Consumers may have their original purchase intentions altered during the journey between the initial intent and the final decision. Let’s analyze what is the messy middlehow this phenomenon affects the marketing funnel and how to solve it.
What is the messy middle
Nowadays, people have very easy access to the Internet, and the network has become our main vehicle for consultation. The vast amount of information that can be accessed online is usually enough for us to find the answer we are looking for in just a few minutes.
However, when the Internet user browses to get advice on something he or she wants to buy, this is not always the case. The buyer is often conditioned by the over-information he receives, resulting in a very different outcome to the original search.
The most accurate and widespread translation of this term is“decision-making tangle“. In marketing, it refers to everything that passes through the mind of the consumer during the customer journeyi.e. the process in which he matures his purchase decision, from the beginning to the end.
The term became popular thanks to the analysis made by Alistair Rennie and Jonny Proheroe, Google employees, on purchasing decisions. In Think with Google we can find an interesting study that tells us about the variables that influence theoretically rational consumer behavior, and that induce behavior marked by specific emotions.
But why does this condition demand generation strategies so much?
An example of messy middle
Let’s suppose that an Internet user, as a potential buyer, starts browsing for information on the best hiking boots. This Internet user will find offers from several sellers among the search results. While browsing through the different web pages comparing different models, he will find items and promotions that had nothing to do with his initial purchase intention.
Eventually, you may end up buying nothing at all, or you may pick up a very attractively priced backpack or a set of water bottles because you saw them on a different website while browsing.
What happened here? Our rambler internet user has been caught up in a “mess”. That mess has caused his final purchase not to match the intention that led him to undertake the search. Be that as it may, the result has been that he has not bought the boots.
And now comes the most interesting part: when hiking boots sellers analyze the traffic directed to their website, they will be wondering why the visits have not been converted into leads (business opportunities). Because the reasons are neither the price, nor the competition, nor the low quality of their products.
The messy middle in your funnel sales funnel
The sales funnel (also called sales funnel or marketing funnel) is a system whose mission is to create leads. The itinerary starts from attracting an unknown customer, making him go through a maturation process as a potential customer, and finally converting him into a real buyer. This buyer will also have to be retained through appropriate engagement.
What characterizes the funnel is the linearity of its stages. The customer journey is always built following the same sequence of steps, even if the time and cost of each stage are not the same for each customer.
The problem comes when the customer changes his initial intention along the way. Analyzing the example of the customer journey of the hiking-loving Internet user, we can see that the funnel is distorted. All funnels begin with an argument that serves to capture the attention of the potential customer, and it is taken for granted that it will accompany him throughout his life cycle.
How to fix the messy middle
The idea is to contemplate all the possible purchase options that can be derived from your navigation by means of cross crossellingthe cross-selling of related products. To do this, it will be necessary to have previously prospected the customer, get to know him and complement the initial offering by suggesting more products and solutions suitable for him.
In the example of the hiker, if the backpack or canteens are purchased on the same website that sells the boots, the conversion will have occurred. Even if it was not because of the initial search argument. In this way, everything stays at home.
The other option is to redirect to the lead to their initial purpose. This is done by using the same “weapons” that could misdirect their search. That is, appeal to their emotions with messages that force them to return to the beginning of the funnel and correct the deviation before it happens. Such messages can be limited-time offers, or give the feeling of limited availability.
As we have seen, the messy middle is a phenomenon intrinsic to human psychology. While it is not possible to avoid it, it is possible to reorient the strategy in the customer’s life cycle to redirect him and not lose him along the way.
If you want to know more about this marketing term, contact us: we will be happy to help you.
