🔄 Reinforcing the user flow (conversion funnel) perspective
An e-commerce site isn't just a collection of pages; it has to be designed around the user's purchase journey. That's why flow-centered thinking matters.
📌 1. Basic funnel stages (a variation on AIDA)
| Stage | Behavior | Representative pages/features |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Reach (Awareness) | Arrival (ads, search, social, email, etc.) | Landing page, event page |
| 2. Explore (Interest) | Browsing categories, viewing products | Category page, search, filters |
| 3. Compare/decide (Desire) | Checking details, reading reviews | PDP, Q&A, reviews, recommended products |
| 4. Purchase (Action) | Adding to cart, checkout | Cart, order/checkout page |
| 5. Post-purchase (Retention) | Return visits, writing reviews, customer service | My page, reviews, reward points, email |
Analyzing drop-off at each stage of the flow and identifying where to improve conversion is the core work of the marketer/PM.
🔍 Real-world examples
- Long dwell time on the PDP but low conversion → UI/UX improvements needed, such as buy-button placement or shipping-fee information
- High add-to-cart rate but low checkout conversion → check for login barriers or a lack of payment options
🧩 Reinforcing the system architecture perspective
E-commerce is made up of various backend systems working together organically. Understanding this puts you in a much stronger position as a marketer/operator when it comes to using data and planning services.
📦 1. System map (a quick summary of roles)
| System | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| CMS (Content Management System) | Manages banners, promotions, product descriptions, etc. | Shopify Admin, Cafe24 |
| PMS (Product Management System) | Product registration, option/inventory management | MarketPlus, Godomall |
| OMS (Order Management System) | Manages order/shipping information | eSellers, Shoplinker |
| WMS (Warehouse Management System) | Integrates with the warehouse, outbound status | Logispot, CenterPlus |
| CRM (Customer Relationship Management) | Manages messages/benefits based on customer behavior | Shoppay, Cafe24 CRM |
| CDP (Customer Data Platform) | Collecting/segmenting/retargeting customer data | Treasure Data, Airbridge |
🔧 Mapping user flow to systems
| User stage | Systems involved | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ad click → landing | CDP, CRM | Tracking the point of funnel entry |
| Using filters while browsing | CMS, PMS | Filter criteria come from PMS data |
| Add to cart → checkout | OMS, PG | Coupons issued via CRM, payment via PG (payment gateway) integration |
| Order complete → shipment tracking | OMS, WMS | Real-time tracking-number integration |
| Driving repurchase | CDP, CRM | Retargeting based on previous purchases |
This connective structure is essential background knowledge for a marketer to go beyond simple event setup and plan actions that fit the user's context.
🧠 Practical tip: funnel metric tracking
- Calculate conversion rates for each funnel segment based on CDP or GA4 events
- Example metric setup:
- PDP reach rate vs. traffic
- Add-to-cart rate vs. PDP
- Checkout rate vs. cart
- Repurchase rate vs. checkout
✅ Summary: key takeaways, reinforced
| Item | Key points |
|---|---|
| User flow | Awareness → Interest → Desire → Action → Retention |
| System architecture | Organic division of roles among CMS, PMS, OMS, WMS, CRM, CDP, etc. |
| Mapping perspective | Understanding how the user behavior flow connects to system functions |
| Analysis points | Analyzing drop-off/conversion metrics per funnel stage and building improvement strategies |
