particular period of time instead of over the course of the entire relationship.

Customer support journey map template

Another side of the customer journey coin is the support journey. This journey map is a bit different in that it doesn't just map touchpoints; it maps functional interactions between the customer and customer service representatives as well as the behind-the-scenes activities necessary to support the customer-facing team. It also gives you space for summary notes to help you focus on high-level staging structure.

Benefits of customer journey mapping

Here are the main benefits of the customer journey mapping process:

Touchpoint optimization: With a clear understanding of what your touchpoints are and where they occur, you can track and adjust them based on how they perform.

Enhanced customer experience insights: Through customer profiling and a better overview of all the touchpoints that make a journey, you can acquire more precise and actionable customer experience insights.

Improved product development: Thoughtful and intentional journey planning creates more opportunities for meaningful customer feedback, which gives businesses better information to improve their product.

Examples of customer journey maps

A blank page is inspiring (said no one ever), but to help you get a better sense of what the end result might look like, here are some examples of completed customer journey maps.

General customer journey mapping example

In this example, a SaaS company similar to Zapier has filled out this general customer journey map and documented the customer's journey step by step.

Awareness: The customer has identified the problem as efficiency in their processes. They're asking questions about potential solutions—and as a result, may see targeted ads or social posts based on their searches offering a solution.

Consideration: The customer is doing their research and comparing options. They're comparing features between similar products and reading case studies. 

Intent and onboarding: Here's where the rubber meets the road. The customer is taking the solution for a test drive and may even have a free full-access trial. 

Conversion: The customer is now ready to purchase. They may have a few final questions about ROI and price, but value has been established. 

Expansion and advocacy: Finally, the customer has developed such an appreciation that they're ready to advocate—or even increase the number of services they purchase from you. 

While your stages may look a little different, the key here is to understand what questions your customers ask at each stage—and how to answer them. 

Day in the life mapping example

In this example, a company that sells workout equipment has filled out a day-in-the-life customer journey map for one of their personas. This persona is dedicated to her training and always looking for a new tool, gadget, program, or supplement to increase her performance.

This journey is broken down into stages of the workout:

Pre-workout: The customer, Jane, takes her supplements and evaluates her stack. She might purchase additional supplements. 

Warm-up: Jane uses tools to help her warm up, including resistance bands. She would likely purchase additional tools to assist with this stage.

Heavy lifting: Jane goes from her warm-up to the weight rack. We can infer that she probably has a gym membership. 

Cardio: Jane is likely to explore other cardio options and might buy more equipment to support these endeavors. This could include a heart rate monitor, a jumping rope, or a new bike. 

Cooldown: This is similar to the first stage but could include additional purchases like a sweat towel or a moisture-wicking top. 

Each of these stages in the day-in-the-life journey offers a new opportunity to identify and meet a customer need. 

Customer support journey mapping example

In this example, a customer goes through the support system process, interacting with both human support representatives and the automated systems that assist them. The whole process takes less than 20 minutes—but analyzing it can offer significant insights into how to better help and retain customers. 

Submit ticket: The first stage begins when the customer experiences an issue and submits a ticket. This occurs automatically using a chat or form submission system—so it's important to make sure those systems are working correctly. 

Submit additional data: An automated system typically follows up by asking some additional questions about the issue before transferring the customer to a support representative. 

Chat with support: This is when a human steps in to resolve any remaining issues that the automated system can't solve. This transition should be as seamless as possible for the best CX. 

Confirm issue is resolved: Did you resolve the issue for which the customer submitted the ticket? Failing to confirm this can be the difference between keeping or losing a customer. 

Submit follow-up survey: Finally, the last stage is for the customer to submit their feedback on the support process so that your CX team can learn more about how to better help future customers. 

Obviously, this process looks much different than the first two since it focuses on internal responses to existing users or buyers, but optimizing your support processes for current customers is just as crucial as supporting future customers.

Customer journey mapping best practices

Everything we've covered up to this point will only get you as far as a basic customer journey map. That doesn't mean, however, that your customer journey map will be good . Once you have the basic journey mapping structure down, you'll want to take steps to continually improve your map's effectiveness.

Survey your customers and customer teams

Talk to your customer-facing employees, too. The people who work directly with customers day-to-day will have more accurate information about how to interact with them.

Automate customer data collection

Tweak for b2b, b2c, and saas industries.

The nature of the customer journey is different for SaaS, B2B, and B2C companies. A B2B company's interactions with prospects might include in-person conferences, while a SaaS company's touchpoints will be mostly digital. Companies that sell to consumers will need to think through individual people's daily experiences. A company whose products are designed for emergencies will need to think through crisis scenarios instead of day-to-day customer experiences.

Tweak your customer journey categories to fit your company, product, and industry. Using a generalized or poorly fitting customer journey map will result in vague and unhelpful interactions with your brand.

Create multiple maps for different journeys

When people refer to the customer journey, they're typically talking about the overarching journey from awareness to brand loyalty that we outlined above. But you can map any part of the customer journey and experience. 

Do you target college students? Replace the five stages with four academic quarters and map their experience over the course of a year. 

Is your product designed to be used in the car? Map the customer journey through each hour of a long road trip. 

Zooming in to create detailed maps of different aspects of the customer journey will help you create even more specifically tailored customer experiences.

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Related reading:

This article was originally published in May 2021 by Nick Djurovic. The most recent update was in August 2024 with contributions from Abigail Sims.

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Amanda Pell

Amanda is a writer and content strategist who built her career writing on campaigns for brands like Nature Valley, Disney, and the NFL. When she's not knee-deep in research, you'll likely find her hiking with her dog or with her nose in a good book.

• CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
• Sales & business development
• Small business

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How to map a SaaS buyer journey + free template

More and more people choose SaaS products as an alternative to traditional on-premises software and offering greater access flexibility and ease of collaboration. As a result, there are lots of SaaS fish in the ocean. So, it’s not enough to fulfill three wishes like a goldfish to win SaaS buyers' hearts. SaaS tools must run forward simply to stay in place. And the better experience users have with your platform, the more chances for a happy ever after you have with them. 

But how do you tell whether users love your software or suffer and accumulate negative feelings if they are gigabytes away? Customer support agents can give you a hint or two, as well as salespeople, researchers, and other teammates of yours. You will better understand your audience by uniting efforts and visualizing the way your customers go through when interacting with your service. Their goals, pains, channels they use, interactions with your product and team, and other things that make sense in your case. That is to say, you need to build a SaaS buyer journey map. 

And we are ready to back up your company or business. Want to learn how to approach creating a SaaS buyer journey map? What typical stages or important customer milestones do users go through? What common problems do they face? Which channels do they choose? It’s all there. 

• 1 What is a customer journey in SaaS? Why is it important?
• 2.1 Create persona(s) for a SaaS buyer journey
• 2.2 Define SaaS buyer journey map stages
• 3.2 Research
• 3.3 Registration
• 3.4 Trial period
• 3.5 Live demo session
• 3.6 Billing
• 3.7 Support
• 3.8 Feedback
• 3.9 Cross-selling
• 3.10 Prolongation/leave
• 4 The SaaS buyer journey map

What is a customer journey in SaaS? Why is it important?

A customer journey in SaaS refers to the entire lifecycle of a user's experience, from the initial awareness of a software solution to becoming a loyal, satisfied customer or leaving you for good. It encompasses all customer touchpoints and interactions between the user and the SaaS product, from discovery and onboarding to product usage, support, and potential renewal or upsell.

There are many reasons why knowing a SaaS buyer journey is important, and some of the major ones are listed below.

1. Understanding user needs

Picture planning a road trip without knowing the route, potential stops, or when your vehicle might need fuel. Will such a trip be successful? Certainly, it won’t. Similarly, in SaaS, understanding the journey means comprehending user needs at different stages. By analyzing this journey, SaaS providers can understand and address user requirements, jobs, and expectations effectively.

2. Enhancing user experience

Consider your favorite mobile app—intuitive, easy to use, and tailored to your preferences. This is the result of developers studying how users navigate through the app. For SaaS, mapping the user’s journey allows companies to enhance the overall user experience by optimizing interfaces, features, and interactions.

3. Optimizing onboarding

When you download a new app, a smooth onboarding process guides you through its features. In SaaS, onboarding is like a friendly tour guide, ensuring users understand and utilize the software efficiently from the start. Understanding the journey helps refine this process for maximum user engagement.

4. Building customer loyalty

Think about your favorite coffee shop where the staff remembers your name or offers a great loyalty program. In SaaS, understanding the journey allows for personalized interactions. This personal touch, be it through tailored communication or special offers, contributes to building a loyal and satisfied user base.

5. Troubleshooting and support

If your go-to app suddenly crashes, prompt and effective support is crucial. By analyzing the journey, SaaS providers identify potential pain points and ensure their support systems are equipped to address issues swiftly. This contributes to an overall positive experience, even in challenging moments.

6. Renewal and upselling opportunities

Consider your streaming service offering an upgraded plan just when you're thoroughly enjoying their content. Understanding the customer journey allows SaaS companies to pinpoint moments where users might be open to exploring additional services or upgrades, presenting renewal and upselling opportunities.

7. Feedback and iteration

Just as your favorite restaurant might adjust its menu based on customer feedback, SaaS companies use the illustration of the customer journey for insights. Analyzing the entire user experience helps in gathering valuable feedback, enabling continuous improvement of the product based on real user interactions and preferences.

In essence, each aspect of the customer journey contributes to creating a seamless, enjoyable, and valuable experience for users, fostering a long-lasting and mutually beneficial relationship between customers and SaaS providers.

How to build a SaaS buyer journey map? 

First, you need to decide on your map scope and whether you're going to focus on an existing or desired experience. Then, you proceed to outlining your persona(s), conducting research, and collecting all available information about your customers. That’s a crucial step that can’t be dismissed ‘cause, without credible data to rely on, you will end up with a fictional journey map with no actionable insights. 

To guide you through all the mapping steps and give you a visual example, we are going to build a SaaS buyer journey map for a project manager who wants to organize work processes inside a distributed team. Read further to see what will come out.

Create persona(s) for a SaaS buyer journey

Depending on your capacity and goals, you may have many, several, or just one persona you will build a SaaS buyer journey around. Be sure to create your persona’s profile with goals, motivations, frustrations, background information, and other relevant information. 

Once your persona is done, it may look like this:

Meet Emelie. She’s a project manager in an IT company and has to manage lots of people who work in the office and remotely. Emilie spends a lot of time trying to manage the distributed team, which is hard. She’s a kinda control freak and is used to doing everything herself using many tools and means like Excel, Google Docs, different messengers, and even physical notebooks. 

Emilie knows that there are different SaaS products but never gives it a second thought. Until the conference, where a representative of a specific SaaS for project management presents their service so engaging, it sticks in Emelie’s head.

Define SaaS buyer journey map stages

Now, when our persona is ready for her SaaS customer journey, we can define their journey’s stages using the data we have. Each SaaS journey stage potentially contains lots of insights and can show us what to highlight and what is better to be fixed if we aren’t planning to lose users. 

Group actions your persona takes throughout their journey into stages and name them. You may end up with something like this:

What you may cover at any stage of the SaaS buyer journey

User’s goals. What do they try to achieve at each stage? Highlight what they want (e.g., "to keep docs organized and easily shareable" instead of "to buy a subscription"). This information will give you hints on how to satisfy your user’s needs and come to success as a business.

User’s expectations. To guess what users may expect from your SaaS business or company, keep your eye on what people say about your service on the internet and offline. Your reputation matters. But sometimes, it has nothing to do with the user's expectations ‘cause they are guided by their previous experience with similar services. So take this into account too.

User’s actions. What do they do at this or that stage? Try to capture each step to see what can be optimized, what is missing, where the user takes too many steps because they have no guidance, and so on. 

User’s channels. What means and mediums do they use at a particular stage? How can they contact you? On what device do they open your software? Are you sure they are comfortable with the channels you offer for communication? What if your users prefer mobile versions to desktop ones while you focus on the latter?

User’s problems. Here you can define any barrier or negative thing your customer meets at the stage, and that is critical for SaaS companies. Don’t sugarcoat: the more troubles you identify, the closer you are to customer experience improvement.

User’s emotions. Here, you follow your user’s emotional journey. It’s their emotional experience of interacting with your service. Think of how they feel about people with whom they talk, channels they have to use, steps they take, problems they might face during, say, SaaS product adoption or buying process, and so on. It's a good metric to track customer satisfaction.

Sometimes, emotions are louder than words when it comes to creating a perfect SaaS customer journey and way more honest. So don’t miss important insights. In UXPressia, you can use the Quotes section to list your customer’s thoughts or identify the key emotion and create an emotional graph to see at what stages your customer’s emotional experience requires immediate attention. 

User interactions. With whom do your users interact during their SaaS customer journey? Include everyone who affects their experience and whose behavior can make a change. 

Ideas and opportunities. This is the point of building a journey map. Be sure to involve your teammates in brainstorming sessions and collaboratively decide how to enhance your users’ contentment and make them less discontent. This section will be the ground on what actionable strategies grow. 

It’s far from everything you can cover when filling in the SaaS customer journey map’s stage. You can also identify touchpoints .

Or use a storyboard to tell your user’s story with just a few images:

Or specify KPIs that matter at different stages:

Now, you have a general overview of a journey mapping process and what information it may contain. How about checking out the stages we chose for our SaaS buyer journey map and what else can be addressed at each? In many cases, your persona will go through the same, but feel free to tweak the following information.

SaaS buyer journey stages

Let's take a closer look at the stages of a SaaS buyer journey.

Emelie understands she has a problem and starts searching for a solution. Here, you can check how easy your SaaS is to find, among other options, what first impression you make, and how accurately you aim at potential clients’ pains and goals. In our example, Emelie learns about the SaaS tool at the conference. It’s not that she’s never heard of any SaaS before, but this particular presentation hooks her and motivates her to move to the next stage. 

At this stage, Emelie does research. It’s very important what reputation your tool has as it will definitely impact a person’s decision whether to sign up. Also, pay attention to how achievable and accessible information is on your official pages. How many questions can a user answer just by checking out your website? Emelie talks with her friends from the IT industry to be sure the tool is really great and to check other options, just in case. 

Registration

Emelie decides to sign up. What's essential for her at this stage? What about the registration process? Is it painfully long? Does it require too much information? Maybe you have to provide an opportunity to sign up via social media accounts. In our example, Emelie’s annoyed with filling in her payment information ‘cause many services stopped asking for it at the very first steps of a user’s journey, and she doesn’t plan to pay with her own card. 

Trial period

Emelie is excited about the trial period. She wants to understand whether the service eases her work, whether it’s handy, and fits her teammates. Yet, the trial period is rather short. 

Emelie also would like more short tips instead of long articles in the Help Center. Think of your support agents’ availability in different time zones. Can Emelie ask a question anytime she wants or just in particular hours? And how can she solve a problem if there's no one around to guide her?

Live demo session

Emelie calls her teammates and somebody from top management to watch the Live Demo together. The decision to pay for the tool is often a collective one. So you have to impress not only Emelie but all who attend the demo. Ensure that your salespeople know the tool better than anyone else and treat users well. 

Emelie’s team says ‘yes’, but Emelie isn’t happy. What happened? She forgot to delete her payment information and request the invoice. Moreover, it turns out that this option isn’t available. How flexible are you when it comes to collecting payments?

At this stage, you can also analyze how diverse your paid plans are. Is it clear what is included in each? Do you provide special conditions for teams? Or discounts for startups?

It’s an essential part of your persona’s SaaS customer journey. Just like the Live Demo stage, where users directly communicate with your SaaS’s representatives. For instance, Emelie spends a lot of time getting her answers from the support service. She can’t say that somebody acts rude or disrespectful, but can’t help her anger. Are your support agents ready for all possible cases and questions? Are they provided with everything necessary, like calling SOP and cold calling scripts (just in case)? How fast do they answer and react? Does your persona enjoy this interaction? How to sweeten unexpected hiccups? These are the opportunities to improve the customer experience at this stage.

Sometimes, you don’t need to ask somebody to leave feedback, but more often you have to do it. Emelie gets an email from a Customer Success agent who asks her to write a review. She also sees a pop-up notification with a short NPS form when using the SaaS. Both “invitations” hit the target, and Emelie shares her opinion. Yet, she has some problems with submitting her review on a third-party site. 

In our example, the channels to contact the persona were chosen right. But when you ask users to write reviews on third-party sites, try to do it yourself. The challenges of other platforms aren’t your fault, but the emotional outcome of a user will affect your customer experience. 

Also, think of how to simplify internal feedback collecting. How often should you do it? How to establish more trust between you and your persona to get honest answers instead of a formal reply?

Cross-selling

When you practice cross-selling, you should know how your persona feels about it. What if you’re annoying and force them to leave your service for good? Or what if they don’t mind additional functionality, but you’re too humble to offer some? What channel is the best to do it? What touchpoints work out well? 

Emelie’s experience with cross-sales is controversial. On the one hand, she’s annoyed with the functionality she expected to be in the paid plan and that she has to buy separately. But, on the other hand, she, as a currently paid user, gets an opportunity to buy new features with a huge discount, and that cheers her up.

Prolongation/leave

During any user’s journey, there’s a moment when they face the choice and must decide whether to pay again or say goodbye. Emelie’s curious about other SaaS platforms, but she doesn’t want to get back to the start and go through the same SaaS customer journey with no guarantees that another tool will be better. But other customer personas may come to this point with another mindset.

You have to consider your users’ experience not only at this stage but at the previous ones too. What general impression does your SaaS make? Can it maintain high standards, compensate for negative moments, and highlight strong points? What about pricing changes and feedback from brand representatives? 

Everything matters, even when the persona prolongs the usage. There always can be a place for doubts, as well as for opportunities for improvement.

The SaaS buyer journey map

After all, you may end up having a map looking like this:

When checking out our examples, make sure to turn your attention to the Interactions section. You can do the same, putting the processes, channels, and interactions of your persona together.

So, now you have an idea of how to build a SaaS buyer journey map and won’t be overwhelmed approaching this initiative.

And you know what day is the best to start doing it? Yeah, it’s today. We are happy to share with you our SaaS buyer journey map template, so you can build your case upon it:

PS: We also have a source for inspiration in case you need to build a map for a particular SaaS buyer journey’s part, which is SaaS support .

Related posts

This is an updated version of the article that was first published in 2021.

Rate this post

What SaaS customer journey stages would you say are most important? We can’t build an end-to-end map at the moment, we only have the time and resources to focus on a couple of aspects. Pls advise on how we can prioritize

Hi Javan, great question! In an ideal world, you would build an end-to-end SaaS customer journey map and fix all the pain points it uncovers. But in reality, we often do not have that luxury.

So there are three ways to approach the mapping exercise with limited resources:

• Look for parts of the journey where you already have the most data. These are usually the Support and Feedback stages. Working with what you already have often saves a lot of time.
• Identify the high-impact issues for your business. You can do it with an impact map before you dive into creating a journey map. I know, seems like I’m suggesting even more work, but with our impact mapping guide , you can do it in 7 easy steps.
• Talk to your customers: what do they find the most frustrating? Find out what their expectations are, and the areas where you don’t deliver on those. Make a few quick wins: issues that are easy to resolve and can bring instant results.

Hope this helps!

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How 5 businesses successfully mapped out the customer journey

Creating a customer journey map puts you in your customers’ shoes to help you understand the user experience—what your users think, feel, and do at each stage of their buying journey.

Last updated

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We’ve put together a list of five brilliant customer journey mapping (CJM) examples to show you how it’s done, so you can learn how to improve the user experience (UX) for your customers. 

Want to know how customers really interact with your product?

Hotjar’s product experience insights tools let you see things through their eyes. 

5 great examples of customer journey mapping 

A good customer journey map identifies buyers’ actions, desires, and experiences at every key touchpoint—from when a customer lands on your webpage all the way to conversion, onboarding, and beyond.

Our list of customer journey examples breaks down the best B2B, B2C, ecommerce, and SaaS journey maps—and shows you how to understand your customers better to build your own.

1. Hotjar’s B2B customer journey map 

At Hotjar (👋), we make product experience (PX) insights tools to help businesses understand how their customers interact with their websites and digital products. And, of course, we’ve done some B2B customer journey mapping of our own to understand what our customers want, by tracking their interactions across key touchpoints. 

The result was the digital customer journey example shown above that maps our customers' experience when they use Hotjar tools for product testing. We visualized the key actions, questions, technical limitations, and opportunities of customers using our tools to get granular data to validate our product ideas and experiments. 

We started by identifying one specific customer journey, then used Google Analytics, Hotjar tools, and data from customer interactions with our brand to understand user actions, thoughts, and feelings. Then, we got UX, dev, engineering, and customer success teams to fill out empathy maps before mapping the journey. 

To increase empathy with our customers, we included two rows dedicated to pain points and happy moments—like the pain of finding patterns in complex customer data, and the ‘a-ha moment' when our users first realize value.  

We made our map flexible enough to be updated as customer needs change and new information becomes available, so we continually validate our assumptions against customers’ real-world experiences.

The benefits of customer journey mapping included helping us visualize customer motivations, drivers, and pain points, align cross-functional teams , eliminate silos, and clarify who owns each part of the buyer journey. 

How B2B companies selling self-serve digital products can create a similar map: 

1. Define the goal and scope of your customer journey map. We recommend starting with a narrow scope and only a few people involved. Focus on a specific problem you can break down into a few steps—like identifying where you’re losing users, and mapping out the pains, desires, and experiences of customers who exit your site.

Ask yourself: 

What do you want to achieve? 

Which customer journey touchpoints do you want to focus on? 

What KPIs do you want to measure? 

Where can you get the data you need? 

Which teams need to be involved?   

2. Use Google Analytics and Hotjar's Observe tools to collect user insights about online interactions:

Create Hotjar Heatmaps on key product pages to see where users are clicking and which parts of your page aren’t engaging users or working as intended. Then, improve UX and optimize the placement of on-page elements to boost conversions. 

Use Session Recordings to see how users scroll, click, and move around your site across an entire session. Focus on spotting bugs and blockers that cause them to bounce. 

3. Add qualitative user data from service chat logs, emails, or by asking customer support teams. 

4. Get key product and customer service teams to fill in an empathy map detailing what your buyers do, say, see, hear, think, and feel. Feel free to steal our free template below!

5. Map the journey with Post-its and pens before digitizing it and sharing it across the company. 

2. Rail Europe’s B2C journey map 

B2C ecommerce travel provider Rail Europe gives customers an easy way to book rail tickets online. Their on-site user interface (UI) is strong, but the company wanted to go deeper to understand the customer journey across all touchpoints. 

Mapping the customer journey produced a full spectrum customer experience map that illustrates the buyer's journey before, during, and after a purchase. It reminded their team that the buyer journey starts long before a customer lands on the website to book a ticket—and continues after the trip, through touchpoints like post-trip refunds, sharing recommendations, or publishing photos on social media. 

Rail Europe’s customer journey map also shows the transition between stages or channels to accurately visualize what is often a non-linear journey . For example, in the initial research, planning, and shopping phases, customers often move back and forth between comparison pages, checking timetables, and website chat and planning features.  

Mapping the journey like this helps Rail Europe understand different customers’ channel preferences, see which touchpoints aren’t working as they should, and which aspects of the user experience need more attention from design teams, marketing, and customer support. They visualized actions, thoughts, feelings, and experiences and rated the customer satisfaction of each stage, as well as the relevance and helpfulness of Rail Europe, to home in on areas for improvement.

The map doubles down on customer empathy by identifying travelers’ overall concerns and frustrations while on the trip, even those unrelated to their rail journey—the overall travel experience is still connected with the company brand in customers’ minds. 

This stand-alone map can be understood across teams without supporting materials, and there’s a focus on actionable insights—like the need to address customer frustrations over snail mail ticket delivery. 

Ecommerce website analysis like this is valuable for any company selling experiential products or services, like concert tickets, vacations, or tours. If that’s you, follow Rail Europe’s example and conduct customer journey map research by surveying current and potential customers to uncover exactly what they’re hoping for, thinking, and feeling as they engage with your brand.

Tips to map out the ecommerce customer journey:

1. Ask yourself: 

How can we access users who aren’t yet customers? 

What happens before the customer gets to our web page? How do they do research for a trip? What kinds of search keywords do they use online?  

Is the buyer journey non-linear? If not, how can we represent this? 

2. If your buyer journey has multiple touchpoints, group them into categories like 'research and planning', 'shopping', 'booking', etc. 

3. Match survey insights to touchpoints and map out the journey visually, adding qualitative insights about what the customer is thinking, feeling, and doing at each stage. 

💡 Pro tip: use Hotjar Surveys to collect real-time suggestions about your website or app from users to make data-driven decisions and validate assumptions that inform and elevate your customer journey map. 

Hotjar’s no-code UI makes it easy to create drag-and-drop surveys  

3. Rewind’s SaaS customer journey map 

Rewind makes backup & restoration software for SaaS platforms. Their team decided to map out the B2B SaaS customer journey when revenue fell short of expectations after the acquisition of a similar product. It also became clear that marketing efforts weren’t attracting the ideal customer.

Like many SaaS companies, Rewind relied on sales calls and customer relationship management (CRM) data to understand their users. But they were missing key insights about what happens before the customer lands on their website. 

To map the journey, the Rewind team defined their ideal customer profile (ICP) before conducting customer interviews to deeply understand buyer motivations and the decision-making process. They also used Google Analytics, Hubspot , and PX insights tools to understand users’ online behavior and how they were interacting with marketing materials. 

This showed them a short, high-intent, back-and-forth customer journey that happens almost exclusively online—since Rewind is installed in SaaS platforms, a lot of traffic is referred from their app marketplaces. 

The map showed event triggers and the customer’s thoughts and feelings as they moved through becoming aware of their problem (loss of important data), understanding the need for a solution, and doing online research—before arriving at Rewind.  

By mapping the full journey, the Rewind team discovered that customers often use professional forums or communities as part of solution research, and discovered a new buyer motivation and market segment: data compliance. 

According to Content Lift Founder Ryan Paul Gibson , who helped Rewind conduct customer interviews, the company also realized “potential buyers don’t want to speak with sales or ‘get a demo'. They want to research the product themselves and evaluate it. They also don’t want to enter a credit card to test it; they want to try it first and pay if it’s a good fit.” 

Rewind updated their go-to-market strategy, personas, product positioning , and marketing to complete these missing steps in the customer journey map.

The result? A two-fold increase in product installations, and better internal alignment on their ICP—which has improved their efficiency and helped them maximize resources. 

To create a great SaaS customer journey map: 

Set your research objectives

Create a list of topics that align with your ideal buyer journey. For example, in Rewind’s case, they were customers’ reasons for buying, details about their company and role, and what caused them to start searching for a solution. 

Create questions to ask customers during interviews, but leave flexibility for discussion.

Run in-depth customer interviews to capture the exact order of events in the buyer journey and make sure you understand every customer action and touchpoint—from users identifying a problem to making a purchase.

Bucket interview insights into user priorities, pains, and anxieties—what happened to trigger a search; which research channels the customer uses; how they evaluate solutions.

4. Spotify’s B2C customer journey map 

When music streaming app Spotify mapped the user journey, their team focused on tracking touchpoints for one specific feature: sharing playlists via third-party apps.  

Their map zeroes in on clearly defined user personas and identifies key areas of customer engagement with a focus on users’ emotions and thoughts at each stage.

The team’s journey mapping research revealed a key customer pain point—fear of being judged for their music taste—that can hold users back from sharing music. They also identified an awareness gap to address: some users didn’t know the feature existed. 

By mapping the user journey, Spotify improved their UI and in-app flows to streamline the customer experience and make every touchpoint relevant to how real customers use the product.  

Mapping user flows is key for digital B2C brands with a product that lives and dies by good usability—and a business model that relies on customer loyalty. 

To map the user journey before improving or launching a feature:  

Conduct market research based on direct and indirect competitors to understand how people use similar features, and what they expect from yours. 

In user interviews , focus on the specific feature or stage of the journey. Why aren’t customers using it as you’d like? What are the barriers to product adoption? Dig deep into what motivates users to complete a specific action—and what blocks them.  

Using interview data, create a buyer persona and include their key needs and motivations. What can you do to bring this feature to their attention and boost adoption? 

Create a customer journey map combining stages in the user’s interaction with the feature, and break down the actions they take and the thoughts and emotions they have at each stage. 

Use these insights to remove friction and improve user flows, validating your design with real users. 

Pro tip : use Hotjar's Observe tools to study Session Recordings and Heatmaps and get insights into the product experience of real or test users at every point in the customer journey.

Heatmaps show you an intuitive aggregated view of which parts of your site are attracting attention and which aren’t to help you make changes that improve UX

5. Emirates Airline’s multi-channel customer journey map 

To reflect their customers’ multi-channel journey, flag carrier Emirates created a CJM that covers reservations, check-in, and onboarding experiences. 

As well as digital channels, the map includes call center interactions, which provide context for interactive voice response (IRV) technology and human service agents. It also sheds light on customer desires, broken down into categories like ‘comfort’, ‘safety’, ‘confidence’, and ‘freedom & control’, shown in the corners of the map.

With a global brand like Emirates, customers expect the same experience at all touchpoints, in all countries. This exercise helped the Emirates team understand customers’ main interactions and expectations to better coordinate service touchpoints and provide a consistent, high-quality experience across each one.  

For example, they set up a single, virtual contact center platform to increase efficiency and ensure consistent interactions across every channel. It’s not just the customer who benefits: the Emirates team now better understands exactly how to meet user needs across several channels and countries.

This map is ideal for businesses whose customer journey combines online and offline touchpoints, especially companies looking to differentiate themselves through the quality of their service. 

How to implement a multi-channel customer journey map: 

Define your key goals for producing the map.

Conduct thorough market research and customer interviews to reduce your assumptions and understand every single interaction and channel customers experience.

Interview customer experience and support staff members at all touchpoints and in all regions.

Use analytics tools and product experience insights software to understand how buyers interact with your digital marketing, website, and chat functions across channels and locations.  

Use AI to analyze customer call recordings for tone and sentiment.

Pro tip: use Hotjar Feedback widgets to get in-context insights about what users really think about your app or website. You can filter feedback by region or channel to better understand your global customer touchpoints.

Hotjar's non-invasive Feedback widgets allow customers to give their opinions of your website or product as they experience it.

You’ve reached your destination: a truly valuable customer journey map  

Customers interact with your brand over a variety of channels and touchpoints, and their journeys aren’t always linear. But understanding their journey is key to improving your product and boosting customer acquisition, adoption, and retention. 

Follow these customer journey mapping examples to experience key touchpoints from your users’ point of view and grasp their pains, needs, and frustrations so you can build a journey your customers will love.

Want to know how customers really interact with your brand?

Frequently asked questions about customer journey mapping, what are the stages of the customer's journey.

Buyer journeys can typically be broken down into three steps or stages: 

Awareness of a problem or pain

Consideration (researching and evaluating solutions)

Making a decision

What does a strong customer journey map look like?

A good customer journey map includes all the touchpoints where a customer interacts with your brand. It should include the various stages of the marketing and sales cycle, customer touchpoints across your product and website, and map out customers’ actions, thoughts, and feelings at each stage, as well as KPIs.

For example, Rail Europe’s customer journey map tracks all the stages of research, planning, and shopping, through to booking, travel, and post-travel. At each stage, it maps out customer questions, concerns, and feelings, as well as the helpfulness and relevance of Rail Europe.

What are the stages of customer journey mapping?

Customer journey map stages are: 

Collecting data and conducting customer interviews or surveys 

Mapping the customer journey in a workshop

Extracting insights and producing a report

CJM tools: features and how to choose

Previous chapter

CJM research

Next chapter

8 Customer Journey Map Examples [+ Templates]

10 min read

According to Gartner , companies that properly use customer journey maps are twice as likely to outperform their competitors that don’t. But to unlock such effective results, first, you need to know how to create impactful maps—which is what these 8 customer journey map examples are for.

From Uber to Starbucks, all these examples share the same aim: to understand customer interactions, emotions, and pain points throughout their journey.

To enhance the customer experience and ultimately drive product engagement , let’s explore these 8 examples to help you achieve that goal!

• Customer or user journey maps come in many types, with the most beneficial formats being the current state, days in the life, future state map, and service blueprint.
• While there’s a lot to learn from successful customer journey map examples, here are 8 key insights from each map:
• Spotify : Effective journey maps help integrate features seamlessly by tracking user engagement and identifying areas for enhancement.
• Uber : Optimizing the first-time user experience requires focusing on critical touchpoints and user emotions to ensure a smooth onboarding process .
• Chatmate : Identifying and addressing user issues throughout their journey helps refine overall satisfaction and improve product usability .
• Starbucks : Enhancing repeat customer experiences involves analyzing interactions and emotions to build loyalty and manage ongoing engagement effectively.
• Rail Europe : Improving multi-channel interactions requires refining each touchpoint in the booking process and understanding customer sentiments to enhance overall service.
• Etsy : Detailed service blueprints are essential for perfecting complex actions and ensuring that touchpoints and processes align with customer needs .
• Amazon : Comprehensive journey maps are crucial for optimizing each stage of the e-commerce experience by tracking product metrics and addressing customer concerns.
• HubSpot : Detecting and resolving friction points across different user interactions can significantly improve engagement and satisfaction.
• The basic steps for designing comprehensive customer journey maps include:
• Defining your objectives.
• Creating user personas .
• Picking an appropriate template.
• Gathering relevant data and populating your map.
• Miro, Figma, and Canva each offer customizable customer journey map templates with unique collaboration features.
• To build insightful journey maps, you can also leverage data from behavioral analytics tools. Schedule a Userpilot demo to see how you can get started.

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Types of customer journey maps

Every customer’s journey is unique. So there’s no universal customer journey mapping template for all companies to adopt. To help you pick the right type, here’s a look at the most commonly used map formats.

• Current state : Visualize the current customer experience based on actual interactions as of today. Useful for identifying customer pain points and setting the stage for future state mapping based on how you’d like the customer experience to be.
• Day in the life : Maps a customer’s entire daily routine chronologically to provide context and insights into when and where your product or service might be most valuable.
• Future state : Envisions how the customer journey should look in the future. It focuses on potential improvements, customer desires, and wants while aligning the changes with future goals.
• Service blueprint : Details behind-the-scenes processes and interactions performed by the company to support the customer journey. The service blueprint is the counterpart of a journey map since it focuses on the company’s view instead of the customer’s perspective.

Customer journey map examples

Customer journey mapping also helps reduce costs since you’re no longer making improvements on hunches alone. However, you only enjoy these benefits once you know how to create a solid journey map . Let’s learn how to do that with these successful customer journey map examples.

Spotify’s premium customer journey map

Spotify created a customer journey map to understand potential changes in user behavior and emotions once they became paid customers. You should use such a map when you need to learn how to boost conversion while keeping customers engaged for retention.

Let’s delve into the various elements tracked with this customer journey map:

• Customer journey stages and potential user interactions in each stage, from opening the mobile app until they engage with shared music from friends.
• Highlights various user touchpoints, such as app usage and music discovery.
• Includes multiple channels like Spotify’s mobile and desktop platforms.
• The map also captures users’ thoughts and emotions, from excitement to potential frustration, along different journey stages.

Uber’s first-time experience journey map

Uber’s experience map was created to understand and optimize the first-time user experience , starting from the initial moment they interacted with the app. So, use this map to improve the onboarding experience and refine the user experience for new customers.

Moving on to the elements, here’s everything the user journey map tracks:

• Details key user interactions from signing up and setting up payment information to requesting a ride and experiencing their first trip.
• Highlights multiple channels for potential touchpoints, including the mobile app and customer support interactions.
• Captures user emotions throughout the journey, ranging from anticipation to potential confusion.
• Breaks the experience into stages to highlight critical moments where users might need additional guidance.

Chatmate’s customer journey mapping example

Chatmate’s customer journey map pinpoints where users encounter problems , identifying customer pain points and opportunities throughout their interactions. This map is particularly valuable when launching new features .

Here are the various elements tracked with this experience map:

• Divides the user’s experience into customer journey stages.
• Highlights key user interactions for each stage, from initial discovery to ongoing engagement.
• Lists important touchpoints to drive engagement at each stage, such as digital ads during awareness or tutorials for onboarding.
• Includes various channels, such as mobile apps and web interfaces.
• Captures users’ emotions, ranging from initial curiosity and excitement to potential confusion or irritation at specific stages.

Starbuck’s repeat customer experience map example

Any list of the best customer journey mapping examples needs to include Starbucks. Starbucks developed a customer journey map to understand how repeat customers interact with the brand. Build this map when you want to manage repeat customer experiences to drive retention .

Here’s a detailed look at the elements tracked using this journey map example:

• Customer journey stages and potential interactions from the initial visit to ongoing use.
• Highlights journey touchpoints , such as mobile orders, in-store visits, and customer loyalty rewards.
• Includes multiple channels, like the app, physical store, and digital communications.
• Captures customers’ emotions through each stage of the experience, ranging from satisfaction to potential frustration.
• Differentiates between different customer experience types, i.e. poached, baseline, or enriched.

Rail Europe’s journey map with customer touchpoints by channels

Rail Europe created a journey map to enhance the travel booking experience. The purpose was to optimize how customers engage with Rail Europe’s services by refining customer journey touchpoints and their multiple channels throughout the booking process.

Let’s explore all the elements tracked with this customer journey map example:

• Customer journey stages and potential user interactions, from searching for train options to finalizing a booking.
• Highlights multiple channels for possible touchpoints, such as the website, mobile app, customer service , email communications, and beyond.
• Tracks customer sentiments at different stages, ranging from enthusiasm about trip planning to potential dissatisfaction if challenges arise during booking or travel.

Do note that due to the multi-channel approach, this customer journey map template is quite dense. So, only use it if you are comfortable undertaking such complexity.

Etsy’s service blueprint map

Etsy developed the service blueprint map with the main aim of perfecting its customer service and shopping experience. The purpose was to build up various touchpoints and processes that could enhance customer satisfaction and streamline complex support processes.

Let’s deep dive into the elements tracked with this blueprint map:

• Customer journey stages are divided into time stamps.
• Potential customer interactions , from browsing and purchasing items to post-purchase support and feedback.
• Highlights important touchpoints at the back end, such as the website interface, customer service activity, and order fulfillment.
• Includes multiple channels like online chat, email, and in-app notifications .
• Tracks user sentiments , ranging from enthusiasm during the discovery process to annoyance with order issues or support delays.

Amazon’s customer journey map

Customer journey map examples can’t be complete without mentioning Amazon. Amazon’s journey map was designed to improve its complex e-commerce experience and drive customer engagement .

This map is particularly helpful for identifying specific experience touchpoints and metrics—like conversion rates and purchase assists—crucial for optimizing processes.

Let’s explore the key elements captured in this customer journey map:

• Details user interactions across various touchpoints, from searching for products and adding items to the cart to completing a purchase.
• Includes multiple channels, like Amazon’s website, mobile app, and customer service .
• Captures customer emotions and concerns, ranging from anticipation during browsing to potential dissatisfaction if problems occur during checkout or delivery.
• Tracks success metrics across each stage of the customer journey.

Do note, Amazon’s customer journey map template is incredibly detailed and complicated. So, only use it if you’re comfortable with such complexities.

HubSpot’s customer journey map for identifying friction

Finally, there’s HubSpot’s simple customer journey map example, ideal for “a day in the life” mapping. The map was designed to identify friction points in the customer experience and solve problems customers encounter throughout their journey.

Building this type of map is especially useful when aiming to improve the success of customer engagement strategies .

Here are all the elements this customer journey map can track:

• Outlines customer interactions throughout various times of the day.
• Tracks touchpoints such as product discovery , engagement with customer support , and decision-making processes.
• Emphasizes different channels, including HubSpot’s website, email communications, and customer service .
• Captures customer sentiments , from initial enthusiasm during product exploration to potential disappointment when encountering obstacles or delays.

How to create customer journey maps?

Inspired to create your own customer journey maps? Here’s a concise guide to building effective maps, from initial planning to data collection for populating your map. Let’s get started!

Determine your customer journey mapping objectives

The first step is to set your goals for the customer journey map. Clearly define what you hope to achieve with the map. For instance, are you looking to uncover customer pain points , or is the objective to improve customer engagement ?

Also, define which stage of the customer journey you will focus on, such as onboarding, purchase, or retention.

Lastly, figure out who needs to be involved in the creation and utilization of the customer’s journey map. Consider involving key stakeholders, such as marketing, customer support, and product teams , to ensure a thorough and well-defined strategy.

Identify and build the customer personas

Creating accurate customer personas helps you understand your ideal customers by identifying their key characteristics and behaviors. You can build such personas by first gathering data through in-app surveys , interviews, and product analytics . Here’s an example:

To simplify persona creation, consider utilizing tools like the customer profile feature in Userpilot. The feature enables you to compile and analyze gathered information, ensuring your personas reflect the real needs and preferences of your target audience.

Use a suitable customer journey map template

There are several customer journey map formats and templates to choose from, each serving a different function.

So, pick a template or framework that aligns with your objectives and the specific stage of the customer journey you’re focusing on. Select one that provides clear visualizations , accommodates the data you will gather, and effectively highlights pain points and improvement areas.

Here’s a template from Miro:

Collect data to fill in your journey map

Before you start populating your customer journey map, you must first collect the relevant customer data . Some great sources for comprehensive data include customer interviews, surveys, and feedback collection .

You can also use analytics data to uncover behavioral patterns and drop-off points .

Templates for customer journey mapping process

Finally, it’s time to explore different templates for mapping various customer journeys. There are various tools available with their own templates, each offering unique features for brainstorming, collaboration, and customization. Let’s go over all the options to find the best fit for your needs.

Customer journey map templates in Miro

Considering the level of customizability they offer, Miro’s templates are suitable for creating journey maps for projects of all kinds.

You can adjust stages and paths, add notes or extra steps, and integrate visuals , ensuring a tailored approach to mapping your customer’s journey. The same template can be used to explore all customer journey stages, like the onboarding map below.

Miro aids collaboration by allowing teams to co-create simultaneously. Team members can also brainstorm in real-time by adding sticky notes and comments to the map.

Customer journey map templates in Figma

Use Figma’s template to visualize key interactions of a customer’s experience with your product, from initial contact to purchase and retention.

Figma supports collaboration with immediate updates, enabling team members to co-design together. Teams can also add comments within the design to aid the brainstorming process.

Lastly, you can adjust the template as needed by adding stages, updating content, managing connecting flows, and integrating feedback.

Customer journey map templates in Canva

Canva offers a variety of templates, most of which are useful for visually tracking and improving user experience interactions .

Canva facilitates collaboration with its real-time editing, comments, and reactions features, allowing team members to work together.

You can also customize the template by adjusting text, colors, and layout, as well as adding icons and graphics to align with your specific needs and branding. While Canva is a good option, its customizability features are simple and more suited for beginners.

The customer journey is not a linear path but an ongoing cycle of interactions and experiences. Nevertheless, we hope these customer journey map examples give you a starting point on how to build one. You can also try tools like Miro, Figma, and Canva, which provide great templates to build upon.

Looking to refine your customer journey map with data-driven insights? Get a Userpilot Demo and see how we can help you with effective user research.

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What are Buyer Journey Maps and Why Are They Important?

Consider what happens when you buy a new product.  You probably start with a certain awareness of the product. Maybe you had it recommended to you by a friend. Or you found out about the product during a google search.

  62% of customers start with a search engine query when they evaluate a new purchase. 

Or you just came across it in a product listing on Amazon or another eCommerce site.

Do you just make the decision to buy the product right then and there, based on your gut? Occasionally, maybe. For small purchases at the grocery store or similar transactions.

But if it’s an expensive product, you aren’t going to throw away your hard-earned money without doing a little due diligence first.

So you start with a little research. You might look at similar products and compare prices. You may read customer reviews online and learn more about the benefits and issues that people commonly run into after buying the product.

Maybe you’ll scour social media for conversations about the product to see what others have thought.

Even if you end up going to a brick-and-mortar store to make the purchase, there is a good chance that you will do some online research first, as 67% of consumers do at least some online research before in-person purchase.

That is the buyer’s journey. It may not be a fully conscious decision on our part. It’s just a part of the risk/reward analysis that we all cognitively go through when we are making an expensive purchase.

All buyers do it. There are certain stages that buyers consistently go through on their way toward making a purchase.

A buyer’s journey map is the process of defining and mapping out the process that your customers go through on their way toward buying your product.

Building out an effective buyer’s journey map puts you in a position to better understand your customers and deliver a better experience.

Why Create Buyer Journey Maps?

A buyer’s journey map is a visual representation of the steps that your audience typically goes through on their way to becoming your customer and buying your product.

In the most effective buyer’s journey maps, you’ll include information about things that your prospects would like to know at a given time and pair that up with different types of content that you will deliver to fill those informational needs.

Mapping out these processes provides direction and transparency for your marketing team.

It creates value for your bottom line. In a recent study from the Aberdeen Group, they found that businesses that use buyer journey maps average a 79% increase in cross-selling and upselling revenue , compared to organizations that do not.

This just goes to show that companies that create, integrate, and use buyer’s journey mapping seriously have a better understanding of what their customers want and when they want it.

So why create buyer journey maps?

Because it helps you to understand your audience. It provides a simple way to pay more attention to the actions that your customers take that actually have an impact on whether or not they buy your product.

It can help you to hone in on what they want to know and when they want to know it. Then, you can prioritize the content and conversations that have the most impact on their decision to purchase.

What is the Standard Buyer’s Journey?

Source: HubSpot

Although you can always custom-tailor your buyer’s journey map to the specific route that your customers typically take in engaging with your business, there is a standard buyer’s journey that is common in most B2B purchases, known as the ‘hourglass model.’

The hourglass buyer’s journey model has been a staple in B2B marketing for decades.

The different stages include:

• Awareness stage
• Consideration stage
• Decision stage
• Retention stage
• Advocacy stage

This is the process that a majority of customers go through on their way toward buying a product. 

In each stage, there are different actions that a customer may take, information that they may look for, and content that they will want to engage with as they make their decision.

By mapping out the different processes and content that you will share with prospects in each stage, you begin to map out the process of walking your customers through the buying decision.

By being that source of information that they need throughout the process, you create trust with the customer as they compare you to your competition.

A better buying experience means more loyal customers, higher-value customers, and a better reputation among your prospects.

Let’s take a look at each stage in the buyer's journey.

Awareness Stage

In the awareness stage, the buyer first realizes that they have a problem. They are able to identify the issue and are beginning their search for a solution.

Here, they may not even fully be aware of the type of solution that they are going to need to solve the problem, that is just a part of their broader research.

Pay careful attention to how your customers talk about their goals and challenges when they first discover your product and begin engaging with your team. What problems are they looking to solve?

They may well think their problem is one thing, only to discover that the problem is bigger than they originally considered. It’s during this stage that they are still feeling out whether their problem is a big enough priority to warrant an investment from their business.

Here, you want your prospects to consider the effect of inaction on their part. You want them to see that without a solution, their problems will only continue.

You’ll also want to answer common misconceptions that they may have at this point in the process — both about the issue that they are experiencing as well as about your solution, or other potential solutions.

Hone in on what considerations ultimately make them decide whether or not they should prioritize their problem. When you know what changes their mind, you can craft marketing materials that help to drive that point home.

Here, you’ll deliver several different types of content to your prospects to help them educate themselves on their problem and potential solutions.

Content types that are common in the awareness stage include:

• White papers
• Analyst and research reports
• Educational content

Consideration Stage

In the consideration stage, buyers have defined a clear goal and have decided that it needs to be addressed. Your solution will be one of a number that they are considering and looking at. They are committed to addressing their problems at this point.

Here, they will begin to evaluate several different solutions in earnest. They are looking at features, benefits, pricing — anything that they need to help them make the right decision for their business.

But remember that in the consideration stage, your prospects may still be figuring out what types of solutions will give them the best results. There are multiple different ways to skin a cat, and your job is to show your prospects that your way is the best way.

Understand how your buyers typically educate themselves on the different solutions available to them. Knowing how they learn about them is just as important as knowing what the solutions themselves are.

How do they typically view the pros and cons of each category? What categories do they typically lean toward in the beginning? What solutions push them in another direction?

Position yourself as an authority and deliver marketing content that walks them through the process.

These are the questions that you want to answer in the consideration stage.

The types of content that you will typically deliver during this stage include:

• Expert guides
• Product category comparisons
• Longform content

Decision Stage

Now it's time to come to a conclusion. In the decision stage , buyers have settled on a solution category. If they are still engaging with your business, congratulations, because they have settled on your category.

Now they have to narrow things down. They may have several different solutions that they are considering in your category. In order to effectively communicate with your prospects in the decision stage, you have to key in on a few different things surrounding their purchase.

First, know their criteria. How did they evaluate solutions? What are the exact features or benefits that they were most interested in as they looked at the options that were available in front of them?

What do they like about your offering? What do they like about the competition? Ultimately, you’ll need to convince them that you are the best choice for the things that they care most about.

Another consideration is who needs to be involved in their decision. Are there going to be multiple stakeholders? If there are, are they all at the same point in the buyer’s journey? Or do they need further education as well?

Understanding what drives each individual stakeholder inside of an organization is critical. Today there are an average of 6.8 stakeholders involved in the enterprise decision-making process.

The types of content that you should be delivering to prospects that are in the decision stage of the buyer's journey map include:

• Product comparisons
• Case studies
• Trial downloads
• Product spec sheets

Retention Stage

Now your customer makes a purchase. That doesn’t mean the customer journey ends. In fact, the most important part of the customer journey is just beginning, particularly if you want to turn them into lifelong customers.

For subscription businesses, the retention stage is arguably the most important part of the process. You’ve already invested in acquiring the customer, now you have to focus on keeping them.

In this stage, it’s all about learning about your customers and their needs. How can you improve? What has the experience been like from their perspective? Are they getting everything they can out of your solution? Are they applying it right?

Retention is critical. It’s so critical, that customer success departments have become increasingly common as an additional customer-facing wing to your customer support reps.

In inbound marketing, this stage is known as the “delight” stage. Your goal should be to provide an exceptional experience to your customers and cater to their needs to the best of your ability.

To do that, you’ll need to have ongoing conversations that make your customers feel heard. Additionally, you’ll need to continue to deliver valuable content that helps them to make the most out of their investment in your solution.

Content delivered in this stage includes:

• Product usage guides
• Feature spotlights
• Customer success content

Advocacy Stage

Once you have delighted your customers, then you can focus on turning them into advocates. Give them opportunities to share your solution with like-minded individuals.

If your customers love you, they will love sharing your solution with others.

Providing benefits through referral programs can be a great way to incentivize advocacy, but the best way is to ensure that you are providing a stellar service to each and every customer that comes through your door.

Source: Business 2 Community

Buyer Journey Maps Critical to Understanding Customers

Using buyer journey maps to better understand your customers is a necessity for modern companies. The more that you can know and learn about your prospects and customers, the better that you will be able to serve them throughout the buying process.

Ultimately, creating these maps is about giving yourself a visual tool that you can use to better understand what information your customers will need to aid their purchasing decision and when they will need it.

Refining your buyer’s journey will help you to increase marketing qualified leads and sales qualified leads, improving conversion rates over time.

Here at RiseFuel , we use the buyer’s journey to inform the inbound marketing strategies that we put together for our clients.

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Using Customer Journey Maps to Maximize Campaign Results

Chris Van Wagoner

Director, Lifecycle Marketing @ AdRoll

Topics Covered:

• D2C/Ecommerce

It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling software or soft serve, every sale your business makes involves a customer journey . The customer journey describes the steps your customers make toward purchasing a product or service from you. From initial awareness to purchase and beyond to repeat business, knowing the details of your customer journey can help you improve experiences and deliver value.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the basics of how to create your customer journey maps. We’ll touch on the benefits of customer journey mapping, including mapping content to the buyer’s journey.

What is a Customer Journey Map?

A customer journey map is a visual or written representation of the stages your customer goes through as they identify a need and transact with your business. When you map the customer journey and tie content to each stage, you can better serve your clients with personalized ads and marketing efforts that show them relevant details—even after they’ve already bought something from you.

Mapping the customer journey will also help your brand successfully allocate resources where they are most needed, leading to efficiencies in how you spend your time and money. After learning how to create a customer journey map effectively, your brand's reputation will stand out amongst those offering similar products and services and will allow you to take your expanded reach and combine it with increased traffic.

How to Create a Customer Journey Map

There’s no one answer for how to do customer journey mapping. Because customer experiences vary, customer journey maps can come in many forms, ranging from spreadsheets and infographics to a wall full of Post-Its. How you choose to design your map is your choice. Here are six steps to help you get started, regardless of format.

1. Align the goals of your customer with the products/services you offer

The first step in creating a customer journey map is identifying your customer's primary goals and objectives using an exhaustive research process. 

Research—quantitative and qualitative—informs the mapping process. Companies with a firm grasp of customer motivations, actions, and pain points typically get that information through quantitative data. Qualitative data provides more nuanced input on the emotional responses of your customers. Customer research is crucial for the next step: identifying target personas and touchpoints.

2. Identify your buyer personas

Buyer personas are a combination of demographic insights (age, gender identity, location, income, occupation) and behavioral insights (how do they shop, what considerations do they make, what values do they prioritize). A brand may have many different personas that they identify based on gathered data. However, it's best to narrow the focus to one or two personas that represent the largest segment of your customers for accurate buyer journey content mapping.

For more on how to identify buyer personas:

A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Buyer Personas

Building buyer personas is the most critical step in achieving personalized and accurate marketing campaigns that will satisfy these audiences.

3. Enumerate your touchpoints

Touchpoints are instances where customers interact with a brand. They must be considered carefully in mapping because they provide critical insight into the customer's actions. Besides websites and social media channels, touchpoints can also include referrals and online research conducted by the customer, which companies may have little control over. This type of interaction is called an external touchpoint, and it is important when trying to understand where areas of friction occur. 

When listing touchpoints, keep in mind these three factors that can motivate or deter customers on their journey.

Limit the number of required actions . The more steps that are needed, the less likely a customer is to complete their desired task. To improve this process, write down your customer's actions throughout their interaction with your brand before purchasing. Cut out any redundancies or excess steps to streamline as much as possible.

Understand consumer intentions . Customers typically look for your site because they have a need or a problem they want to address. Understanding that need is essential to successfully tailor marketing strategies and deliver the exact content your customer is looking for.

Identify pain points . When a customer doesn't complete their journey, they likely encountered obstacles in the process. It's critical to identify these obstacles and address them right away. If the data around the pain point is unclear, consider sending a survey to collect more information directly from the source. If that isn't an option, it can help to have a new employee, or someone outside the company, run through the process to see if they discover any hiccups that people more familiar with the process may have missed.

4. Determine which journey map you want to use

There are four common types of customer journey maps , each with a unique focus and purpose. Which kind of journey map that you choose hinges on the goals and objectives set early on. Customer journey mapping examples include the following types:

Current state. This type of map is used to understand how customers interact with a brand at that moment. It can help identify existing pain points between the brand and its customers, which can improve the end-to-end customer experience.

Day-in-the-life. Like current state journey maps, this option examines the customer's current motivations and actions. However, it looks at a more comprehensive view by taking into account their daily behavior. This option is best suited for innovation because it helps identify unmet needs and opportunities for after-sales care to increase customer retention.

Future state. A future state journey map is designed to predict and create the ideal process for your customers. This is helpful when a company plans to upgrade its marketing materials and strategies.

Blueprint. This option combines a current or future state journey map with a comprehensive system of people, policies, processes, and technologies (frontend and backend). This type of mapping can determine the root causes of existing pain points and the ideal ecosystem to support future experiences.

5. Experience the customer journey first-hand

Once the customer journey is mapped out, it's critical to follow it yourself so you can test each stage and assess its efficiency and effectiveness. If you encounter any obstacles, you can explore and address them right away. Brands with multiple buyer personas should complete a customer journey analysis for each persona from end-to-end. This way, they can see a clear picture of each customer's experience and understand how to make improvements, if needed.

A first-hand understanding of all stages of the customer journey creates empathy for your consumers, but it also brings you up close and personal to any hiccups or roadblocks in the process. 

6. Get started with a customer journey map template

Creating a customer journey map helps to provide a clear understanding of the consumer experience at each brand touchpoint. The information gathered from this exercise enables companies to streamline their processes, optimize budget allocation, and boost ROI. To help you get started, AdRoll has created a customer journey map template to guide you through the steps to create your customer journey map. You can download the customer journey map template directly or check out the following blog post for more information:

How to Build a Customer Journey Map [TEMPLATE]

Customer journey maps are key to cultivating the perfect customer experience. Here’s a template to help you build an optimal customer experience.

Why It’s Important to Map Content to the Customer Journey for Cross-Channel Campaigns

When you map your content to the customer journey, you create elements that touch your audience at all stages of their buying experience. It makes your marketing more effective from top to bottom.

Digital customer journey mapping with cross-channel campaigns ensures a consistency for your messaging no matter where or how the customer sees it. Create and deliver content that addresses their needs, questions, or concerns at every step of the journey to guide them smoothly from awareness to purchase.

Accurate content journey mapping ensures consistency across your media mix —from your social media and blog posts to email and direct mail efforts. It reinforces your brand image to create impactful and lasting associations in your customers’ minds. This helps lead to four incredibly important lifts in KPIs you can track:

Increased customer engagement

People like content that’s relevant to them and tend to ignore the stuff that isn’t. When you map your content to each stage of the funnel or journey, you have a better chance at reaching people at the exact place they’re ready (and willing) to engage with it. A customer in the awareness stage, for example, wants educational content to help understand their problem. A customer in the consideration stage wants comparisons or reviews. When you have both types of content available, you won’t miss out on either one.

When you offer valuable details to consumers, you help them make informed decisions. That builds trust and credibility for your brand. A consumer who trusts you is more likely to engage with your content.

Personalizing your content with consistent messaging across all channels reinforces your brand image. Think of it in terms of rowing a boat: if everyone’s moving the same direction, there’s less friction. If you’re sharing content on social media that doesn’t align with your customers’ needs, it won’t help.

Finally, don’t neglect the importance of post-purchase content. When you offer support, tips, or additional product suggestions based on what they’ve purchased, you can enhance your customer satisfaction scores and lead to one of the most treasured resources of all: customer loyalty.

Improved conversion rates

Conversions may happen as part of the decision-making phase of the customer buying journey, but that doesn’t mean your content can neglect the stages that occur before. Content mapping for the whole journey—not just the awareness or decision phases—can increase conversion rates .

Why is this the case? Because it ensures potential customers see the right message at the right time. Let’s look at how this works:

Awareness stage: Informative content like blog posts, guides, and educational videos gives prospective customers the details they need to understand their problems. It attracts potential customers and draws them into the sales funnel.

Consideration stage: As potential customers evaluate solutions, you can use comparison charts, case studies, and webinars to highlight the advantages of your product or service. This helps influence their perception and makes your offering more appealing.

Decision stage: Prospective customers who are ready to make a purchase benefit from content like product demos, testimonials, or special offers and retargeting campaigns. This content all works together to nudge your customers into saying “yes” and buying from you.

Retention stage: Even after your customers buy from you, the work isn’t done. Send follow-up emails, user guides, and support content to enhance their satisfaction and encourage repeat business. Happy customers can leave positive reviews. Showcase them as much as possible to help boost conversion rates via the trust and credibility they promote.

Enhanced customer experience

While it’s not as simple to measure the customer experience as concrete KPIs like conversion rates, you can still see evidence of an enhanced customer experience with mapped content. When you plan your content and advertising strategies and map them to your customer journey, consider the following:

Relevance: Content mapping for every stage of the sales cycle can make it more relevant and useful, which improves a customer’s perception of your brand.

Guidance: When you remove friction from the buying process, you improve people’s lives. Offering guidance to customers at all stages of the funnel, from awareness and interest and decision-making, helps to make the process more enjoyable.

Consistency: No one wants to hear different things in different channels. Tailoring your content on all platforms to different stages of the buying process strengthens a customer’s connection to your brand and makes them more likely to trust you. They may even become your best advocates.

Engagement: Content that aligns with the customer’s current stage in the buying journey is more likely to resonate with them. They may even interact, comment, or share it. This social proof is a valuable currency.

Increased ROI

Everything we’ve mentioned above can lead to an increase in your ROI because your optimized content strategy aligns with the needs and interests of your customers. When you cater to them, you make it easier to say “Yes!” to you and your products.

That increase in engagement keeps customers moving through the funnel. When more people engage with your content—either through clicks, likes, and shares— before they purchase, it directly impacts your ROI. The higher conversion rates you notice because you’ve nurtured those leads make a direct impact on ROI.

The post-buying experience impacts ROI, too. Customers crave valuable, relevant content even after they purchase. When you create that content, you can enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty. That encourages repeat business. A repeat customer who initially purchased because of an early-stage infographic you made improves your ROI. Why? Because retaining existing customers is often more cost-effective than acquiring new ones.

Ultimately, when you know what type of content best resonates with your audience, you can allocate your resources more effectively. When you spend less to create better content, you reduce costs and improve your ROI.

Once you’ve created the right kinds of content for your journey and the audiences you serve, use AdRoll’s audience targeting platform to ensure your message gets across where and when it needs to.

What are the key components of a successful customer journey map?

Your customer journey map should include all the essential pieces of the puzzle. Use buyer personas to understand who is shopping with you at each stage of the journey—from awareness to purchase and beyond. List out their goals and expectations, as well as any pain points they face. Finally, don’t forget to account for opportunities for improvement in the customer experience.

How often should I update my customer journey map?

Customer journey maps aren’t static documents, which means you should regularly update them at company inflection points, like new product or service launches or drastic shifts in market conditions. Consider reviewing and updating your customer journeys annually or bi-annually as needed. 

How do I measure the effectiveness of my customer journey map?

Like other aspects of your marketing efforts, measuring your customer journey map’s effectiveness relies on tracking core KPIs. The data should tell a story about your customers’ experiences. Look at things like conversion rates, customer satisfaction and loyalty scores, and even their total lifetime value (CLV). Even the length of your sales cycle can give you insights about how well you’re doing.

Last updated on August 11th, 2023.

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Customer Journey Map Template

Free Resource

Outline your company's customer journey and experience with these 7 free customer journey map templates. 

This download includes 7 free customer journey map templates:.

• Buyer's Journey Template
• Current State Template
• Lead Nurturing Mapping Template
• Future State Template
• A Day in the Customer's Life Template
• Customer Churn Mapping Template
• Customer Support Blueprint Template

Free Customer Journey Map Templates

Salespeople, marketers, and customer support professionals all benefit from better understanding their customers and buyer personas. One of the most effective ways to do that is with customer journey maps. 

Customer journey maps are an outline of a customer's experience and how your product incorporates into their lives. 

Given this new understanding, you can figure out where to make improvements to your product , marketing, and support process for a better customer experience.

Download the templates today to start mapping out your customer's experience with your product or service. 

What is a customer journey map?

A customer journey map, or journey map, is a visual representation of interactions people have with your brand. A good journey maps highlight moments of delight or pain customers of a brand experience pre and post sales. Using a templated customer journey map helps standardize how businesses can measure how different customer journeys can be improved.

How do I create a customer journey map template?

How to create a comprehensive customer journey map.

Start with your buyer persona. HubSpot provides a free "Make My Persona" tool if you don't have one. Map out buyer touchpoints with your business. This starts from how they found your business to how they left reviews. Analyze customer pain points. This could be through customer interviews or online negative reviews. Assign priorities to addressing customer pain points. Measure the impact of solving the customers' problems.

What are the elements of a customer journey?

Key elements of customer journey maps.

We created free templates that address personas, timelines, touchpoints, and other elements of great customer journey maps:

Why do I need to fill out the information requested?

We will always keep your personal information safe. We ask for your information in exchange for a valuable resource in order to (a) improve your browsing experience by personalizing the HubSpot site to your needs; (b) send information to you that we think may be of interest to you by email or other means; (c) send you marketing communications that we think may be of value to you. You can read more about our privacy policy  here .

Is this really free?

Absolutely . Just sharing some free knowledge that we hope you’ll find useful. Keep us in mind next time you have marketing questions!

Click the button to gain access to the templates.

Download the free journey map templates.

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Creating a B2B Customer Journey Map: A Step-by-Step Guide with AI Integration

Creating a B2B customer journey map with AI integration helps optimize the customer experience and build a predictable pipeline. By leveraging AI-driven insights for data collection and analysis, businesses can enhance journey mapping, drive better engagement, and ensure long-term success.

By Karla Sanders , Engagement Manager at Heinz Marketing

In today’s competitive B2B landscape, understanding and optimizing the customer experience is crucial for building a predictable pipeline. A well-crafted B2B customer journey map helps visualize the customer experience, identify improvement areas, and drive meaningful engagement. This comprehensive guide will walk you through creating a detailed customer journey map and explore how AI can enhance this process.

Check out this essential guide to help you kickstart your journey towards becoming an AI-driven organization.

What is a B2B Customer Journey Map?

A B2B customer journey map is a visual representation of the steps a business customer takes from becoming aware of your brand to becoming a loyal advocate. It highlights key touchpoints, interactions, and decision points, offering insights into customer behavior, pain points, and opportunities for enhancement.

Why is Journey Mapping Important?

• Enhanced Customer Understanding : Mapping the customer journey provides clarity on customer needs, challenges, and expectations, enabling you to tailor your strategies effectively.
• Improved Customer Experience : It helps identify friction points and optimize touchpoints, leading to a smoother and more satisfying customer experience.
• Increased Conversion Rates : Understanding the journey allows you to deliver the right message at the right time, improving conversion rates and accelerating the sales cycle.
• Team Alignment : A shared understanding of the customer journey aligns sales, marketing, and customer service teams, ensuring a consistent approach to customer engagement.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a B2B Customer Journey Map

Step 1: define your buyer personas.

Start by defining your buyer personas—semi-fictional representations of your ideal customers. Consider industry, company size, role, pain points, and purchasing behavior to create personas that accurately reflect your target audience.

Step 2: Identify Key Customer Journey Touchpoints

List all potential touchpoints where customers interact with your brand, from initial awareness to post-purchase. This might include website visits, email campaigns, webinars, social media interactions, sales meetings, and customer support.

Step 3: Gather Data and Insights

Collect data from CRM systems, website analytics, customer feedback, and sales teams to understand customer behavior at each stage of the journey. This data-driven approach ensures that your map reflects real customer experiences.

Step 4: Create the Journey Map

Plot the stages of the customer journey, typically including Awareness, Consideration, Decision, and Post-Purchase. For each stage, identify key touchpoints, customer actions, emotions, and potential pain points. Use visual aids like flowcharts or diagrams to create an easy-to-understand map.

Step 5: Analyze and Optimize the Journey

Review your journey map to identify areas for improvement. Look for stages where customers drop off or experience frustration, and develop strategies to address these issues. Regularly update your map as customer needs and market conditions evolve.

Step 6: Implement and Monitor

Implement changes and monitor their impact on the customer journey. Use metrics like conversion rates, customer satisfaction, and engagement levels to measure success and refine your approach as needed.

Utilizing AI in Developing a B2B Customer Journey Map

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing how businesses approach customer journey mapping by providing advanced tools and insights that enhance accuracy and effectiveness. Here’s how AI can be leveraged in developing a B2B customer journey map, along with some leading AI tools:

• Data Collection and Integration

AI-powered tools can streamline the collection and integration of data from various sources. Tools like Salesforce Einstein and HubSpot CRM use AI to aggregate and process data from CRM systems, social media, website analytics, and customer feedback, providing a comprehensive view of customer interactions and behaviors.

• Behavioral Analysis and Insights

AI algorithms analyze customer behavior patterns and segment customers based on their actions, preferences, and interactions. Google Analytics with its AI-driven insights and Adobe Experience Cloud offer powerful analytics and segmentation capabilities that help identify common pathways and pain points.

• Predictive Analytics

AI can predict future customer behavior and trends by analyzing historical data and identifying patterns. Tools like Infer and Pendo provide predictive analytics that helps anticipate potential issues and optimize touchpoints to better meet customer needs.

• Personalization at Scale

AI-driven personalization tools create highly tailored experiences for individual customers. Optimizely and Dynamic Yield offer AI-powered personalization features that dynamically adjust website content or email marketing campaigns based on customer behavior and preferences.

• Automated Customer Insights

AI provides automated insights into customer sentiment and feedback. MonkeyLearn and Clarabridge use Natural Language Processing (NLP) to analyze text from surveys, reviews, and social media, helping identify recurring issues and integrate them into the journey map.

• Enhanced Visualizations

AI tools generate sophisticated visualizations of the customer journey map. Tableau and Microsoft Power BI create interactive dashboards and heatmaps that highlight key touchpoints and customer interactions, making it easier to understand and communicate complex data.

• Continuous Improvement

Example B2B Customer Journey Maps by Industry

Below are examples outlining customer journey maps for various industries along with best practices for developing effective B2B customer journey maps.

Technology Industry: SaaS Customer Journey Map

• Key Touchpoints: Blog posts, webinars, website, demo, trial, customer support, check-ins
• Pain Points: Confusion about product features, complex onboarding
• Optimization Opportunities: Detailed product comparisons, simplified onboarding
• 2. Consideration: Explores your website, attends a webinar, and downloads a whitepaper. Schedules a demo.
• 3. Decision: Compares your solution with competitors, reads reviews, and requests a free trial.
• 4. Onboarding: Goes through an onboarding process with customer support.
• 5. Post-Purchase: Regular check-ins from customer success.

Manufacturing Industry: Industrial Equipment Purchase Journey

• Key Touchpoints: Trade shows, publications, brochures, site visit, negotiation, installation, maintenance
• Pain Points: Evaluating technical specifications, post-purchase support
• Optimization Opportunities: Virtual site visits, detailed support documentation
• 2. Consideration: Requests brochures, visits your website, and schedules a site visit.
• 3. Decision: Evaluates quotes, conducts a site visit, and negotiates terms.
• 4. Implementation: Equipment is delivered, installed, and trained on.
• 5. Post-Purchase: Ongoing maintenance support and performance reviews.

Professional Services Industry: Consulting Services Engagement Journey

• Key Touchpoints: LinkedIn, webinars, referrals, case studies, roundtables, proposals, project updates
• Pain Points: Assessing ROI, project timeline
• Optimization Opportunities: ROI calculators, transparent communication
• 2. Consideration: Downloads a case study, attends a roundtable, and has an introductory call.
• 3. Decision: Reviews proposals, conducts reference checks, and engages your firm.
• 4. Engagement: Executes the project with regular updates.
• 5. Post-Engagement: Conducts a debrief session and explores future collaboration.

Best Practices for B2B Customer Journey Mapping

• Involve Cross-Functional Teams : Engage stakeholders from sales, marketing, customer service, and product teams for a holistic view.
• Use Real Customer Feedback : Incorporate insights from actual customer interactions for an accurate map.
• Focus on Pain Points : Address stages with challenges or frustrations to improve satisfaction and conversion rates.
• Continuously Update the Map : Regularly update the map based on new data, feedback, and market changes.
• Leverage Technology : Utilize CRM systems, marketing automation tools, and analytics platforms for accurate mapping.

The Bottom Line

Creating a B2B customer journey map tailored to your industry and enhanced with AI-driven insights is essential for understanding and optimizing the customer experience. By integrating AI technologies for data collection, behavioral analysis, predictive analytics, and visualization, you can develop a dynamic journey map that drives better engagement and improves customer satisfaction. Embracing AI ensures that your journey mapping efforts are informed by the most relevant and actionable insights, leading to a predictable pipeline and long-term success in the B2B space.

At Heinz Marketing, we’ve partnered with numerous B2B clients to develop customized business strategies tailored to their industry, market position, and unique challenges. If you’re looking to harness the power of AI while ensuring a consistent and effective customer journey approach, we’d love to help. Contact us for a complimentary 30-minute consultation at [email protected] . Let’s explore how we can support your journey towards intelligent AI integration and drive your business forward.

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Decide what you’re keeping and take it to your new place.

Leave what you no longer need.

We’ll plan to sell whatever (and we mean everything) you’re not taking with you.

We’ll handle the rest!

Our team handles all the work of transforming your items into a boutique store. After the estate sale, you’ll be left with a clean, empty house and funds for your next adventure.

OUR SERVICES

Estate Sales made simple...

Estate sales are a great way to sell the contents of a home quickly and efficiently. We provide a comprehensive service that includes organizing, staging, pricing, and advertising the sale, as well as providing on-site staff to manage and host your in-home estate sale. Estate sales are a great way to get the most out of the items in a home, and we help ensure that the sale is successful. We have conducted estate sales all over the Palouse and LC Valley including, Moscow, Pullman, Lewiston, Clarkston, and several other surrounding communities. If you need estate sale help, we have got you covered. 

We can liquidate your whole house...

Liquidations are a great way to quickly and efficiently liquidate an estate. Our liquidation services can help you with the entire process, from organizing and pricing items to advertising and conducting the sale. We have the experience and expertise to ensure that you get the best possible return on your estate sale. We have an extensive email list and turn out huge crowds to our sales. With our help, you can rest assured that your estate sale will be a success.

Keep what you want, we take care of the rest...

Before an estate sale, the process of donating items typically involves sorting through the items in the estate and deciding which items to keep, sell, or donate. After the estate sale, any remaining items that were not sold can be donated to a charity or organization as long as they are in good condition and the organizations or charity are willing to take them. We have an extensive network of organizations in Moscow, Pullman, Lewiston, and Clarkstone so you can rest assured your donations will go to the right places. 

A great way to get the most out of your items...

Our sealed bit auction services are a type of online auction that allows buyers to bid on items without knowing the identity of the other bidders. This type of auction is often used for high-value items, such as cars, jewelry, and art, but can be used for so much more. The auction is conducted securly, and the bids are kept confidential until the auction is closed. This type of auction is beneficial for buyers, as it allows them to bid without fear of being outbid by a higher bidder. It has the opportunity of making even more money for your items than a traditional estate sale. You also have the opportunity to reach buyers outside of Moscow, Pullman, Lewiston, Clarskston, and the rest of the Palouse and LC Valley.

Notary Services

Transitions Estate Sales, LLC offers top-notch Notary Public services to our esteemed clients. Our notary service provides more than just an official stamp-wielding - Transitions is trained to ensure that your important documents are notarized with accuracy and efficiency.

Need to sign a power of attorney? We've got you covered. Need to certify a copy of your driver's license? No problem. Our notaries are here to make your life easier, one signature at a time. Whether you live in Moscow, Pullman, Lewiston, Clarkston, or in the surrounding communities. Our notary services are there for you.

Whether you're closing on a house, finalizing a will, or just need to get some paperwork notarized, come on down to Transitions Estate Sales and let us take care of you.

We promise not to make you wear a cape, but we can't make any guarantees about the occasional "notarial magic" dance.

Notary Public Services

Save the time of going through all of your belongings and selling each piece. We make the selling process easy. Take what you want and we will take care of the rest

Clean and empty house

From a messy and sometimes complicated start to a simple, stress free end, we will help make your space clutter free and ready to go for your next adventure.

Friendly support

We know that sometimes this can be a difficult process which is why we will strive to communicate with you all of your options and help you get the most out of your transition.

WE LOVE SERVING OUR COMMUNITY

We love our community.

Our team is passionate about serving our clients. We believe that our clients are more than just customers; they're members of our community, and we're honored to be a part of their journey. Our team of experienced professionals is dedicated to making the estate sale process as smooth and stress-free as possible.

We provide all our services with the utmost integrity, compassion, and excellence.

From initial consultation to final clean-out, we're with you every step of the way, providing expert advice, personalized service, and a commitment to maximizing the value of your belongings.

Why you need Estate Sale and Liquidation Services

When faced with major life transitions like downsizing, relocation, or the loss of a loved one, it can be overwhelming to manage the details of an estate sale or liquidation. That's where Transitions Estate Sales, LLC comes in. Our expert Estate Sales and Liquidations services are designed to simplify the process and maximize the value of your belongings.

First and foremost, our experienced team will take care of all the details of your estate sale or liquidation, from sorting and organizing to pricing and advertising. We'll work closely with you to determine which items should be sold and which should be donated, ensuring that you receive the maximum value for your belongings.

In addition to simplifying the process, our Estate Sales and Liquidations services can also save you time and money. We have the expertise to identify and value items that you may have overlooked or undervalued, and our extensive network of buyers ensures that your items are sold quickly and for the best possible price.

Finally, our services can provide peace of mind during a difficult time. We understand that managing an estate sale or liquidation can be emotionally challenging, and our compassionate team is here to support you every step of the way. We're dedicated to ensuring that the process is as stress-free and seamless as possible, allowing you to focus on what really matters during this time.

At Transitions Estate Sales, LLC, we believe that our Estate Sales and Liquidations services are an essential part of managing life's major transitions. Let us help you simplify the process and maximize the value of your belongings. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and see how we can make a difference for you.

Working with Deb and her team was fantastic in a really difficult time. The communication and efficiency were so appreciated and I'm so glad that after many rejections from other companies, that it led me to working with Transitions Estate Sales, LLC.

Sarah M.  -  Uniontown, WA

Transitions Estate Sales took care of all the details of our father’s estate sale. Even though we were not local, communication was not a problem. Whether it was a text, phone call or pictures, they were in contact with us throughout each step of the process. We really appreciated all the hard work and great job that Wayne and Debbie did for us. Highly recommend them!

Dave and Shirley R.  - Lewiston, ID

Transitions sale was so much fun. We were impressed with the amount of people who came through, even later in the day, yet there was still so much good stuff. We found some great items at reasonable prices. There was a lot to look at and Deb was very helpful when we had questions.

Joe D. - Moscow, ID

Transitions Estate Sales, LLC put on one of the most professional estate sales experiences I have ever been to. Deb and Wayne were friendly, inviting, and had an extensive knowledge regarding the items they were selling. The estate sale was well organized, the prices were fair, and they handled the large crowds very well. We found some great items and had a lot of fun. The coffee was good too! Thanks Deb and Wayne for the great estate sale experience. We will definitely be coming to more.

Josh K. - Moscow, ID

Thank you, thank you so much for all your help with the estate sale! I am so thankful she had such great people her corner. If I can ever be of assistance - please call and I will for sure be talking with you again!

Sam D. Moscow Realty - Moscow, ID

Thanks to Deb and Wayne Brood for providing estate sale services for my family. Their professional service and absolute kindness made the sale process easy. They helped us make important decisions on what to keep and what to sell. Deb and Wayne were generous with their time and their expertise. I recommend anyone who needs advice or assistance with household downsizing or an estate sale to give them a call. Let them make everything easier for you. Thank you

Kay M. - Moscow, ID

I highly recommend Transitions Estate Sales, LLC. for any estate sale that you might need. I was overwhelmed when I was left with the job of selling my neighbors possessions. Every time I walked into the house, I just couldn't get my mind wrapped around the amount of items they owned and how to sell them. Debbie brought order to the sale from the chaos. I feel she went beyond the call of duty and got everything done. She organized, sorted, set up and handled the sale in a professional manner. I am grateful for her help and guidance. I am totally satisfied with the results.

Marsha M. - Elk River, ID

We can’t thank you enough for everything you did to make the selling of our family “treasures” so easy and smooth for us. You went above and beyond in helping make this chapter as seamless as possible! Your professionalism, friendly manner, openness and honesty, communication and prompt replies to our many questions was so appreciated and valued. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Pam T. and Family  - Moscow, ID

Debbie, it has been a real pleasure working with you and Wayne to wrap up this part of the estate. You guys are really good at what you do and well worth what you charge. Thank you again for all your efforts and for just being really nice, patient and understanding people!! We feel like we’ve made some new friends and hope we’ll see you both again.

Tiff H.  - Moscow, ID

Deb has helped move and sell several people I know and they always have nothing but great things to say. I want to continue to recommending Transitions Estate Sales!

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• Russia, Ukraine and Belarus

Moscow B2 interview - some q's

By BigRedCat October 22, 2019 in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus

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4 posts in this topic

Recommended posts, bigredcat   36.

Hey guys, after almost a 2 year wait I finally got a B2 interview scheduled for my mother in law in Moscow. I just wanted to ask if she needs to bring a copy of my wife and I's marriage certificate or if they even ask about that at all. She wants to come to the US to visit her daughter obviously so do they require any sort of documentation above and beyond marriage cert? She has a job in Moscow and owns property so I would think the interview should be a simple process however the interview is in a few days so just want to make sure I advise her on what to expect. 

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Share on other sites, millefleur   5,043.

No required docs. Marriage certificate is not necessary at all. You can bring things like job related docs, property ownership, etc but most likely they will not ask to even look at it. They will ask about purpose of visit, how long the planned trip is, when does she plan to return, maybe they'll ask if she has travelled abroad to any other countries, possibly they may ask what she plans to do in the US and if she has family there, they might ask details about the family member in the US.

• Unlockable , designguy and geowrian

🇷🇺 CR-1 via DCF (Dec 2016-Jun 2017) & I-751 ROC (Apr 2019-Oct 2019) 🌹

Info about my  DCF Moscow* experience  here and here

26-Jul-2016: Married abroad in Russia 👩‍❤️‍👨   See guide here 21-Dec-2016: I-130 filed at Moscow USCIS field office* 29-Dec-2016: I-130 approved! Yay!  🎊  

17-Jan-2017: Case number received

21-Mar-2017: Medical Exam completed

24-Mar-2017: Interview at Embassy - approved! 🎉

29-Mar-2017: CR-1 Visa received (via mail)

02-Apr-2017: USCIS Immigrant (GC) Fee paid

28-Jun-2017: Port of Entry @ PDX 🛩️

21-Jul-2017: No SSN after three weeks; applied in person at the SSA

22-Jul-2017: GC arrived in the mail 📬

31-Jul-2017: SSN arrived via mail, hurrah!

*NOTE: The USCIS Field Office in Moscow is now CLOSED as of February 28th, 2019.

Removal of Conditions - MSC Service Center

  28-Jun-2019: Conditional GC expires

30-Mar-2019: Eligible to apply for ROC

01-Apr-2019: ROC in the mail to Phoenix AZ lockbox! 📫

03-Apr-2019: ROC packet delivered to lockbox

09-Apr-2019: USCIS cashed check

09-Apr-2019: Case number received via text - MSC 📲

12-Apr-2019: Extension letter arrives via mail

19-Apr-2019: Biometrics letter arrives via mail

30-Apr-2019: Biometrics appointment at local office

26-Jun-2019: Case ready to be scheduled for interview  ⌛

04-Sep-2019: Interview was scheduled - letter to arrive in mail

09-Sep-2019: Interview letter arrived in the mail!  ✉️

17-Oct-2019: Interview scheduled @ local USCIS  

18-Oct-2019: Interview cancelled & notice ordered*

18-Oct-2019: Case was approved!   🎉

22-Oct-2019: Card was mailed to me  📨

23-Oct-2019: Card was picked by USPS 

25-Oct-2019: 10 year GC Card received in mail  📬

*I don't understand this status because we DID have an interview!

🇺🇸 N-400 Application for Naturalization (Apr 2020-Jun 2021)   🛂

Filed during Covid-19 & moved states 1 month after filing

30-Mar-2020: N-400 early filing window opens!

01-Apr-2020: Filed N-400 online 💻  

02-Apr-2020: NOA 1 - Receipt No. received online 📃

07-Apr-2020: NOA 1 - Receipt No. received via mail

05-May-2020: Moved to another state, filed AR-11 online

05-May-2020: Application transferred to another USCIS field office for review ➡️

15-May-2020: AR-11 request to change address completed

16-Jul-2020: Filed non-receipt inquiry due to never getting confirmation that case was transferred to new field office

15-Oct-2020: Received generic response to non-receipt inquiry, see full response here

10-Feb-2021: Contacted senator's office for help with USCIS

12-Feb-2021: Received canned response from senator's office that case is within processing time 😡

16-Feb-2021: Contacted other senator's office for help with USCIS - still no biometrics

19-Feb-2021: Biometrics reuse notice - canned response from other senator's office 🌐

23-Feb-2021: Interview scheduled - notice to come in the mail

25-Feb-2021: Biometrics reuse notice arrives via mail

01-Mar-2021: Interview notice letter arrives via mail   ✉️  

29-Mar-2021: Passed interview at local office! Oath Ceremony to be scheduled

13-Apr-2021: Oath Ceremony notice was mailed

04-May-2021: Oath Ceremony scheduled 🎆 Unable to attend due to illness

04-May-2021: Mailed request to reschedule Oath to local office

05-May-2021: "You did not attend your Oath Ceremony" - notice to come in the mail

06-May-2021: Oath Ceremony will be scheduled, date TBA

12-May-2021: Oath Ceremony re-scheduled for June 3rd, then de-scheduled same day 😡  

25-May-2021: New Oath Ceremony notice was mailed

16-Jun-2021: Oath Ceremony scheduled 🎆 - DONE!!

17-Jun-2021: Certificate of Naturalization issued

🎆 Members new and old: don't forget to fill in your VJ timeline! 🎇 https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/

Unlockable   7,314

8 hours ago, BigRedCat said: Hey guys, after almost a 2 year wait I finally got a B2 interview scheduled for my mother in law in Moscow. I just wanted to ask if she needs to bring a copy of my wife and I's marriage certificate or if they even ask about that at all. She wants to come to the US to visit her daughter obviously so do they require any sort of documentation above and beyond marriage cert? She has a job in Moscow and owns property so I would think the interview should be a simple process however the interview is in a few days so just want to make sure I advise her on what to expect.     

Your marriage has nothing to do with your MIL visitor visa process. This is a big mistake many immigrants make, they tie a relative to the US to their visitor visa. Your marriage certificate is useless and won't help your MIL.  The CO's biggest concern is why your MIL must return to her home country, NOT why she wants to come to the US. Have her focus on her job and property back home instead. 

• geowrian and millefleur

“When starting an immigration journey, the best advice is to understand that sacrifices have to be made... whether it is time, money, or separation; or a combination of all.” - Unlockable

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