The 5 biggest gaps in the Buyer’s Journey

Where is the Gap?

Every business will have gaps between its potential customer and conversion. BuyersGap conducts independent research to find the reason or reasons why a person wouldn’t do business with a company. Identifying and correcting these gaps will help improve your marketing strategy, reduce advertising costs, and improve customer conversions. We have found that the five biggest gaps in a Buyer’s Journey are discovery, social proof, experience, responsiveness, and competition. If your brand isn’t easy to find or doesn’t convey trust, a potential buyer will not engage with you. It doesn’t matter how unique, helpful, or interesting your product or service may be. Continue reading to learn about the five largest gaps in a Buyer’s Journey.

Discovery

This is simple. Can potential customers find you online? If people can’t find your business, they won’t be able to conduct business with you. It is a fairly basic concept, but bridging this gap is typically the most challenging. Every business should look to improve their visibility if they want to grow their business. Our reports often show that it isn’t that easy. Here are a few examples from a recent report:

  • “I couldn’t find them on Google.”
  • “I had to use their name to find them.”
  • “It was really hard to find.”

Social Proof

Social Proof is the new “referral business.” People reading shared posts and online reviews play a significant role in how purchasing decisions are now made. It shows credibility while highlighting your brand, culture, and overall company. A quick glance over your social profile will have a large impact on your buyer’s journey. As a result, we commonly receive responses like this:

  • “I saw a few bad reviews.”
  • “I couldn’t find them on social.”
  • “They didn’t have a lot of followers.”

User Experience

Studies have shown that a good user experience can increase conversion rates by as much as 400%. Slow websites, low-resolution images, boring videos are some of the more common responses in our BuyersGap reports. For instance, here are a few responses that would be causing a bad user experience:

  • ” I couldn’t focus.”
  • “There were too many pop-ups and it drove me crazy.”
  • “I couldn’t figure out how to get back to…”

Responsiveness

Generally speaking, people have a short attention span. Reaction time to inquiries can have a huge impact on your sales funnel. How you answer the phone, chat, or direct messages can literally make or break a sale. We have heard responses, such as:

  • “It was another automated system.”
  • “I didn’t get a response.”
  • “The person that answered the phone was rude.”

Competition

You know you have competition, but how do you stand up against them online? Whether it is website ease of use and appearance, educational value, or simply finding them in a search, your gaps are leading prospects to your competition.

A BuyersGap Analysis can oftentimes provide feedback, like the following:

  • “Their site just looked better.”
  • “It wasn’t as organized as well as…”
  • “I didn’t trust them.”

Identifying these gaps that prevent people from making a purchase is the first step to improving your own buyer’s journey.   If you need help, please request a free BuyersGap Report to get started.  Identifying your BuyersGap could be your greatest opportunity for growth.