Mapping the customer journey: unlocking the moments that matter

When rewriting their marketing strategy, Stop & Shop needed to understand the complete customer experience and where they needed to prioritise investment. Through shopper journey interviews, accompanied shops, in-store observations, and a comprehensive consumer survey, we captured the authentic Stop & Shop customer shopping experience.

Our innovative visual mapping identified not just the different journey stages, but the magic moments, pain points, emotions and brand engagement opportunities throughout. Through visual journey mapping and sharing of real customer stories at each touchpoint, we transformed abstract data into compelling narratives that resonated with stakeholders.

In addition, we revealed how shoppers prefer to be rewarded for loyalty and identified an untapped opportunity for the brand to engage with customers beyond the store environment.

‘Magenta worked with us to deliver a review of our client’s customer journey and identify opportunities to improve customer loyalty. Magenta captured fantastic customer insights, identified the critical customer drivers & issues and presented them with great articulation and a phenomenal passion.‘

Retail Consultancy Director, TCC Global

Investigating retail shopper missions: optimising store layout

"I just need a few items," sighed a shopper, staring at the vastness of an Asda superstore.

This common sentiment revealed a growing challenge: Asda's spacious stores, perfect for large shopping trips, may be considered a labyrinth for customers on smaller missions. Asda recognised this disconnect between their store design and the needs of shoppers on replenishment, food-for-today, and distress missions. They needed fresh insight to balance the experience for all customers.

Our team became retail detectives. Through digital ethnography, we captured authentic shopper frustrations. During accompanied shops, we witnessed hesitation at department entrances. Store observations revealed patterns invisible in sales data alone. Colleagues shared frontline wisdom, while competitor analysis highlighted alternative approaches.

What we discovered surprised Asda. Small-mission shoppers weren't just big-shop customers in a hurry, but unique consumers with distinct navigation patterns and priorities. Our actionable recommendations allowed Asda to quickly transform their layouts to accommodate smaller shopping missions without compromising the experience for their traditional shoppers, creating intuitive pathways through their stores that worked for everyone.

Telling the story of space: How Clarks' store redesign connected with a new demographic

Clarks needed to understand if their bold new store design was changing their brand narrative and attracting a new target demographic. The story behind the customer reaction would determine future design directions.

Through strategic observations, accompanied shops and customer intercepts conducted across different days of the week, we captured authentic reactions to the redesigned environment. Our approach revealed not just what customers thought, but how the space made them feel and behave. With mapping of the functional and emotional moments, our visual storytelling captivated stakeholders, enabling them to share the customer in-store experience.

Our insight helped Clarks understand precisely how their new store design was reshaping brand perceptions amongst existing and target customers. We identified specific design elements that resonated with target customers and provided tangible recommendations to enhance appeal further.

The success of this approach led to a repeat engagement for a store in Paris, France, demonstrating how the methodology could capture cultural nuances in different markets while maintaining a consistent analytical framework.

Navigating brand identity crossroads: Balancing heritage and innovation in retail

Following ScS's acquisition by Italian furniture retailer Poltronesofà, a critical question emerged: how should the brand identity evolve? The challenge required untangling complex consumer perceptions around established UK branding versus an unfamiliar Italian name.

Through a series of in-store group discussions and a comprehensive survey, we explored the emotional and practical dimensions of this branding dilemma. Our research mapped consumer perceptions of the ScS brand, evaluated it against competitors, and gauged UK consumer understanding of the Poltronesofà brand.

Our storytelling approach revealed the underlying consumer narratives about both brands, helping decision-makers navigate the tension between leveraging an established UK presence and introducing an Italian heritage unfamiliar to the local market.

This nuanced understanding provided the foundation for strategic branding decisions that would preserve valuable brand equity while evolving the retailer's market position.

Decoding the shelf: Turning category confusing into clear consumer pathways

Odysea needed to understand how consumers make decisions at the shelf for ambient olives, olive oil, and feta. These seemingly simple choices conceal complex decision-making processes.

Across multiple locations, we conducted meticulous observations, shopper intercepts and accompanied shops to capture the authentic, in-the-moment consumer decision journey. Our methodology revealed the unconscious patterns and hidden triggers that influence purchase decisions in these categories.

By translating shopper behaviours into clear decision-making trees, we provided Odysea with visual narratives that transformed abstract consumer thinking into tangible insights. This delivered a deeper understanding of category navigation, highlighted specific opportunities to optimise shelf appeal for different shoppers and showed the client a story they had never seen before. 

The resulting strategic recommendations allowed Odysea to reshape their shelf presence in alignment with actual consumer decision patterns rather than assumed shopping behaviours.

Decoding the gift-giving ritual: when experience becomes emotional currency

Virgin Experience Days knew customers were buying their products, but the traditional purchase funnel told only half the story. What drives someone to choose an experience over a physical gift? When does browsing transform into buying?

Through intimate conversations with both loyal customers and those who chose competitors, we uncovered the hidden emotional architecture behind experience gifting. What appeared to be simple online purchasing decisions revealed themselves as complex emotional investments, moments where givers sought to create lasting memories rather than temporary possessions.

The research revealed that customers weren't just buying experiences; they were buying the anticipation of joy, the currency of shared moments, and the gift of stories yet to be told. Brand perception wasn't about features or price, it was about trust in delivering those precious emotional promises.

Our client now understands that they're not selling products; they're facilitating emotional connections, enabling their customers to become the authors of someone else's unforgettable story.