Latest / Customer Journey with Fexingo: Touchpoints, Mapping, and Multi-Channel Marketing / The Compliment Touchpoint Journey Maps Overlook
Transcript
- Lucas: So, Luna, I was reading about a running shoe store in Portland that does something really interesting — they've mapped out every single touchpoint a customer has, from the moment they walk in to the follow-up email they send after a month. And there's one touchpoint they deliberately didn't map, because they say it can't be planned. But it's the one that creates the most loyal customers. Luna: What touchpoint is that? Lucas: It's the compliment. The moment when someone — an employee, a stranger on the street, a friend — tells the customer, 'Hey, those shoes look great on you,' or 'Nice choice.' It's a micro-interaction that validates the purchase decision. And most journey maps completely ignore it because it's not something the brand can control directly. Luna: That's fascinating. So it's like social proof, but in reverse — it's not the customer seeking validation from reviews, it's the brand and community giving it to them. Lucas: Exactly. And that's why it's so powerful. A review is something the customer goes out and reads — it's self-directed. But a compliment is unsolicited, it comes out of nowhere, and it triggers a really strong emotional response. It's the difference between seeing a five-star rating and having your neighbor say, 'That jacket really suits you.' Luna: I know exactly what you mean. I bought a pair of glasses last year, and when I wore them to work, a colleague said, 'Those make you look smart.' I still remember that moment, and I've recommended that store to tons of people. Lucas: That's the halo effect in action. One positive, unexpected comment casts a glow over the entire purchase experience. And it's not just about the product — it's about how the customer feels about themselves when they use it. That feeling becomes associated with the brand. Luna: So how can a brand actually encourage these moments without manufacturing them? Because if you script an employee to compliment every customer, it's going to feel fake. Lucas: Right, and that's the tricky part. The store in Portland doesn't train their staff to give compliments. Instead, they create conditions where compliments happen naturally. They hire people who genuinely love running and are genuinely enthusiastic about the gear. Their enthusiasm is infectious — when they fit a customer with a shoe that really works, they say things like, 'That color looks great on you,' but it comes from a real place. Luna: So it's about hiring for authenticity and letting employees be themselves. Lucas: Exactly. And they also do something else — they encourage their customers to share their purchases on social media, but not in a pushy way. They have a little photo spot in the store where people can take a picture with their new shoes. It's not a discount for posting, no hashtag required. Just a nice space. And when their followers see that photo, they leave compliments in the comments. That's another layer of the touchpoint. Luna: So the brand is facilitating the opportunity for compliments, but not forcing them. That's a really smart approach. Lucas: And it doesn't have to be expensive. Think about the unboxing experience — if you include a handwritten note that says something genuine like, 'Hope these bring you miles of joy,' that's not a compliment per se, but it sets a tone. When the customer then posts a photo, friends respond with compliments, and the cycle continues. Luna: I can see how this moment of validation would be especially important for high-involvement purchases, like a car or a piece of tech. But what about everyday items? Does a compliment on a loaf of bread have the same weight? Lucas: Probably not the same weight, but it still matters. Think about a bakery — if the cashier says, 'That sourdough is our favorite, you're going to love it,' that's a small moment of social proof. And if a customer brings it to a dinner party and someone raves about it, that's a huge win. The touchpoint exists, but it's just smaller in magnitude. Luna: So how do you actually map a compliment? It's not like you can put it on a timeline with a specific date. Lucas: That's the thing — you can't predict it, but you can identify the moments where it's most likely to occur. The first wear, the first use, the first time the product is seen by others. That's why unboxing is such a critical touchpoint — it's the first opportunity for a compliment to happen. And you can design for that moment. Luna: So instead of mapping the compliment itself, you map the conditions that make it possible. Lucas: Precisely. And that's a different way of thinking about journey mapping. Most maps are about the actions the brand takes and the customer's responses. But the compliment is an external event that the brand can only influence indirectly. So you have to think about it as a 'moment of delight' that you're creating space for. Luna: That reminds me of a study I read about how people are more likely to compliment a stranger on their clothing if they're wearing something distinctive, like a bright color or a unique pattern. So maybe there's something to be said about product design — if you make products that are visually distinctive, you're almost guaranteeing that compliments will happen. Lucas: That's a great point. And it ties into the whole idea of 'Instagrammable' products. But I think there's a deeper psychological angle here. When someone compliments your purchase, it validates your taste and your decision. It's a form of social proof that comes after the fact, and it can reduce buyer's remorse. That's why it's so effective at building loyalty — it makes the customer feel smart, not just satisfied. Luna: So it's like the opposite of the 'IKEA effect' — where you value something more because you put it together yourself. Here, you value the purchase more because someone else validated it. Lucas: Exactly. And that's why I think the compliment touchpoint deserves a place on the map. Not as a step in the journey, but as a note in the margin — a reminder that the brand's job isn't just to deliver a product, but to create a context in which the customer feels proud of their choice. Luna: You know, Lucas, on a totally different note — and this is something I've been meaning to say — if today's conversation sparked an idea you might actually use, whether it's about mapping the compliment touchpoint or anything else we've covered on the show, there's a small way to keep us going without ads. It's just a link to buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, and honestly, if today was worth a coffee to you, that's the link. No pressure at all. It's just what keeps this show independent. Luna: And it really does help. Anyway, back to the compliment touchpoint — I want to dig a little deeper into how brands can measure the impact of this. Because it seems like it would be really hard to attribute a sale to a compliment. Lucas: It is hard, but not impossible. You can look at proxies. For instance, the store in Portland tracks how often customers mention 'feeling good' or 'getting compliments' in their feedback or on social media. They see that those customers have a higher repeat purchase rate than average. They also ask customers in their post-purchase survey, 'Did anyone compliment your purchase?' and they correlate that with future behavior. Luna: So you can actually quantify it to some extent. Lucas: Yeah, and it makes a compelling case for investing in those enabling conditions. If you know that customers who receive a compliment are twenty percent more likely to come back, you can justify the effort it takes to create those moments. Luna: That's a solid argument. And it ties into the broader idea that customer experience isn't just about removing friction — it's about adding moments of genuine human connection. Lucas: Absolutely. And that's what I love about this touchpoint — it reminds us that the best marketing often comes from real human interactions, not just campaigns. So when you're building your next journey map, take a step back and ask: where are the moments where a customer could receive a genuine compliment? And what can we do to make those moments more likely? Luna: That's a great question to end on. And with that, we'll see you on the next episode.