Mapping the purchase journey your analytics actually shows, not the one you assume

A customer journey map built in a workshop from assumptions about how people probably shop tends to look tidier and more linear than actual behaviour, which is usually messier — multiple sessions, multiple devices, gaps of days or weeks between browsing and purchase.

Building the journey map from actual session and purchase data instead surfaces real patterns: which pages get revisited before purchase, how many sessions typically precede a first order in your specific category, and where genuine hesitation points sit.

That real map is what should inform retargeting timing, email trigger points, and on-site messaging — not a generic best-practice funnel diagram that may not reflect how your specific customers actually behave.