Martech: Martech is Marketing Logo
  • Topics
    Transformation
    Operations
    Data
    Experience
    Performance
    Management
    Special Reports
    All Topics
  • Conference
  • Webinars
  • Intelligence Reports
  • White Papers
  • What is MarTech
    Mission
    Team
    Newsletter
    Search Engine Land
    Third Door Media

Processing...Please wait.

MarTech » Customer Journey » Report: More touchpoints and channels in the customer journey than ever before

Report: More touchpoints and channels in the customer journey than ever before

The report shows tremendous growth in ad tech and IoT interactions and takes a deeper look at how retail is flourishing.

Robin Kurzer on June 5, 2018 at 5:31 pm

Customer journeys are proliferating across touchpoints and channels, according to a new report from to Kitewheel.

Kitewheel released its State of the Customer Journey for 2018 on Tuesday. The annual report measures interactions across its customer journey platform and is based on an analysis of more than 5 billion interactions between 2014 and 2017. All increases are reported as a percentage increase over last year, unless otherwise indicated.

More than 3 billion of those interactions occurred in 2017.

The report notes that brands are extending personalization across every single touchpoint, “from customer service to physical locations to the online checkout process.”

Major growth in ad tech, IoT

There has been tremendous growth in ad tech (204 percent) and IoT interactions (141 percent). Kitewheel attributes the growth in ad tech to a commensurate increase in marketers using customer interaction data.

Kitewheel confirmed to me that the ad tech category includes data management platforms, paid social, websites (using paid media referrers), ad targeting, ad group suppression and real-time personalization of ads.

The report noted that advertisers are measuring less in areas that do not translate directly into conversions, causing a precipitous drop in social media interactions (-58 percent).

Mobile app interactions are up 50 percent, “after skyrocketing last year, a sign that the overall trend towards app-based experiences is still a priority for brands.”

Retail is here to play

The report broke out the numbers around retail to illustrate its point that marketers are more interested in channels with a higher probability of conversions. With a 116 percent increase in in-store interactions, it’s clear that retailers are looking to customers’ online behavior to inform their advertising and targeting. The report also notes that retail is “perhaps the earliest adopter of customer journeys,” validated by Kitewheel’s new Customer Journey Maturity Model metric, and praised its diversification of channels.

Kitewheel confirmed that the Web category includes any and all instances where a company is able to personalize based on web behavior, which could include marketplaces and aggregators.

From the report:

A look at the channel mix across our retail customer base shows how a modern approach to customer experience requires expanding journeys to encompass a variety of digital and physical touchpoints.

Whereas many industries we monitor are focused on one or two key elements of the customer journey … retailers are looking at the bigger picture. Adtech is typically geared towards reaching and acquiring new customers, while website, app and store are traditional conversion channels. Email is a highly reliable re-engagement and retention channel, and its continued prominence points to its efficacy.

“Over the four years that we’ve published this report, a profound shift has taken place in the customer journey space,” said Mark Smith, Kitewheel’s president. “What was once primarily a marketing tool is now the way that many brands design and influence the entire customer experience. We’re seeing our clients’ customer journey strategies maturing as they realize the business imperative to deliver great experiences.”


New on MarTech

    Marketing operations talent is suffering burnout and turnover

    Antitrust bill could force Google, Facebook and Amazon to shutter parts of their ad businesses

    Unveiling our first MarTech Intelligence Report on email marketing platforms

    How product analytics can unite marketing and product teams to boost customer lifetime value

    Create a B2B GTM strategy that buyers, execs and revenue teams love

About The Author

Robin Kurzer
Robin Kurzer started her career as a daily newspaper reporter in Milford, Connecticut. She then made her mark on the advertising and marketing world in Chicago at agencies such as Tribal DDB and Razorfish, creating award-winning work for many major brands. For the past seven years, she’s worked as a freelance writer and communications professional across a variety of business sectors.

Related Topics

Customer JourneyDataMarketing Operations

Get the daily newsletter digital marketers rely on.

Processing...Please wait.

See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS

June 7, 2022: Master Classes

September 28-29, 2022: Fall

Start Discovering Now: Spring

Learn More About Our MarTech Events

June 14-15, 2022: SMX Advanced (virtual)

November 14-15, 2022: SMX Next (virtual)

March 8-9, 2022: Master Classes (virtual)

Learn More About Our SMX Events

Webinars

Take a Crawl, Walk, Run Approach to Multi-Channel ABM

Content Comes First: Transform Your Operations With DAM

Dominate Your Competition with Google Auction Insights and Search Intelligence

See More Webinars

Intelligence Reports

Enterprise SEO Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Identity Resolution Platforms

Email Marketing Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Sales Enablement Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Digital Experience Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Call Analytics Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

See More Intelligence Reports

White Papers

Reputation Management For Healthcare Organizations

Unlock the App Marketing Potential of QR Codes

Realising the power of virtual events for demand generation

The Progressive Marketer’s Ultimate Events Strategy 2022 Worksheet

CMO Guide: How to Plan Smart and Pivot Fast

See More Whitepapers

Receive daily marketing news & analysis.

Processing...Please wait.

Topics

  • Transformation
  • Operations
  • Data
  • Experience
  • Performance
  • Management
  • All Topics
  • Home

Our Events

  • MarTech
  • Search Marketing Expo - SMX

About

  • What is MarTech
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • RSS

© 2022 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.