Customer journey - understanding customers and their wishes
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Understanding the customer’s journey—from first contact with a brand through to the purchase decision and beyond—and aligning your actions entirely with customer needs is the key to business success. Companies that truly understand their clientele and their specific needs, engage them with the right message at the right time, and support them along the way with a positive customer experience, generate measurably higher revenues and profits.
From Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen to Jeff Bezos – and to the top of the world
How did Jeffrey Preston Jorgensen, born in 1964 in the high desert of New Mexico, become Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man? He explained it himself as early as 1997 in a letter to Amazon shareholders: “Every day is day one!” In other words, each new day brings fresh opportunities—if you’re ready to see and seize them. According to the self-made billionaire, the essential prerequisite for that is unwavering customer focus. “Every product and every business action should be guided by customer benefit,” Bezos declared even before the turn of the millennium.
His simple idea is now universally known: shop online anytime, from anywhere, and have goods delivered quickly and reliably to your door. Don’t like what you ordered? No problem—free returns are a given and a key part of a positive customer experience. What seemed revolutionary in the U.S. around the year 2000—and unthinkable in Germany—is now the global standard. By 2021, an estimated 147 million Americans had signed up for Amazon Prime, according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. To put that into perspective: only about 66 million Americans (just 20% of the population) hold valid passports. The $99 annual investment in Prime membership is made effortless by Bezos: it’s the tangible benefits at every touchpoint of the customer journey and the consistently positive experience that makes paying members feel like winners.
The Customer Takes the Field
“There is only one boss: the customer.” Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, recognized this long ago—and it still rings true today. However, digital transformation and the disruptive business models it enables have fundamentally changed the rules of the game. Customers are no longer just spectators—they’re on the field.
“Brands no longer communicate with customers through one-way channels they control. Quite the opposite. Thanks to global connectivity, marketing has become an interactive, participatory experience,” says Prof. Dr. Marco Schmäh, Chair of Marketing and Sales Management at ESB Business School in Reutlingen.
Consumers now exchange opinions in their communities, influencers sway entire target groups, and people openly express their wants and needs. The recent “Pinky Gloves” controversy in Germany showed how a tone-deaf campaign lacking sensitivity to its audience can quickly kill a business idea.
“Brands need to develop a true obsession with their customers' needs and align their marketing to every touchpoint they share with their target audience,” says renowned business influencer Anne M. Schüller. It's a misconception that customers merely want a positive customer experience—they expect it. Companies that internalize this and provide consistently excellent experiences at every stage of the customer journey outperform their competition. Why? “We remember the perfect trip through the lens of its best moments. Those moments stay with us for life—we talk about them. The same applies to the customer journey, which ultimately leads to a purchase,” says sales expert Marco Schmäh.
Understanding the Customer Journey
“Marketing as a discipline has long sought to understand the customer’s path—but it remains a core challenge. The key today lies in harnessing the wealth of data now available,” says Prof. Dr. Christian Belz, long-time professor of marketing at the University of St. Gallen.
So what exactly is the customer journey—also called the buyer’s or user’s journey? It outlines the phases a customer goes through before deciding to purchase a product or service—and continues beyond the purchase.
The classic customer journey model consists of five phases:
- Awareness Capture customer attention through traditional media (print, PR) or digital channels (social media, ads, SEO).
- Consideration In this phase, initial efforts from the awareness stage bear fruit. The customer actively considers a purchase and begins extensive research. Trusted sources like earned media—customer reviews and rating sites—play a major role. Owned media such as your blog and website also provide valuable research tools.
- Purchase Now the customer is ready to buy. At this stage, the transaction must be as frictionless as possible. A complicated checkout process risks last-minute abandonment.
- Retention Congratulations—the sale is complete. But now the real work begins: earning trust and ensuring repeat purchases. Active social media presence, personalized newsletters, and availability are key.
- Advocacy The goal in the final phase is user-generated content. One happy customer isn’t enough, but their friends, family, and networks might be. Positive reviews and shares dramatically expand your brand’s reach.
In short: “First, you capture interest, then the customer researches and evaluates, then purchases. Afterward, they gain experience and share it with others,” summarizes Schmäh. This model builds on the classic AIDA structure (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) and adds phases like experience and advocacy to reflect the ongoing impact beyond the initial purchase.
Ideally, the customer journey is seen as a recurring cycle, focusing on long-term relationships rather than one-off transactions. Further additions like "Pre-Awareness" (before attention) and "Preference" (leading up to decision) can enrich the model.
Whether marketers favor the classic journey model or frameworks like Alan George Lafley’s Moments of Truth, the critical thing is this: companies must map the journey across all touchpoints in detail—and offer the best possible customer experience. Schmäh warns against staying stuck in theoretical ivory towers and stresses the need for practical implementation tailored to each business.
Touchpoints: Let’s Keep in Touch
Touchpoints are where theory meets reality. These are the moments when a customer interacts with your brand, product, or service—online, offline, or in person. Every touchpoint is a moment of truth: Does your product meet expectations? Is the communication relevant? Is the support helpful?
Touchpoints can include traditional advertising, digital content, the product itself, or interactions with sales and service staff. What matters is that companies understand and respect their customers' real needs at every stage. That’s the only way to deliver personalized offers and outstanding experiences.
Making Brands Tangible
Customer experience is the sum of every interaction a customer has with your brand. Only when the purchase experience is genuinely positive does a customer experience become memorable. “We don’t just sell coffee—we sell an experience,” said Gerhard Berssenbrügge, former European head of Nespresso. Nestlé built the "Nespresso Club" and luxurious boutiques to create rich, emotionally charged touchpoints. The goal wasn’t just to meet expectations—but to exceed them. “Ultimately, it’s about reaching consumers on an emotional level,” says Schüller. Today, the “Nespresso moment” is part of a premium lifestyle. Loyal customers gladly pay €60–€80 per kilo for capsule coffee wrapped in aluminum because of the experience around it.
Customer Journey as a Strategic Tool
In digital marketing—and beyond—the customer journey offers a practical solution for truly understanding customer needs. First, the entire journey must be mapped across all touchpoints. Where and how does the customer engage with the brand? What kind of experience do they have? What campaigns run on which platforms, targeting which segments?
Valid, well-analyzed data is essential. Are the right data points being collected? Are they even being collected at all? And can companies draw the right conclusions? Crucially, do they genuinely understand customer needs—and are their products aligned with them?
Barriers—often subconscious—also need to be identified. What is preventing a smooth journey or disappointing expectations? With this full-picture view, businesses can see where they stand compared to competitors—and which steps are needed to improve the journey and enhance customer experience. By identifying "quick wins," companies can unlock untapped revenue in the short term.
The Customer Journey in German Companies
Efficient touchpoint management along the customer journey boosts both qualitative and quantitative KPIs. The Customer Experience Study by ESCH Brand Consultants backs this up:
- +35% higher customer satisfaction
- +29% greater brand awareness
- +22% increase in revenue
But is customer journey management a standard practice in German business? Far from it. A survey by the agency group Aufgesang paints a sobering picture:
- 70% of companies don’t use a customer journey approach
- 66% don’t map the journey across all channels
- 24% completely ignore the customer journey altogether
The Takeaway
The recommendation is clear: don’t keep flying blind. Use customer touchpoint management along the customer journey to unlock hidden revenue. Because companies that genuinely care about their customers—and act accordingly—will see the benefits, both emotionally and financially.
Your contact
Martin Brudek
Director Marketing Technologies & Marketing Technology Management | Marketing Automation
+49 9131 9712 2173
