To reach multi-dimensional consumers, brands need a ‘managed chaos’ approach to CX

We once considered consumer journeys as neatly structured paths to purchase. Yet consumers are more inundated than ever by inbound brand messages. Filtering these interactions has become second nature to consumers; some have learned to ignore them completely.

We know that some messaging breaks through in ways that even the most successful marketers do not fully understand. This has led us to nonlinear, unpredictable, multipoint paths to purchase. This reality demands we learn to embrace the most significant impact in charting people’s path to purchase, even as the upheaval intensifies.

If we oversimplify segmentation and underestimate the impact of individualized consumers’ lives, we’ll continue down the path of a growing disconnect between brands and customers. And so, brands brave enough to embrace multi-dimensional consumers, individualization and human connection will thrive amid the disruption by shaping a CX approach inspired by managed chaos.

A more realistic CX approach will help define the modern path. While the disruption consumers face on their journeys will continue, your brand’s place in those journeys can provide ease and clarity. Shifting towards a new model – away from the old, linear mindset – demands three steps.

Step 1: Embrace the consumer’s multiverse of options

The most common customer journey map represents a one-dimensional consumer, in what used to be a linear buying process: from one point to another, with minimal stages in between. This oversimplified map prompted intermediate content. But now multi-dimensional, non-conforming consumers are no longer just buyers; their unique needs, behaviors and emotions necessitate a richer understanding of their environment.

This multiverse of options means we must stop underestimating consumers and expecting them to engage with content simply because they are served it. Instead, we have to start capturing consumer behavior in real-time to creatively stitch together always-available, living and breathing consumer profiles.

Step 2: Evolve from audience profiling to individualization

Previously, the industry hyper-fixated on developing personas from audience profiles and building strategies on those segmentations. This is no longer enough. To impact consumers’ journeys, we must put one customer at the heart of messages, using a more individualized approach.

While audience profiling provides a basic understanding of preferences, individualization goes a step further and helps brands understand consumers’ behavioral intent. Individualizing customer touchpoints and interactions acknowledges the attributes and interests that make each consumer unique. That means that each path to purchase is unique too.

The more data we access, the better we understand each consumer, and the closer we get to true individualization. Historically, the desire for custom data and the ability to provide unique experiences has been stifled by scale concerns. But the dawn of advanced machine learning and AI systems expands opportunities for individualized marketing executions at a scale that was never before possible.

So: stop building segmentations that strip away the unique intent of a person. Start building a richer, deeper data set for the individual consumer that will foster engaging relationships and help drive intent.

Step 3: Prioritize human-centered connection

When consumers are approached with interactions that make them feel uncomfortable or like just another number, they tune them out (or walk away completely). These interactions can be observed throughout the consumer’s day. We’re constantly being served the same banner ads, daily CRM email blasts, audio ads, over-the-top ads, and even ads from influencers we don’t follow on Instagram.

People yearn to engage on their own terms and in their own time, seeking brand experiences that naturally intersect with them as they take a more circuitous route. When you design a targeted approach for each unique consumer, brands that showcase a consistent tone and visual identity across their omnichannel approach will seize the forefront. Brand recognition sparked by creative consistency, partnered with cumulative impressions over time, is crucial in shaping consumer consideration. This can turn passive engagers into active consumers.

So, stop approaching audiences with an overreliance on the data by simply trying to remove the friction in their journey. Instead, start creating more nuanced, human content – allowing for more connective tissue between products. The emotional aspects influencing purchase are as important as the digital or physical pathway.

As consumers continually explore new technologies like AI, emerging platforms like Threads, and new purchasing behaviors like digital cash, the number of touchpoints will keep expanding. Chaos reigns, and that’s OK. Stay vigilant and be ready for the disruption of these new interactions. The brands brave enough to embrace chaos in CX – in multi-dimensional consumers' lives, newfound market intelligence and the modern consumer journey – will thrive.