Every seasoned marketer is familiar with the marketing funnel. It’s what most teams center their strategies around—the idea that shoppers follow a certain path from acquisition to conversion, and eventually retention and advocacy.

But the customer journey isn’t linear. Instead, it’s a collection of influential moments that can happen in any order. And though there’s not necessarily a single, straightforward path, each touchpoint is interconnected—and with marketing automation, there’s enormous potential to engage, optimize, and tailor every one of these moments.

Here are three key steps to create a more flexible and effective automation strategy that enhances engagement and maximizes conversions.

1. Use customer behavior to tailor your messaging

The challenge? It could take anywhere from one to 50 (or more) brand interactions for a new shopper to convert into a purchase.

But when you track customer behaviors and interactions, you can use this information to create experiences that get shoppers to buy faster—or make a repeat purchase sooner.

For example, your welcome series might feature different messaging that caters to multiple segments, such as:

• Shoppers who have visited your hero product page
• Shoppers who have visited your site once
• Shoppers who have visited your site multiple times

The same goes for other automations like your abandoned cart, browse abandonment, or post-purchase series. How you speak to non-purchasers, first-time purchasers, and repeat purchasers should vary as well.

These behavioral attributes can guide you to set up more thoughtful, relevant experiences based on how shoppers have interacted with your brand, ultimately helping to increase conversion.

2. Adopt AI to make every interaction unique to the individual

Another way to tailor your customer experiences to complex customer journeys is to implement 1:1 personalization tactics. That is to say, using messaging that’s tailored to the individual.

One of the best ways to do this at scale is by using AI tools and features that enable you to turn customer data into actionable insights.

For example, you can use predictive analytics to deliver more relevant experiences that convert by forecasting a customer’s next order date, lifetime value, and more. Additionally, AI-powered personalized product feeds allow you to anticipate which products each customer will likely buy.

By leveraging AI, you ensure that every customer feels like your communication is designed specifically for them, building trust and driving loyalty.

3. Implement opportunities for cross-channel engagement

Shoppers move fluidly between channels, from social media to email to mobile. To effectively manage a nonlinear journey, your automation strategy needs to be omnichannel.

Coordinate messaging and timing across platforms, so customers have a seamless experience no matter where they engage with your brand.

For instance, if a customer engages with a promotional email but doesn’t convert, follow up with a text message. Alternatively, if a shopper comes to your website but doesn’t purchase, re-target them with a social media ad.

An integrated, cross-channel approach allows you to reinforce your message and keep your brand top-of-mind—without being intrusive.