Page 96 - Decoding Decisions ~ Making sense of the messy middle

96 CHAPTER 6 INHABITING THE MESSY MIDDLE

Sounds complicated, right? And yet, here on internet street it doesn’t really
feel that way. The messy middle is a complex space for marketers, where
customers are won or lost but, from the consumer perspective, people are
doing what they’ve always done – perceiving a need and trying to answer
it with a purchase. The fundamental mechanics of shopping may have
changed beyond recognition on the web, but we’ve adapted. Mental modes
and behavioural biases that served our early ancestors turn out to be just as

useful for cutting through the complexity of shopping on the internet.

For marketers the story is a little different. Branding and performance,
traditionally divided in many marketing organisations, actually overlap in the
messy middle, but that doesn’t mean potential customers aren’t falling into
a gap. Fortunately, the messy middle itself can be a template for brands to
build empowered and integrated marketing organisations, flexible enough to
adapt to consumer behaviour now and in the future.

And those marketing teams that set out to tackle the messy middle will hopefully

find in our research a valuable set of hints for where to direct their energies:

Show up at key moments of exploration and evaluation to
win or protect your share of consumer preference.

Apply behavioural biases to give shoppers the information
and reassurance they need to exit the messy middle and

complete a purchase.

Optimise site speed, user experience, and onsite messaging
to shorten the distance between trigger and purchase.