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DEVELOPING NEW BUSINESS IDEAS Table 4.5 Cross-sector application of customer journey technique

Phase in the customer journey Product/service example

Awareness of need Oral-B toothbrush, which includes the innovation of
a patented blue dye in the central bristles whose
fading indicates when the toothbrush requires
replacing; household batteries which allow you to
measure how much residual charge they contain;
Hallmark Cards’ reminder to customers when and
to whom they want their online cards to be sent

Distribution Actors bringing performances to people’s homes;
Cadbury creating scarcity value for its Chocolate
Creme Eggs by removing them temporarily from
distribution (the so-called ‘strawberry syndrome’);
The Book People company, focused entirely on
selling books direct to people who would never
normally visit a bookshop – distribution is typically
via factories and offices; Haines & Bonner,
traditional English shirt makers since 1865, who
deliver brand new hand-pressed shirts direct to the
desks of City of London-based executives

Selection Amazon.com’s bespoke software to prompt
intelligent suggestions online for additional
purchases; major retailers such as Harvey Nichols
offering ‘personal shopping’ services

Ordering and purchasing Dell Computers, Direct Line Insurance and easyJet,
all establishing direct sales links with customers in
their respective markets

From delivery to installation Marks & Spencer’s investment in user-friendly
assembly instructions for its flat-pack furniture

Payment Blockbuster Video, which changed the industry
pricing model from selling to renting; Ben &
Jerry’s, the ice-cream manufacturer, which
donated 10 per cent of its profits to charity; Student
Loans Company, which requires loans to be paid
back only when a graduate’s income has exceeded
a certain level

After-sales service Customer dissatisfaction with ‘revolving door’
outcomes of anonymous call centres has prompted
certain banks to differentiate themselves on the
basis of availability of local managers, including
mobile and direct line numbers; FirstDirect Bank,
open for human contact 24/7

Repairs and service Replacement service for travellers offered by credit
card providers and spectacle manufacturers

Disposal Lexmark printer cartridges, which can be collected
and recycled at manufacturer’s expense once
exhausted