Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • March 31, 2023
  • Article
  • Harvard Business Review (website)

What Is the Optimal Pattern of a Customer Journey?

By: Julian De Freitas
  • Format:Electronic
ShareBar

Abstract

Even though customer experience (CX) leaders are becoming increasingly focused on optimizing their firms’ customer journeys, they face a clear challenge: Which touchpoints along the journey should they invest in? That is, which moments when the customer interacts with their brand are most impactful to the customer’s overall experience? One way to think of customer journeys is as continuous patterns of mental experiences traced over time. Thinking of customer journeys as patterns raises a new set of productive questions, such as: Which patterns are most successful? And what features of those patterns lead to success? Some have argued that the best patterns are smooth and frictionless, while others have made the case for patterns that fluctuate, given that they are likely to be more eventful and stimulating. This article covers research and data on which patterns are most effective, and where CX managers should be investing their limited resources for the best possible customer experience outcomes.

Keywords

Consumer Behavior; Customers; Brands and Branding

Citation

De Freitas, Julian. "What Is the Optimal Pattern of a Customer Journey?" Harvard Business Review (website) (March 31, 2023).
  • Read Now

About The Author

Julian De Freitas

Marketing
→More Publications

More from the Author

    • July–August 2025
    • Harvard Business Review

    Don’t Let an AI Failure Harm Your Brand

    By: Julian De Freitas
    • June 2025
    • Journal of Consumer Research

    Ideation with Generative AI—In Consumer Research and Beyond

    By: Julian De Freitas, G. Nave and Stefano Puntoni
    • March 2025
    • Journal of Experimental Psychology: General

    Is Personal Identity Intransitive?

    By: J. De Freitas and L. J. Rips
More from the Author
  • Don’t Let an AI Failure Harm Your Brand By: Julian De Freitas
  • Ideation with Generative AI—In Consumer Research and Beyond By: Julian De Freitas, G. Nave and Stefano Puntoni
  • Is Personal Identity Intransitive? By: J. De Freitas and L. J. Rips
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College.