Framing the customer journey: touch point categories and decision-making process stages

Purpose This paper aims to define and frame the understanding of customer journeys, associated areas consumer decision-making process stages touch point categories based on an ownership perspective. Design/methodology/approach The research is a detailed literature review in peer-reviewed marketing retail journals, within last decade. Chartered Association Business Schools (ABS) academic journal guide discipline list was used because it only includes internationally accepted quality ranked list. Findings analysis journals identified three groups points (brand owned, partner owned/managed outside control brand owner/partner) (pre-purchase, purchase post–purchase) that informed clearer definition journey. Research limitations/implications Limitations concern ABS database ten-year date period selected, which may exclude some relevant articles, particularly those written language other than English. Originality/value authors have provided revised journey, clarified subsequent categorisation from