From First Sip to Life Long Brand Convert
In today’s increasingly crowded and fast-moving drinks sector, winning a customer isn’t as simple as having a good product. It’s about guiding them through an often long-winded customer journey with double-backs and direction changes along the way. From that very first moment they hear about your brand to the point where they choose you repeatedly and even advocate for you, it is worth understanding how the customer journey for drinks brands works.
As a drinks business, understanding how your customer journey works helps you create effective marketing strategies that meet people where they are, both emotionally and practically. It also helps you create the tactics that work best for each stage, removing the friction and smoothing the move onto the next step. Let’s take a look at the four key stages of the journey – awareness, consideration, conversion and loyalty – and what your potential customer is thinking and feeling at each one.
1. Awareness – “What is this brand about?”
The first step in the customer journey – the very top of the sales funnel – is when your potential customer might spot your product in a bar, see a piece of content on your social media platforms or come across your brand in a trending cocktail recipe online. They aren’t buying yet – or even ready to – they’re simply taking notice that your product exists.
What are they thinking at this stage?
“I’ve never heard of this brand before – what makes it different to similar products?”
“That looks interesting – is it new? Is it local? Is it award-winning?
“Who else is drinking this?”
Your marketing goal at this stage is to spark curiosity and build brand visability. Use visually impactful creatives to tell your brand story, weaving in your brand values and highlighting your USP such as your ingredients, sustainability or place of origin to make it clear what your brand stands for.
Track metrics that focus on showing how your audience is growing such as follower growth and your brand is getting in front of more people such as reach and impressions.
Key metrics to track for brand awareness.
2. Consideration – “Is this the right product for me?”
At the consideration stage of the customer journey, your target customer is considering and comparing their options before buying. They might be choosing a whisky for a gift, a mixer for a party, or a new alcohol-free brand to try during Dry January. They’re researching which brand to buy by reading labels, checking reviews, comparing prices, and looking at how your brand aligns with their lifestyle or values.
What are they thinking at this stage?
“Is it worth the price?”
What does it taste like compared to the brand that I would normally buy”
“Do people like me enjoy this?”
“Can I trust this brand?”
Your marketing goal at the consideration stage is to nurture interest and answer questions, building knowledge and about and trust in your product. Showcase your product’s benefits, credentials (e.g., awards, sustainability certifications), user reviews/testimonials, and tasting notes. If you are using ads, then you can retarget people who’ve engaged with your content or your website but not yet made a purchase. Use engaging social media formats like carousels or short-form video to handle objections or highlight your USPs.
Track metrics that show how your target customer is engaging with your content such as through engagement rates on your social media posts or click-through rates through to your website. Use your Google Analytics to start to understand what the sources of traffic are to your website so that you can learn what works best.
Key metrics to track consideration.
3. Conversion – “I’m ready to try it”
The third stage of the customer journey is conversion. The target customer has moved from a “maybe” to a definite “yes.” They’re in a physical store, or on-line, or in a bar and they are actually ready to make a choice to buy. This is where ease of purchase is absolutely key. and If there’s friction in the process or doubt in their mind, they will not convert. If the experience is smooth and meets their expectations, they will make the purchase.
What is the customer thinking at this stage?
“Can I buy it easily?”
“Is there an incentive such as a multi-buy or free delivery?”
“I hope that I make the right choice”
Your marketing goal at this stage is to make the path to purchase as smooth as possible. Ensure that your content clearly outlines the delivery options, promotions, and links to make an easy purchase or to flag up where to purchase a physical location, such as a store or a bar. Use paid ads to target customers who have added products to your online cart but have not completed the purchase, offering an extra incentive to get them to complete it.
Track metrics that show your conversion rate in your e-commerce store as well as physical sales data. Get an understanding of the cost of each sale or conversion.
Key metrics to track conversion
4. Loyalty – “I love this brand, what else do they do?”
The fourth stage of the customer journey is loyalty. Once someone has made a purchase from you and had a good experience, you have the opportunity to turn them into a repeat customer or even an brand advocate, the ultimate goal of the customer journey. This is when they make repeat purchases, try out other products in your range and recommend your brand to their friends.
What is the customer thinking at this stage?
“That was great, what else do they make?”
“I’d buy that again”
“Who else would like this that I know?”
Your marketing goal at this stage is to strengthen and deepen the customer relationship. Reward repeat purchases, gather customer feedback, create content that helps them enjoy your product more (eg cocktail recipes) and make them feel part of your brand story. Consider creating a loyalty programme or reward referrals to successful new customers.
Track metrics around repeat purchases and life-time value of your customers as well as engagement with post-purchase initiatives.
For drinks brands, alcoholic or non-alcoholic, focused on growing your online or physical sales, gaining a deep understanding of the customer journey for drinks brands isn’t just good practice but is essential to develop. Understanding how your target customers’ mindset changes depending on their stage of the customer journey helps you to align your strategy and tactics to move them through it as smoothly and seamlessly as possible to maximise sales, not just once but on repeat.
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