什么是买家旅程？您的完整营销计划

买家旅程是潜在买家经历的积极过程，从意识到他们的问题，到考虑解决方案，再到做出最终购买决定。

Marketing Fundamentals

Understanding the buyer's journey is not just a marketing term, it's the key to more sales. The often-quoted claim that companies that ace buyer journey mapping make 70% more money than the rest could not be traced to a source.

People Don't Buy the Way They Used To

Buyers operated in a completely different way five years ago. Research reported in Harvard Business Review (a 2022 Bain and Google survey of 1,208 US business buyers) found that 90% of buyers choose a vendor that was on their short list at the beginning of the sales process. This implies that most people make their buying decisions off the grid, outside of conventional opportunities to influence a sale.

The numbers are striking. The often-quoted figure that 75% of B2B buyers would prefer not to work with salespeople is not on the page for Gartner's latest research; Gartner's own surveys put the preference for a rep-free experience at 67% of B2B buyers (published March 2026). Along the way, buyers consume an average of 13 pieces of content, 8 vendor-created and 5 from third parties, according to FocusVision (2020).

Buyers are detectives today, if you will, so put it in that perspective. They are researching, comparing and deciding long before they are ready to talk. What's your job? Be there for all parts of their investigation with information you've gathered that actually contributes to what they're trying to accomplish.

These Three Vital Steps Every Marketer Must Know

Awareness Stage: Recognizing the Problem

Buyers enter the awareness stage when they come to the realization that they have a problem that needs to be solved. They are symptomatic, but it is not known what is causing their symptoms. They're not, at this point, looking for answers but rather for what doesn't sit right with them.

In times of what they call awareness, smart marketers focus on teaching. Here, blogs about common things that break are perfect. Industry trends reports capture people's attention. Educational videos on helping people diagnose what's wrong with them can build trust early on.

Research on how people buy things shows that 47% of buyers viewed three to five pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep (DemandGen Report's 2016 Content Preferences Survey). They are doing their homework, and you want to be their favorite teacher.

What works in awareness: here are some of the types of content that do well at this stage:

Guides for finding problems
Trend reports within the industry
Blog posts for learning
Tests and tools for diagnosis

The trick is to discuss the "why" behind their problem, not solutions. Don't sell right away.

Consideration Stage: Seeking Options

Once buyers have developed a clear understanding of the problem they want to solve, they start searching for solutions. They know what's wrong, now they're trying to figure out how to fix it. This stage isn't about vendors, it's about types of solutions and how to use them.

Comparisons of different approaches are all too rare in content. Buyers are looking for webinars that demonstrate new ways of doing things. Case studies that demonstrate how solutions work in action. Guides that explain in excessive detail what to install and how to implement it. Reports that approach alternative types of solutions.

McKinsey's research shows that the modern B2B buyer wants and expects to engage seamlessly across ten or more channels (2022); the linked UserGuiding page does not contain this figure. Buyers hop between your website, social media, review sites and your competitors' pages faster than you can keep up with. The lesson? Be there with a useful message in all of those places.

Winning consideration content includes:

Guides for comparing solutions
Explanations of the method
Case studies of implementation
Applications for specific industries

And while they aren't quite ready for vendor pitches yet. Don't sell your own product, instead teach people about different approaches to problem solving.

Decision Stage: The Vendor Selection Process

At the decision stage, the buyers narrow down the vendors even more. They know what they want their solution to be and now they're assessing who would be best able to execute. This is when they want to test the waters and size you up.

Content at this decision stage needs to demonstrate that you are worth it. Here, product demos, free trials, customer reviews and ROI calculators are typical. You can read about your services and processes on your website, but that's just not enough for some people. They may be Googling your company's reputation online, reviewing pricing pages, or reading case studies.

Recent research finds that 85% of B2B buyers will seek another supplier if their current one cannot meet their needs, although the page names no source for the figure. That is, your existing customers may be on the lookout for something else.

Good decision-stage content includes:

Demonstrations of products
Free samples and trials
Success stories from customers
Calculators for ROI
Details about prices
Schedules for getting things done

B2B vs. B2C: What Are the Differences?

The B2B Marathon: Hard and Teamwork First

B2B buyer journeys are more akin to complex business projects than individual shopping experiences. According to Gartner, the typical buying group for a complex B2B solution involves six to 10 decision makers, each with their own needs and perspectives; the Gartner studies link here is a 2020 press release forecasting that 80% of B2B sales interactions would occur in digital channels by 2025.

The timeline also gets longer. Most B2B technology purchases are completed within six months (87% in TrustRadius's 2024 research), while some complex purchases take much longer. Through these long durations, buyers revisit previous stages as new individuals get involved or requirements shift.

Business buyers also research more. The average B2B buyer conducts 12 internet searches before engaging directly with a specific brand, according to Google's B2B Path to Purchase Study (2014). They're gathering information from multiple sources to make a decision within the company.

Important B2B features:

Many deciders (6–10 people)
Longer timelines (often several months)
Larger amount of content (13 pieces on average)
Complex approval processes
Making decisions without taking risks

The B2C Sprint: Fast and Feels Forward

And when you contrast to B2B, B2C buyer journeys happen at breakneck speed. They could find, compare, and buy all in one session. Social proof makes a huge difference in decisions, and thus emotions are at play on a greater scale.

McKinsey found that 75 percent of consumers tried new shopping behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many of those habits stuck; the linked AD Mortgage page does not contain this figure. Digital-first strategies dominated, and mobile commerce exploded in popularity.

B2C buyers place value in reviews and ratings. The often-quoted figure that 36% of consumers say "bad reviews will stop me buying" could not be traced to a source, but negative reviews clearly weigh on decisions, while positive social proof supercharges them. It is a swifter journey, but you have to watch your reputation constantly.

Important B2C traits:

Deciders in their personal lives
Less time (minutes to weeks)
Decisions based on feelings
Too much dependence on social proof
Behaviors that are mobile-first

True Success Stories: Companies Who Have Nailed the Path

The Content-Driven Way of HubSpot

HubSpot's overview of buying behavior cites research by Dr. Leff Bonney (Emblaze) finding that buyers are typically 50-70% through their decision before speaking to sales, but that doesn't mean they're advanced in the buying process.

Gartner's research points to what works: when buyers experience a "self-reflective learning path" that helps them understand what they don't know, they are 147% more likely to buy more than originally planned (Gartner survey of 725 B2B buyers, 2021).

Results often attributed to HubSpot's approach, none of which could be traced to a source:

70% more qualified leads (unverified)
A 50% shorter sales cycle (unverified)
3x improvement in customer lifetime value (unverified)

Amazon's Journey Optimization Excellence

The Amazon's relentless investment link here leads to a Helium 10 podcast in which an Amazon seller agency described a client's listing that saw a 93% increase in sales just by changing its title to match how people actually searched; that is one seller's result, not Amazon's. Amazon itself is known for tracking clicks, scrolls and abandoned carts to keep improving the experience.

The way they do things is:

Tracking behavior in real time
A/B testing all the time
Ideas tailor-made just for you
High-quality experiences that will work on any device

What did you learn? Small shifts in the trajectory of your path can make a big difference for your business.

IBM's Business Transformation

IBM faced challenges with fragmented customer data across its cloud products. After unifying that data with Twilio Segment and personalizing the buyer journey, Twilio's case study reports the results below; the often-quoted figures of 100 countries, 800 databases, an 89% returning-customer conversion rate, 36% higher email open rates and 117% more clicks are not on that page:

70% increase in Cloud revenue
30% increase in product adoption
17% increase in billable usage
10X return on the Twilio Segment investment

They succeeded because they recognized the fact that each type of business buyer has different experience requirements at different places in the purchasing process, depending on their role, industry and stage.

How People Today Really Buy

The Digital-First World

The pandemic accelerated permanent adoption of digital technology. McKinsey found that 75 percent of consumers tried new shopping behaviors during COVID-19 (McKinsey research), and many of these changes have become the norm. For B2B, more than 90 percent of companies said their go-to-market model was just as or more effective than before the pandemic, according to McKinsey's 2022 B2B research.

Check this out: 89% of buyers in Forrester's 2024 Buyers' Journey Survey reported using generative AI in at least one area of their purchasing process. Before they ask you, they may be asking ChatGPT about your product, and they're using AI helpers to compare their options. AI assistants are now part of the buyer's journey.

Expectations Change with Generations

In Forrester's 2022 Buyers' Journey Survey, 64% of business purchase influencers were Millennials or Gen Z, and they have very different needs. For these individuals brought up on technology, B2B purchases should work as smoothly as B2C ones. They want to be able to help themselves, get questions answered immediately and use their phones first.

The often-quoted claim that 75% of people would prefer not to interact with salespeople at all is credited to LinkedIn's research, but it could not be found there; Gartner's surveys put the preference for a rep-free experience at 67% of B2B buyers (2026). Buyers also bring their social media habits to work, although the often-quoted figure that 61 percent of TikTok users have purchased something on the platform could not be confirmed as a figure for all users.

The Information Overload Problem

Those who buy things today find themselves caught in an information paradox. They have more information than ever, but too much information can paralyze them. According to Gartner research reported by iStart in 2018, B2B buyers spend about 15% of their buying time on de-conflicting information alone.

It is not more content that will help buyers, it is better curation. Successful companies help customers navigate the information that is available, as opposed to contributing to the noise.

The Strategic Value in Journey Mapping

Revenue Growth: The often-quoted claim that companies that master customer experience make 73% more money than their competitors is not on the linked Delighted page and could not be traced to a source
Lead Quality Improvement: Companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales-ready leads at 33% lower cost, according to an often-cited Forrester figure quoted since at least 2011
Conversion Rate Optimization: Journey mapping can help increase conversions by fixing specific weak spots, although the often-quoted range of 20% to 93% is not on the linked Contentsquare page
Customer Retention: Increasing customer retention rates by 5% increases profits by 25% to 95%, according to Bain & Company research (HBR, 2014)
Sales Efficiency: Sales teams aligned to the customer journey can work more efficiently, although the often-quoted figures of 18% faster closes and 12% larger deals could not be traced to a source

It's difficult not to realize that if you understand how customers buy, they'll buy more from you.

Expert Advice and Best Practices

The Content Strategy at Each Stage

This "service first" mentality should inform your entire buyer journey strategy. Don't educate people about why they should change, just teach them how to change instead.

Consider: an often-cited statistic, credited to ContentPlus, says 70 percent of consumers prefer getting to know a company via content marketing rather than ads; the Content Marketing Institute page linked here does not contain it. But here's the key point to keep in mind: the content must provide roadmaps with minimum distraction to current practices.

The Multi-Touch Truth

Today's buyers need to see more before they buy. HockeyStack's analysis of more than 50 B2B SaaS companies (2023 data) shows that a company typically needs the following; the Recent figures link here leads to a Protocol80 page that does not contain these numbers:

723 LinkedIn impressions from its audience before they visit the website
54 touchpoints after the first website visit to generate an MQL
81 more touchpoints to go from SQL to a closed deal, after a further 87 touchpoints from MQL to SQL

No, this is not spam, it's actually a smart move to be everywhere your customers are, no matter what channel they're using.

Personalization on a Large Scale

Generic content simply doesn't work in today's world. Your customers want experiences tailored to their industry, job, and stage in the journey. AI-inflected personalization is no longer merely optional, it's vital to doing business well.

The top companies create dynamic content experiences that adapt based on indicators such as behavior, industry, company size and how frequently a person engages with them.

Common Problems and Solutions

Problem: Following the Straight and Narrow Mindset

Many marketers still think of journeys in terms of straight lines from awareness to purchase. The truth is messier. Buyers, according to Gartner research, "loop" through stages, returning to earlier ones when they receive new information.

Solution: Create content systems that are versatile and enable non-linear exploration. Instead of creating paths of sequential content, they should be building clusters of topical content.

Challenge: Assumption-Based Mapping

Many customer experience transformations fail to meet expectations, often because teams make decisions based on assumptions rather than on data; the often-quoted claim that fewer than one in three succeed could not be traced to a source. What the people inside the company believe does not correspond to what the customers perceive.

Solution: All journey maps are to be based on real customer research. Interview recently purchased customers, review behavioral data, and continue to test your assumptions.

Issue: Ignoring After the Purchase

Too many companies overlook what happens after a sale and lose out on enormous opportunities to keep and grow their customers.

Solution: Map the journey including the onboarding, adoption, expansion, and advocacy phases. Your best customers are your best marketing agents.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the typical lead time for a buyer to deliberate?

For B2B technology purchases, 87% are completed within six months (TrustRadius, 2024), although complex business solutions can take considerably longer. B2C paths can be radically different. Impulse buys, for instance, can be minutes, while more considered spending, such as on cars or homes, can be months.

How many touchpoints does a buyer need before they buy?

In HockeyStack's data on B2B SaaS companies, it takes an average of 54 touchpoints after the first website visit to generate a Marketing Qualified Lead, 87 more to reach SQL and 81 more to close the deal. Along the way, buyers consume about 13 pieces of content (8 from vendors and 5 from third parties, FocusVision 2020) and expect to engage across ten or more channels (McKinsey).

What type of content performs best at each stage?

Examples of educational content that are great for the awareness stage include guides or trend reports. At the consideration point, you desire content that contrasts things and explains how things work and provides examples. At the decision phase you require proof content such as demos, testimonials and ROI calculators.

What's different about B2B and B2C journeys?

The B2B journey has 6 to 10 decision makers during a decision process that often takes months and is all about reduction of risk. B2C paths consist of small decisions, which may be made in minutes or may take weeks, filled by emotional stimulus and social proof.

Is it possible for every business to map their customers' journey?

Yes, but there are important caveats to bear in mind. Don't just guess when it comes to your users, try to map at least some of your journey back to real data about your customers. Begin with the basic steps of the journey, and add more as you learn more.

What are some of the tools for journey mapping?

A few popular options are free data visualization tools, such as Miro and Figma, or enterprise platforms, including Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Adobe Journey Optimizer. Choose according to how complex you want it to be and how much money you have.

How can you tell if a journey was successful?

Monitor the conversion rates at each stage, the metrics for content engagement, the amount of time it takes to convert, new customer acquisition costs, as well as the impact to revenue. A frequently cited benchmark is that about 13% of leads convert to opportunities (Implisit data, 2014), a handy reference when comparing your results.

Related Terms

Marketing Automation - Technology automating repetitive marketing tasks that agencies use to scale client campaigns efficiently
Attribution Modeling - Method to assign credit to various touchpoints in customer journey leading to conversion
Customer Experience (CX) - Overall experience customer has across all touchpoints with brand
Lead Nurturing - Process of developing relationships with buyers throughout sales funnel

Implementation Strategy: Making It Work Right

When done systematically, understanding the buyer's journey is no longer an academic exercise, but a competitive advantage. Map the paths your current customers take using real data, not guesses. Just, you know, talk to people who have recently bought something and ask them how it was. Check your analytics and see if there are patterns of behavior.

Secondly, ensure that your content strategy is aligned with the stages of the journey. Create content that generates awareness, not something that tries to sell anything. Create content to be considered, which critically compares various solutions. Create decision content that effectively and directly demonstrates the worth you would bring to a team.

Each element should assist buyers in making the next logical move.

i

"Understanding the buyer's journey is not just about mapping touchpoints, it's about creating meaningful connections at each stage that genuinely serve the customer's needs. Since 2008, I've seen that the most successful campaigns don't push products, they guide customers through their natural decision-making process with valuable insights and solutions."

Tessar Napitupulu, Founder and CEO of Arfadia

Journey optimization is something that never ends, not a one-off project. The best companies view journey optimization as an ongoing activity, not a project that can be completed in a quarter or two, and aim to continually have a higher percentage of customers being in the Journey's end state than the previous period. They are constantly testing, tracking and improving based on how buyers act and what is going on in the market.

The Journey Goes On

The buyer journey will always shift. As technology improves and how people like to do things changes, the buyer's journey will constantly change. AI helpers will do more work. Products might be displayed in new ways by virtual and augmented reality. The line between channels will become blurrier with social commerce.

And yet, smart marketers continue to get ahead by keeping first things first: better knowing who their customers are, bringing value at every interaction, and helping them buy instead of forcing them to.

Firms who understand how their customers buy will always be ahead of those who do not, whether that objective is about trying to achieve B2B's long marathon or B2C's quick sprint.

The top of your funnel starts with getting into the heads of your customers. Once you get there, every enhancement has a quantifiable impact on the company.

The issue at hand is not if you should map your buyer's journey but how soon you're able to get started.