Any interaction or moment of contact between a person and a brand throughout the customer journey.
Each touchpoint contributes to the customer’s overall perception and next decision.
Short and sweet:
Any interaction or moment of contact between a person and a brand throughout the customer journey.
Each touchpoint contributes to the customer’s overall perception and next decision.
See also: Customer Journey, Journey Mapping, Customer Experience
A touchpoint is any single moment a person interacts with or is exposed to a brand, from seeing an ad on social media, to reading a review, to talking with a support agent after a purchase, and a customer’s overall impression is built from the sum of many of these moments rather than any one alone. Mapping out every touchpoint a typical customer encounters often reveals gaps or inconsistencies, like a beautifully designed website paired with a clunky checkout process, that wouldn’t be obvious from looking at any single channel in isolation. Because touchpoints span both marketing and non-marketing teams, improving them usually requires coordination well beyond the marketing department alone.
Seeing a Delta Air Lines ad on Instagram, then later calling customer service about a delayed flight, are both touchpoints that shape how a traveler feels about the airline overall.
An unboxing experience is an often-overlooked moment of contact like this, which is why brands like Glossier design their shipping boxes to feel like a small gift rather than plain cardboard.
A single rude interaction with a cashier can undo dozens of positive impressions a customer had with a retailer, showing how much weight one bad moment can carry.
