Framing the customer journey: touch point categories and decision-making process stages

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to define and frame the understanding of customer journeys, associated areas of consumer decision-making process stages and touch point categories based on an ownership perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on a detailed literature review of customer journeys, in peer-reviewed marketing and retail journals, within the last decade. The Chartered Association of Business Schools (ABS) academic journal guide marketing discipline list was used because it only includes peer-reviewed journals, based on an internationally accepted quality ranked list.

Findings

The detailed analysis of the journals identified three groups of touch points (brand owned, partner owned/managed and outside the control of brand owner/partner) and three decision-making process stages (pre-purchase, purchase and post–purchase) that informed a clearer definition and understanding of the customer journey.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations concern the ABS database was used and a ten-year date period was selected, which may exclude some relevant journal articles, particularly those written in a language other than English.

Originality/value

The authors have provided a revised definition of customer journey, clarified the decision-making stages and subsequent categorisation of touch points from an ownership perspective.

Citation

Towers, A. and Towers, N. (2022), "Framing the customer journey: touch point categories and decision-making process stages", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 50 No. 3, pp. 317-341. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-08-2020-0296