Why are consumer touchpoints so important?

A consumer touchpoint is a significant interaction that a customer shares with a business entity. It is the point at which the customer encounters the brand itself.

Touchpoints occur before, during and after a purchase has taken place. These build the customer’s opinion of your brand. The customer experience is a journey that consumers embark on when interacting with a business, and customer touchpoints are the destinations along the way that make the trip worthwhile.

In today’s technological climate, new touchpoints are surfacing that make it difficult for businesses to choose which are important. The real answer is – all of them! Here are some examples:

Pre-Purchase Touchpoints

This is the first impression that the shopper has, and the first stretch of the customer journey. It is the contact the customer has with the brand before interacting with the business on a surface level. A business can acquire more customers through:

-Advertisements

-Social Media

-Digital Marketing

-Peer Referral

-Media

Purchase Touchpoints

The next step involves the purchasing of the product/service, which is an essential path along the consumer journey. The customer experience is crucial at this point because it is the difference between a one-time purchase and a long-term investment. This is an opportunity for the business to dazzle its target audience with a good:

-Website

-Brand Evangelist (representative)

-Event

-Product Catalogue

-Product Review

-Storefront

Post-Purchase Touchpoints

The journey does not end when the customer walks out of the store or closes their browser, thus businesses shouldn’t ignore the touchpoints that help build strong customer relationships. These points of contact are important to ensure more return buyers, as well as to keep the two-way conversation going. Post-purchase touchpoints can include:

-Loyalty Programmes

-Thank you letters

-Emails

-Newsletters

-Billing

Why are Touchpoints important?

The year 2020 is calling for a much greater customer experience, therefore the successful businesses will be those that focus not only on having multiple touchpoints – but on showing innovation in each.

They assist to communicate the brand and its unique story. Whether it be through a short video, a charismatic salesperson, or a cheerful email, you can positively (or negatively) impact the opinion of your customer base with touchpoints.

Investing in consumer touchpoints will grant customer loyalty that might just be contagious through all channels. Ideally, touchpoints should become “trustpoints” with the target market.

It is essential for businesses to know which touchpoints to invest time and money into, which can be done by listening to your buyers through surveys, reviews or general feedback.

Creative consistency and customer convenience through all touchpoints are key to brand relevance and perception. The journey you take your customer on is ultimately what makes them recognise your brand.

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