Jane had movement, with a specific allotment of patience and an immediate, albeit limited, motivation. Jane had momentum . The store she visited stopped that momentum, depleting her movement very early in the consumer buying process. We all know the Internet has accelerated the timeframe of that buying process. Though not a radical change in the fundamentals of buying and selling, it represents a significant shift in thought regarding expectation and brand promise.
Customers move through a market space rich in message clutter and alternatives.
They are at rest until they identify a need, then they catapult themselves on a search for information trying to find what will fulfill that need. Many believe the winning business is the one that grabs their attention and eventually becomes subject to the consumer's purchase decision. Should a business survive the consumer's flight through market space and entice them to buy, they've only just begun and have a long haul ahead of them. That customer will order - then wait too long for their order, try to track it, receive the wrong color and attempt a return, and so on. Simply put, it's a set of requirements and a mode of thought that if followed permit the retention of customers.