Identifying Customer Experience-Based Touchpoints in the Food Industry Using Meta-Synthesis

Nowadays, customer behavior has become highly complex. A stronger understanding of customer experience requires the explanation and analysis of the dimensions, components, and indicators of the customer journey model based on touchpoints. With this perspective, the overall aim of this study is to present customer experience-based touchpoints in the packaged food industry using the meta-synthesis method. The scientific research articles reviewed were published over a ten-year period from 2013 to 2023 in reputable academic databases such as Google Scholar, Elsevier, Emerald, Sage Journals, Taylor & Francis, and Springer, as well as local databases such as the Comprehensive Portal of Humanities, Scientific Information Database of Jahad-e-Daneshgahi, Ganj, and Iran's Scientific Information Database. After reviewing various articles, 15 relevant studies were selected and analyzed using the meta-synthesis method. The results indicate that the most significant touchpoints on the customer journey map in the food industry are virtual networks and the internet. These are followed by advertising, stores, products, promotion programs, and customers. In the virtual networks category, the most crucial touchpoint is social media; in advertising, it is word-of-mouth marketing; in stores, it is the physical environment; in products, it is packaging; in promotional programs, it is customer loyalty cards; and in the customer segment, it is other customers’ views/satisfaction that are recognized as the most important touchpoints.