Are you leveraging your path to
Hans Raemdonck
purchase as a path to growth?
The path to purchase: what is it?
The path to purchase can be defined as the process an individual goes through each time he/she is making a purchase in
a category.
Figure 1
Retailer
choice
PRE-TRIGGER
BRAND
PREFERENCES
PURCHASE
Product/
brand
choice
NEW
CATEGORY
ENTRANTS
There are four stages on the path to purchase:
Stage 1 Stage 4
The path starts with a purchase trigger. At the time
of the trigger, the consumer may already have brand
preferences, which can be referred to as pre-trigger
brand preferences. Purchase is followed by the actual product experience.
This will impact mental networks that will shape brand
preferences for the next purchase.
Stage 2
The consumer may (though not necessarily) actively
start exploring and evaluating options. During this stage,
brand preferences can change significantly.
Stage 3
Along these stages, the consumer is continuously
exposed to touchpoints which reinforce and disrupt
mental networks and thereby influence purchase
decisions. Touchpoints can be defined as any encounter
where a consumer is exposed to the brand (e.g., TV
advertising, social media, store display, etc.).
The consumer transforms into a ‘shopper’ and makes
his/her final choice at the point of sale. There are two
choices which matter: choice for a retailer or channel
and choice for a product or brand.
3