# Consumer Touchpoints: Some Are More Essential than Others

- Link: https://www.clicademy.com/consumer-touchpoints-some-are-more-essential-than-others/
- Published: 2024-02-15T23:02:00+00:00
- Author: Clicademist

Businesses battle to enhance customer lifetime value (CLV), which represents the
total worth of a customer to a company over the entirety of their relationship. 
The key to maximizing CLV lies in effectively leveraging consumer touchpoints.

An old-time brick-and-mortar merchant relies on the shopfront as the primary consumer
touchpoint. The CLV hinged on whether or how often customers would revisit.

![Consumer touchpoints shopfront](https://www.clicademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/
04/AdobeStock_382140939-1024x683.jpeg)

Digital marketing technology has created a plethora of new virtual consumer touchpoints.
They span the various stages of interaction between a customer and a brand, and 
they play a pivotal role in shaping the customer’s perception and experience.

Your Clicademists have followed the evolution of digital consumer touchpoints. We
suggest that whereas everyone is essential, some are more so than others.

## The more essential digital consumer touchpoints

One of the most impactful touchpoints is **digital engagement, including transactions
and fulfilment**, facilitated by e-commerce channels. As [highlighted by McKinsey](https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/customer-lifetime-value-the-customer-compass),
digital engagement provides companies with valuable data on consumer behaviour, 
which can be used to optimise marketing and product development. The importance 
of these touchpoints has induced Amazon Prime and numerous delivery services. For
instance, [Delivery Hero](https://tech.deliveryhero.com/meet-data-hub-delivery-heros-data-mesh-platform/),
an online food delivery service from Germany, has made CLV their core steering metric.
It focuses on understanding customers intimately and engaging them with tailored
offers to their context and needs.

Another significant touchpoint is **social media**, a leading digital platform for
consumer interaction. According to [Matomo Analytics](https://matomo.org/blog/2021/09/use-data-to-develop-impactful-video-content/),
social media and video-sharing platforms are crucial for promoting customer loyalty
and improving brand reputation. [Forbes Advisor](https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/social-media-statistics/)
released a 2023 survey indicating that social media apps have become a popular medium
for purchases among users aged 18 to 44, underscoring these platforms’ importance
in the customer journey’s pre-purchase stage.

Moreover, Forbes Advisor suggests that **customer-incentivising** touchpoints can
effectively increase CLV. Offering perks such as free shipping or freebies for reaching
a specific order amount encourages additional spending and enhances the overall 
customer experience. Various SaaS businesses have successfully employed this strategy,
which offers temporary upgrades or trials to entice customers.

![](https://www.clicademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AdobeStock_705925977-1024x683.
jpeg)

While some touchpoints may significantly shape the customer experience and brand
perception, others play a subtler role in the customer journey.

## The Lesser but Not the Least Digital Touchpoints

In the intricate web of consumer touchpoints, not all interactions hold the same
weight in influencing customer lifetime value (CLV). Understanding these lesser 
touchpoints is crucial for businesses aiming to streamline their efforts and allocate
resources effectively.

Lesser touchpoints often involve **passive or post-purchase interactions**, which
may not directly contribute to immediate sales but still impact overall customer
satisfaction and retention. For example, product catalogues provide information,
but they are often less influential than the active engagement of a sales call or
a well-crafted digital advertisement. Moreover, a customer reading a thank-you letter
after a purchase might appreciate the gesture, but it is unlikely to be a decisive
factor in their purchasing decision. Similarly, while

Another touchpoint considered less critical is the customer portal for **checking
order status**. While it is an essential service feature, it does not actively engage
the customer in a way that enhances CLV unless it is part of a broader, more interactive
customer service strategy. **Self-service options** such as knowledge bases and 
product how-tos also fall into this category. They are important for customer empowerment
and satisfaction but are not typically decisive in the initial stages of the customer
journey.

Moreover, **indirect interactions** such as word-of-mouth and reviews, while they
can have a significant impact on brand perception, are less controllable by the 
company and thus may be seen as less critical touchpoints to manage directly. These
interactions are mediated by consumer-controlled offline or online channels and 
can vary widely in their influence.

It is important to note that while these touchpoints may be less important in driving
immediate sales, they contribute to the overall customer experience and can indirectly
influence future purchasing decisions and loyalty. Therefore, while businesses might
prioritize more impactful touchpoints, they should not neglect these subtler interactions.

## Actionable Recommendation: Mapping Customer Journeys

Identifying and optimizing these touchpoints requires a deep understanding of the
customer journey. [Qualtrics Experience Management recommends](https://www.qualtrics.com/uk/experience-management/customer/how-to-create-a-customer-journey-map/?rid=ip&prevsite=en&newsite=uk&geo=GB&geomatch=uk)
integrating records to create a comprehensive customer journey map, measuring revenue
at each touchpoint, and adding it together over the customer’s lifetime. By doing
so, businesses can pinpoint where the customer creates the most value and tailor
their strategies accordingly.

Businesses should focus on optimising essential touchpoints that directly contribute
to customer acquisition and retention while maintaining a holistic view of the customer
journey. By understanding and managing the less critical touchpoints, companies 
can ensure a cohesive and satisfying customer experience that supports long-term
CLV growth. Optimising these touchpoints requires an approach that balances resource
allocation with the potential impact on the customer experience.