Online and offline touchpoints

The term "touchpoint" comes from online marketing and literally means "point of contact". This translation is also correct, because touchpoints describe the points of contact between companies, brands or products with customers, suppliers or other types of interested parties. It is important to know that every type of contact with the product, company or brand is described as a touchpoint, regardless of whether it is a conversation about the product, taking the product or reading about the product. Especially when customers inform themselves about a product before buying it, the individual stations are to be seen as touchpoints. For companies or brands, this means that they can or must be present at all of these stations and should stand out positively in order to lead the customer to the purchase decision. It is equally important that all touchpoints are tailored to the individual needs of the customer. You can find out how to recognise potential touchpoints, which ones there are and what distinguishes them in our blog article.

Identifying the right touchpoint - which touchpoints are there?

The basis for touchpoints is the "customer journey". The marketing sector uses this term to describe the individual points customers go through before deciding on a product or service. Thus, before a transaction is carried out, the customer journey is characterised by different touchpoints, which on the one hand appear in different stages of the purchase decision process and on the other hand fulfil different tasks. Once a company has analysed the phases of the customer journey in detail, it can implement targeted marketing measures to reach the customer directly.

The possibilities of touchpoints are almost immeasurable. However, they can be divided into online and offline touchpoints. Online touchpoints include, for example, websites, blogs, social media, consumer portals, chats, online advertising, magazines, shops, comparison portals, newsletters, etc., i.e. everything that the internet provides. Offline touchpoints are outside the internet and include, for example, print media such as posters, magazines, newspapers, catalogues and magazines, display stands or also trade fairs, conferences, shop premises, shelf designs, advisory staff or shop windows. However, this can only be regarded as a rough division, since online and offline touchpoints are sometimes used equally. For example, consumers inform themselves about a product online but seek further personal advice in the shop. Here it is equally important for companies to know exactly the individual touchpoints of their products with the customers and to optimise them both online and offline. Among others, the following touchpoints are controllable for companies:

• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
• Search Engine Advertising (SEA)
• Display advertising
• E-mail marketing 
• Ad, TV, radio advertising
• Trade fairs and events

On the other hand, there are touchpoints over which companies have no or only indirect control:

• Personal social media networks
• Editorial coverage
• Partners, friends and acquaintances
• Forums or blogs
• Rating portals

Categories of touchpoints

The touchpoints between companies and customers can be roughly divided into categories - human, process, brand, product, document and location.

Human touchpoints describe contact points where the customer comes into direct contact with the company. This is the case, for example, with purchase consultations in shops. Process touchpoints are contact points that relate to processes. This includes, for example, the payment process at the checkout. Contacts between people and the brand are assigned to the brand category, which arises during the customer journey, among other things. Contact points between people and products, on the other hand, are combined under product touchpoints. This is the case, for example, when the product is displayed in a shop or on a website. Document touchpoints are points of contact between people and documents such as information brochures or instruction manuals. Finally, there are location touchpoints, which are points of contact that occur between customers and locations of a company. This is the case in company offices or even shops.

In addition to these categories, there are also specific categorisations in marketing, which are summarised under the acronym EPOMS: earned, paid, owned, managed, shared.

Earned touchpoints are those that a company earns through the work it does and thus achieves good ratings or recommendations, for example. Paid touchpoints are touchpoints won by companies through advertisements, Google Ads or posters. If a company has a website, an online shop or a blog, these touchpoints can be summarised under owned touchpoints. Managed touchpoints are contact points that are managed at third-party locations. These include trade fair stands, external call centres or Facebook. If a company shares information in a targeted manner, for example through press releases, explanatory videos or testimonials, these are referred to as shared touchpoints.

Directly and indirectly controllable touchpoints

Touchpoints can also be categorised according to whether they can be directly or indirectly influenced by companies.

Directly controllable touchpoints include:

• Online and offline advertising
• Homepage/blog
• Corporate presence in social media
• Mobile applications
• Trade fairs/events/sponsoring
• SEO, SEA
• Catalogues/brochures
• Direct marketing, PoS promotions, merchandising

Touchpoints that can be controlled little or indirectly as well as touchpoints that cannot be controlled include the following:

• Recommendations, rating portals
• Word-of-mouth/conversations
• Private chats, blogs, forums

Classification and evaluation of touchpoints

To carry out a suitable touchpoint analysis, these can also be classified. The sales sector distinguishes here between the touchpoints before the sale (pre-purchase), during the sales process (purchase) and after the sale (post-purchase). Alternatively, the level of possible influence by the company can also be considered. Company-created touchpoints describe contact points created by the company itself, which include all marketing activities and the company's appearance in general. Intrinsic touchpoints are touchpoints that arise from the use of the product or service itself. This includes the purchase, use and possible disposal of the product. Unexpected touchpoints can be word of mouth, recommendations or even viral videos that the target group does not expect. Customer-initiated touchpoints, on the other hand, are contacts initiated by customers, which often arise when questions or problems arise.

In these classifications, companies have the strongest influence on self-generated touchpoints, but unexpected touchpoints have the greatest effect on potential customers.

Touchpoints can also be perceived in different ways by those touched. They are distinguished between basic, performance and enthusiasm factors. Basic factors are taken for granted by customers; these are only perceived when they are not fulfilled. Performance factors, on the other hand, are the customer's normal expectations of the touchpoint. If they are fulfilled, they can also lead to moderate satisfaction. If the company fulfils them beyond measure, the customer is left with a positive image. Enthusiasm factors are another step up and go beyond the customer's expectation. Alternatively, they fulfil the customer's needs in a special, surprising or new way. This in turn can give the company a competitive advantage.

Influence of touchpoint management on marketing

Effective touchpoint management is significantly important and a success factor for a company's marketing. This is mainly because it is largely involved in the relationship and stability with a particular target group. It also influences the likelihood of a purchase. Accordingly, companies should know exactly the importance of each touchpoint during the customer journey. It is helpful to always know the specific customer needs and thus to filter out which touchpoints can satisfy these needs in which way.

The very beginning of touchpoint management is therefore the identification of the company's own touchpoints with the customers. This is followed by an analysis of the most relevant touchpoints for the target group and only then the optimisation of the contact points. Above all, companies should set realisable goals that can be optimised or refined afterwards. Due to growing digitalisation and the heavy use of mobile devices, the possibilities for online touchpoints have once again greatly expanded. So they should be optimised both in this area and offline. By using touchpoints, companies create positive and lasting business relationships.