Why do people choose certain products and brands, and not others? What matters? What are the influential factors? And how do companies inspire customers over the long term? Join us as we set out on a typical customer journey.
Journey with us
01
Aha!Forming an idea
Alex is living his dream: he recently purchased a property with a cozy cabin and a wood-fired stove. He really wants to use it, but he doesn’t have any firewood. His property is full of trees, though, so he sets about learning how firewood is cut and identifying the tools he needs to do this. His research brings him to STIHL.
“What customers want”02
What next?Gathering Information
To set about producing his own firewood so he can finally use his stove, Alex spends time finding out as much information as possible from magazines, manufacturer websites, online comparison sites, and social media. The STIHL website gives him an overview, and he sets his sights on the entry-level MS 162 chainsaw. One of his neighbors already has a STIHL saw, so he quickly asks for advice.
Stihl Online Store www.stihl.com03
I’ll take this one!Making the purchase
Since Alex is new to the world of chainsaws, he seeks advice from an authorized STIHL dealer after wrapping up his own research. In-store, the dealer provides lots of information about the chainsaw, its fuel, bar and chain oil, and the saw’s starting procedure, its safety features, and the personal protective equipment he needs, reassuring Alex that the MS 162 is exactly what he is looking for.
Find your nearest Stihl authorized dealer WWW.STIHL.COM/STIHL-DEALERS.ASPX04
It’s Showtime!USING THE NEW TOOL
Back home in his garden, Alex gets straight to work learning how to use his chainsaw properly. He reads the manual and watches the chainsaw safety video on STIHL’s YouTube channel. He signs up for a chainsaw course to learn more about felling and bucking trees. In the meantime, he watches several of STIHL’s online tutorials about using the chainsaw for garden and landscape projects. Now, all he needs to do is start making firewood!
THE STIHL YOUTUBE CHANNEL www.youtube.com/c/stihl_international05
Wow!Feeling fired up!
Alex is thrilled – not just with his new MS 162, but with STIHL in general. He found out on the STIHL website how to build his own firewood rack and got straight to it. He sees regular updates with tips, tricks, and sources of inspiration on Instagram. This is where he discovered STIHL TIMBERSPORTS®, and he’s now a fan.
“True Passion”We’re in it together
We all have a familiar set of products we always buy when shopping. Simply because we know the products, we need them, and we like them. However, there are some brands and products that unexpectedly catch our eye or cross our path because of a certain situation we are in. The term “customer journey” describes everything that customers take in when they encounter a brand, and what they remember.
The customer goes through many phases along the way – before, during, and after the decision to buy. In this way, the journey covers all touchpoints that a potential customer may have with a company, brand, or product. These touchpoints vary greatly and range from the authorized dealer and the product experience to posts on social media.
When it comes to finding our place in the market, we need to have a deep understanding of the customer journey and ensure the touchpoints are tailored to the customers. Today, it’s all about sparking a customer’s enthusiasm throughout the entire process, and not simply meeting a customer’s expectations with a product. STIHL optimizes and continuously adds to all touchpoints, always with the customer’s needs firmly at the forefront.
We’re in it together
Customer Journey*
01 Forming an Idea
02 Gathering Information
03 Making the Purchase
04 Using the New Tool
05 Feeling Fired Up!
Phase 01
Forming an Idea
Often it is a specific situation that draws a person’s attention to a brand or a product. What follows is a period of reflection and the quest for information.
Alex buys property with a cabin and a wood-fired stove.
He wants to use the stove but needs firewood first, which he would rather produce himself.
To make his idea come to life, though, Alex needs the right tool.
He has often seen neighbors out cutting firewood, which plants the seed in his mind to buy himself a chainsaw.
02 He talks with his neighbor who owns a STIHL chainsaw.
Phase 02
Gathering Information
This phase is all about guidance: the customer carries out research online, reads magazines, talks to friends and colleagues, gleaning advice from everywhere. This helps them to formulate their needs and requirements.
Alex researches chainsaws online.
03 He looks for the nearest authorized dealer on the STIHL website.
He reads test reports in magazines.
Alex compares different chainsaws on STIHL.com.
He talks with his neighbor who owns a STIHL chainsaw.
Alex follows STIHL on Instagram.
05 Alex discovers STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® and learns all he can about the sport.
Phase 03
Making the Purchase
Mind made up, the customer wants to buy the product. The customer checks availability, confirms the buying process, and decides whether the offer is satisfactory in all other respects.
He looks for the nearest authorized dealer on the STIHL website.
Alex visits the STIHL dealer, gets the advice he was looking for, and decides to buy a STIHL MS 162.
He also buys fuel, bar and chain oil, protective equipment, and his first STIHL brand shop items.
Alex receives a detailed introduction from the authorized dealer.
Phase 04
Using the New Tool
With the product in hand, the customer spends time finding out how to use it properly, if they haven’t already done so. If necessary, the customer signs up for instructional courses or finds out more from the corresponding videos online.
He reads through the operating manual and watches chainsaw videos on the STIHL YouTube channel.
He uses the saw for the first time, spending an afternoon working with his neighbor cutting logs for firewood.
Alex learns more about maintaining his saw on stihl.com.
He discovers other video tutorials on the STIHL YouTube channel and subscribes.
Phase 05
Feeling Fired Up!
Alex is so thrilled with his chainsaw that he tells all his friends, colleagues, and family about it. The customer has become a fan.
Alex discovers STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® and learns all he can about the sport.
He builds himself a firewood rack using his new chainsaw.
Alex discovers STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® and learns all he can about the sport.
He decides how to store his chainsaw over winter.
Making the purchase and having positive experiences with the product can spark enthusiasm to buy other products. But experiencing excellent after-sales services, benefiting from expert product recommendations, and being inspired to create new projects and buy other products – this establishes true loyalty to the brand.
* What is shown here is an example of a customer journey. Every customer journey is different and unique.
We’re in it together
Customer Journey*
Alex buys property with a cabin and a wood-fired stove.
He wants to use the stove but needs firewood first, which he would rather produce himself.
To make his idea come to life, though, Alex needs the right tool.
He has often seen neighbors out cutting firewood, which plants the seed in his mind to buy himself a chainsaw.
02 He talks with his neighbor who owns a STIHL chainsaw.
02
Alex researches chainsaws online.
03 He looks for the nearest authorized dealer on the STIHL website.
He reads test reports in magazines.
Alex compares different chainsaws on STIHL.com.
He talks with his neighbor who owns a STIHL chainsaw.
Alex follows STIHL on Instagram.
05 Alex discovers STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® and learns all he can about the sport.
03
He looks for the nearest authorized dealer on the STIHL website.
Alex visits the STIHL dealer, gets the advice he was looking for, and decides to buy a STIHL MS 162.
He also buys fuel, bar and chain oil, protective equipment, and his first STIHL brand shop items.
Alex receives a detailed introduction from the authorized dealer.
04
He reads through the operating manual and watches chainsaw videos on the STIHL YouTube channel.
He uses the saw for the first time, spending an afternoon working with his neighbor cutting logs for firewood.
Alex learns more about maintaining his saw on stihl.com.
He discovers other video tutorials on the STIHL YouTube channel and subscribes.
05
Alex discovers STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® and learns all he can about the sport.
He builds himself a firewood rack using his new chainsaw.
Alex discovers STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® and learns all he can about the sport.
He decides how to store his chainsaw over winter.
Making the purchase and having positive experiences with the product can spark enthusiasm to buy other products. But experiencing excellent after-sales services, benefiting from expert product recommendations, and being inspired to create new projects and buy other products – this establishes true loyalty to the brand.
- 01 Forming an Idea
- 02 Gathering Information
- 03 Making the Purchase
- 04 Using the New Tool
- 05 Feeling Fired Up!
Phase 01
Forming an Idea
Often it is a specific situation that draws a person’s attention to a brand or a product. What follows is a period of reflection and the quest for information.
Phase 02
Gathering Information
This phase is all about guidance: the customer carries out research online, reads magazines, talks to friends and colleagues, gleaning advice from everywhere. This helps them to formulate their needs and requirements.
Phase 03
Making the Purchase
Mind made up, the customer wants to buy the product. The customer checks availability, confirms the buying process, and decides whether the offer is satisfactory in all other respects.
Phase 04
Using the New Tool
With the product in hand, the customer spends time finding out how to use it properly, if they haven’t already done so. If necessary, the customer signs up for instructional courses or finds out more from the corresponding videos online.
Phase 05
Feeling Fired Up!
Alex is so thrilled with his chainsaw that he tells all his friends, colleagues, and family about it. The customer has become a fan.
* What is shown here is an example of a customer journey. Every customer journey is different and unique.
