Beyond channels: How marketers should think about customer journeys

Today's consumers live in a world of constant communication. Every day they are exposed to an endless stream of emails, social media adverts, display advertising, SMS messages and app notifications. As marketers, we have never had more ways to reach people. Ironically, that has made it harder than ever to earn their attention. 

Consistent research also shows that consumers increasingly expect brands to communicate in ways that feel relevant, timely and personalised, rather than relying on generic one-size-fits-all marketing messages. A case in point is that McKinsey found as far back as 2021 that 71 percent of consumers expect companies to deliver personalised interactions, while 76 percent become frustrated when those interactions fail to meet their expectations^[1].

We have experienced that same trend at Latcham with our own customers, and it has only grown and strengthened with time. They want to feel understood, valued and recognised by the brands they choose to engage with, rather than treated as another name in a database. That changes our role as marketers. 

Our job is no longer simply to promote products or generate transactions. It is to create experiences that guide customers through every stage of their relationship with our brand, helping them make confident decisions, encouraging them to convert and continuing to build that relationship long after the first purchase. 

Ultimately, success is not measured by how many customers we acquire. It is measured by how many become loyal advocates. 

Breaking down the silos 

Delivering that kind of experience becomes incredibly difficult when marketing continues to operate in silos. How can customers feel connected to a brand if they receive disconnected messages, inconsistent experiences or communications driven by inaccurate or incomplete data? Every interaction shapes how people perceive an organisation, and fragmented communications inevitably create friction rather than confidence. 

The real objective should be relevance. Customers increasingly expect brands to understand where they are in their journey and respond with communications that are timely, consistent and genuinely useful. That only becomes possible when we stop thinking in terms of individual campaigns or channels and instead focus on the complete customer experience.

Journey before channel

Once we adopt that mindset, the next question becomes much simpler: what is the right channel at the right moment? Every interaction should have a clear purpose, whether that is creating awareness, supporting consideration, encouraging conversion or strengthening loyalty. 

The question marketers should continually ask themselves is not, "Which channel do we want to use?" It is, "What are we trying to achieve for this customer right now, and which channel gives us the best opportunity to achieve it?" 

The answer will vary from one customer journey to another. That is precisely why data has become so important. Connected customer experiences depend on collecting the right information and using it intelligently.

Behavioural signals, purchase history, engagement data and customer preferences all provide valuable insight into where someone sits within their journey and what they are most likely to need next. 

When that intelligence is integrated into automated workflows, marketers can trigger highly relevant communications through the most appropriate channel at exactly the right time. 

The result is a fundamental shift away from campaign-led marketing towards customer-led marketing, where every interaction feels purposeful, timely and relevant. This is also where marketing effectiveness begins to improve. Better relevance reduces wasted communications, strengthens engagement and increases the likelihood of meaningful commercial outcomes.

Mail belongs in the journey 

For many marketers, journey orchestration is still associated almost exclusively with digital channels such as email, CRM and paid media. One of the biggest misconceptions in modern marketing is that direct mail somehow sits outside this connected ecosystem. 

In reality, modern mail can operate using exactly the same customer data, automation, behavioural triggers and decisioning logic as digital channels. Rather than existing as a standalone tactic, it becomes another connected touchpoint within the wider customer journey. That fundamentally changes how marketers should think about mail. 

Why physical still matters 

Direct mail has an increasingly valuable role to play within today's communications mix. As digital channels become more saturated, a well-timed piece of mail has the ability to cut through the noise by offering customers something tangible they can physically engage with.

Unlike many digital messages that disappear within seconds, mail often remains in the home for days or even weeks, creating repeated opportunities for engagement, attention and brand recall. 

As evidenced in the fascinating book Physically Irresistible, produced by Marketreach: “95 percent of mail is engaged with, by people of all ages, and 33 percent of mail drives a commercial action. Also, 70 percent of people said mail gives them a better impression of the company that sent it, while touch has a surprisingly powerful and long-lasting impact on our memory.” 

Using customer data, purchase history, behavioural signals and lifecycle triggers, mail can be personalised to an individual level and delivered at precisely the right moment. Whether welcoming a new customer, re-engaging someone who has become inactive, supporting a renewal or reinforcing a loyalty programme, mail can now be deployed with exactly the same precision as any digital channel. 

Stronger together 

While automation and integration are important, mail also contributes something digital channels cannot easily replicate. It captures attention differently, it builds trust and it creates memorable physical brand experiences.^[2] 

Its value is not that it competes with email, paid media or CRM. Its value is that it complements them, adding another dimension to an increasingly connected customer journey. That is why the most effective marketing strategies are rarely built around individual channels. They are built around how those channels work together. 

Ultimately, the greatest benefit of a customer journey approach is not simply that it improves customer experience, it is that it improves marketing effectiveness. 

When channels operate through shared data, integrated workflows and common objectives, we see time and again that marketers: reduce wasted communications, increase relevance and deliver stronger commercial performance. It also changes how marketing success is measured. 

Rather than reporting isolated channel metrics such as open rates, click-throughs or impressions, marketers can demonstrate genuine business impact by showing how connected customer journeys influence acquisition, conversion, retention and customer lifetime value. That creates a far clearer picture of marketing's contribution to commercial success and provides much stronger evidence of return on investment. 

Mail has an important role to play within that future. Far from being a traditional channel disconnected from modern marketing, it has become a responsive, data-enabled touchpoint that works seamlessly alongside CRM, retail media and digital communications to help marketers create more relevant customer experiences, build stronger relationships and deliver better business outcomes. 

The author, Rebekah Hughes, is a Marketing Executive at Latcham, where she helps brands create connected customer communications across print, mail and digital channels. Winner of the 2026 IPIA Young Leader Award, she explores why modern marketing should no longer be built around individual channels, but around customer journeys – using data, automation and integrated communications to deliver more relevant experiences and stronger commercial outcomes.