Objective

A global appliance company (Brand A) wanted to better understand the customer journey of purchasing a coffee machine at Walmart. Traditional focus groups and shop-alongs would have required weeks of recruitment, fieldwork, and analysis. Instead, Brand A used Fresh.ai’s generative AI insights platform to simulate customer experiences and identify pain points across the journey—all within hours.

 

Methodology

• AI Persona Creation: Fresh.ai built personas using over 150 qualitative data points, including motivations, shopping habits, and attitudes toward appliances.

• Dynamic Interviews: Personas were interviewed on their end-to-end experience—from awareness to post-purchase—interacting with Walmart and Brand A.

• Journey Mapping: Insights were synthesized into a structured journey map highlighting emotions, barriers, and opportunities at each stage.

 

Findings: Customer Journey Map for Buying a Coffee Machine (Brand A @ Walmart)

 

Stage 1: Awareness

• Persona response: “I’d heard of Brand A before, but mostly through online ads. I wasn’t sure how it compared to other coffee machine brands.”

• Pain Point: Brand awareness lacked depth—customers recognized the name but had low familiarity with unique features.

Stage 2: In-Store Search & Consideration

• Persona response: “The shelf was crowded with different machines. Brand A’s packaging didn’t stand out, and I had to spend extra time comparing specs on my phone.”

• Pain Point: Packaging and in-store presence were not differentiated enough, creating decision fatigue.

Stage 3: Evaluation

• Persona response: “I wanted to know how reliable Brand A was, but the in-store signage didn’t provide reviews or clear comparisons. I left the aisle twice to look things up online.”

• Pain Point: Lack of trusted, accessible product information at the point of decision.

Stage 4: Purchase

• Persona response: “Checkout was smooth at Walmart, but I wasn’t fully confident I’d made the best choice. I worried I was taking a risk.”

• Pain Point: Lingering uncertainty at the moment of purchase due to limited reassurance.

Stage 5: Post-Purchase Use

• Persona response: “The machine worked well, but the setup instructions were confusing. I had to watch a YouTube video to figure it out.”

• Pain Point: Onboarding gap—instructions created friction in the early usage stage.

Impact

Fresh.ai revealed five key journey pain points:

1. Low brand familiarity despite awareness.

2. Weak shelf differentiation.

3. Lack of accessible product comparisons.

4. Confidence gap at purchase.

5. Onboarding issues post-purchase.

These insights allowed Brand A to:

• Redesign packaging for stronger in-store visibility.

• Add QR codes linking to product reviews on boxes.

• Simplify setup guides with step-by-step visuals.

• Refocus messaging on trust and reliability at the decision stage.

 

Why Fresh.ai?

With traditional research, this project would have taken 6–8 weeks and cost tens of thousands of dollars. Fresh.ai delivered qualitative depth at 1000x the speed and a fraction of the cost, enabling Brand A to make fast, evidence-based decisions to improve the customer journey.

 

This case study highlights Fresh.ai’s unique value: AI personas uncover pain points in real-time, delivering scientifically robust insights without the bias, cost, or delays of traditional focus groups.