From the Traditional Customer Journey to the Customer Moment: How Social Commerce Is Changing the Buying Process
The traditional customer journey usually takes customers through several steps before they make a purchase. In social commerce, inspiration, product recommendations, and shopping are increasingly connected. Customers may discover and buy a product directly on a social media platform. This article explains the key differences and outlines the main opportunities and risks.
- Traditional customer journey: Customers actively search for information and often complete several steps before buying.
- Innovative customer journey: Content and recommendations can lead directly to a purchase without customers leaving the platform.
- Customer Moment: Inspiration, product discovery, and the purchase decision can happen almost simultaneously.
- Important: The innovative customer journey complements traditional buying processes rather than replacing them entirely.
What Is the Traditional Customer Journey?
The customer journey describes the path a customer takes from first discovering a product to making a purchase and potentially interacting with the company again. In traditional e-commerce, customers often discover an offer, compare products, visit an online store, and then decide whether to buy.
This process can involve several steps. For example, a customer clicks an advertisement, visits a website, searches for a product, adds it to the shopping cart, and enters their payment and delivery details. Each additional step can make the purchase process more complicated and increase the risk that the customer abandons the order.
What Is the Innovative Customer Journey?
The innovative customer journey in social commerce connects social media content more closely with shopping. Users may discover products in posts, videos, or personalized recommendations. Depending on the platform and market, they can sometimes learn more about a product and purchase it without leaving the platform.
The key difference is that customers following the traditional journey often search for products themselves. In social commerce, products may be recommended while users browse their feeds. Inspiration, product discovery, and purchasing can therefore happen in quick succession. This compressed decision-making moment is also known as the Customer Moment.
Traditional vs. Innovative Customer Journey
| Feature | Traditional Journey | Innovative Journey |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Active search or advertising | Content and recommendations in social feeds |
| Purchase process | Several consecutive steps | Discovery and purchase can happen close together |
| Role of the platform | Often directs users to an online store | Can also enable purchases directly |
| Purchase decision | Often follows research and comparison | Can be triggered spontaneously by content |
How Do Social Media and Algorithms Influence the Journey?
Platforms such as Instagram and TikTok combine entertainment with shopping. Personalized recommendations can introduce users to products that match their interests. Creators and influencers may also attract attention and influence purchasing decisions. Depending on the platform and market, shopping features can allow users to buy products directly from social content.
This creates new opportunities for businesses to reach potential customers and simplify the path to purchase. However, companies must handle personal data responsibly and clearly identify commercial content as advertising where required.
Opportunities and Risks of the Innovative Customer Journey
Social commerce can make shopping more convenient and reduce the number of steps between discovering a product and buying it. Businesses can reach potential customers where they already spend time consuming content. Engaging presentations and personalized recommendations may also increase interest in products.
However, combining entertainment and shopping can encourage impulsive purchases. Artificial urgency and highly personalized advertising may influence people to buy things they had not planned to purchase. Data privacy, the protection of younger users, and transparent advertising are therefore essential for responsible social commerce.
Conclusion
The main difference lies in how customers discover products and reach a purchase decision. In the traditional customer journey, customers often search actively and move through several steps. In the innovative customer journey, social media content and personalized recommendations can bring inspiration and purchasing together in a short moment. Businesses should combine both approaches according to their products and target audiences.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Innovative Customer Journey
What is the traditional customer journey?
It describes the path a customer takes from first discovering an offer through research and evaluation to making a purchase and potentially interacting with the company again.
What does the innovative customer journey in social commerce mean?
It refers to a buying process in which social content, product recommendations, and shopping are closely connected. A product can be discovered and, in some cases, purchased directly on the same platform.
What is the main difference between the traditional customer journey and the Customer Moment?
In the traditional journey, several steps often separate initial interest from a purchase. In a Customer Moment, inspiration, product discovery, and the purchase decision can follow one another very quickly.
Why can multiple touchpoints lead to abandoned purchases?
Each additional step, such as switching to another website, creating an account, or entering personal details, can make shopping more complicated and cause customers to abandon the process.
What role do algorithms and artificial intelligence play in social commerce?
They can analyze interests and recommend relevant content or products. This makes targeting more specific but also creates responsibilities around data privacy and the responsible use of personal information.
How do influencers and creators affect the innovative customer journey?
They present products through videos, posts, and personal recommendations. Their content can attract attention and influence whether users explore a product further.
Does the innovative customer journey completely replace the traditional buying process?
No. Research, comparison, and advice remain important, especially for expensive or complex products. Both approaches can complement each other.
Which social commerce formats are used in practice?
Examples include shoppable posts, shopping videos, live shopping, and purchasing options within social platforms. Available features depend on the platform and market.
What benefits can social commerce offer businesses?
Businesses can reach audiences directly on social media, present products in engaging ways, and simplify the path from initial interest to purchase.
What risks should businesses consider in social commerce?
Important risks include data privacy breaches, insufficiently disclosed advertising, impulsive purchases, and the need to protect younger users. Transparency and responsible marketing are therefore essential.
This article was prepared by the
editorial team of the E-Commerce Institute Cologne
and is based on the work of
Richard C. Geibel and Ulrich Arnold.
Original source:
“Die innovative Customer Journey im Social Commerce”,
in Handbuch Innovatives Marketing, Springer Nature, 2026. The original chapter is in German.