You've got the basics covered - a great website, fast email replies, seamless shipping.

But is that really enough to make your brand unforgettable in today's crowded market?

The most memorable companies are going beyond the expected to create unique, personality-packed ‘touchpoints’ that leave a lasting impression.

From cheeky loading screen messages to self-qualifying email sequences, these clever flourishes elevate the customer experience in a way that inspires rabid loyalty and profit-driving word-of-mouth.

In this post, you'll discover 5 innovative examples of brands delighting customers with exceptional touchpoints, and how you can easily adapt these tactics yourself for an extraordinary competitive edge.

Back when our parents were buying from catalogues, marketing was slow.

We’re talking about the days when my brother and I fought over the quarterly Next catalogue that just dropped through the letterbox.

And we’d stand, transfixed, in front of the toy store’s branded video ad plinth, watching the Magic Wigglee worm on a string ad on repeat.

Customer pipelines were traditional.

And slow.

Means of communication were limited.

And it was easy to stand out.

But nowadays, having a chatbot, offering compensatory discount codes when *yet again* Evri has f#cked up your next day delivery, and adding cute a ‘thank you’ postcard in your parcels is no longer deemed best practice.

Those are just table stakes in the D2C world these days — the minimum requirements that customers expect from any half-decent company.

They’re marketing non-negotiable.

But everyone’s doing these, so there’s real difficulty in standing out.

The bar has been raised.

In today's crowded, competitive marketplace, brands need to go above and beyond with thoughtful, memorable touchpoints that strengthen customer relationships and build real affinity.

And it’s only the brands that are looking past these generic touchpoints — the brands that are looking to insert extra wow-factor micro-moments along the customer journey — that become the memorable brands.

Fiiiiine, these extra touchpoints are not even deemed necessary. They are usually unexpected. And that’s why they’re so magic.

Expensive solutions are not the answer to differentiate yourself

Many founders get so focused on chasing the next AI or automation tool to ‘out-tech’ their competitors that they lose sight of emotionally connecting with the people they're trying to reach.

As marketing behemoth Seth Matlins said: "We are increasingly dehumanising in our efforts to personalise. And losing sight of the people we sell to, the people we're trying to engage, to move, to drive that emotional connection with." It’s becoming a recurrent problem that new innovations supersede the optimisation of existing (and currently dry AF) customer touchpoints.

The truth is, while those fancy-pants technologies have their place, I believe that it’s the unexpected-yet-delightful brand touchpoints that leave the strongest lasting impression.

These thoughtful extras convey values, boost brand affinity, and ultimately drive powerful word-of-mouth (that I don’t think any amount of paid marketing could match).

use micro-moments to create greater affinity between you + your customers

Think about it - if a brand's touchpoints resonate with you on a human level and make you feel appreciated as a customer, you're far more likely to tell your mates about them.

You'll post positively about them on social media.

You'll become a repeat buyer.

That free promo and exposure is marketing gold.

And once a brand taps into that virtuous cycle of genuine referrals, it’s only onwards and upwards when it comes to how far your brand travels: from being a local gem to becoming a global legend.

So while some founders think investing in the client experience is out of reach until they're more established, I'd argue the opposite:

Now is precisely the time to get intentional about those memorable touchpoints.

It's the brands going the extra mile — inserting totally unexpected yet delightful extras into the customer journey — that people can't help but rave about.

In this article, we'll look at 5 brands doing just that, creating subtle yet powerful branded moments that leave customers feeling seen, understood, and eager for more.

These touchpoints prove you don't need to be a big brand (or have a big budget) to leave a tremendous impression.

⚡ First we need to ask… ⚡

what exactly is the client experience?

A customer experience is made up of various moments, where your customer or client interacts with your brand.

That might be reading a post on Instagram, they might be reading a blog or podcast you’re featured in, they might see your branding and logo pop up as an ad, they might check out your website, they might receive a confirmation email from you once they booked something, they might get your email newsletter, they might find late payment reminders in their inbox *God forbid*, they might receive something from you in the post.

Each one of these ‘moments’ is called a touchpoint.

The traditional definition of a ‘touchpoint’ is that it each and every interaction and experience a customer has with a brand before making a purchase decision.

But I think it’s as important to think about the interactions AFTER purchase too.

Each and every touchpoint adds up to create an impression your customers (past, present and future) have of you.

And as I’m sure you’re waiting for me to say it….

COPYWRITING is a key player in each and every one of these touchpoints.

When we start to think about touchpoints, we immediately think of the obvious ones, like ads, landing pages, websites, blog posts, PR blasts, emails. This collection of marketing pieces serve as a fundamental checklist for brands, if they want to communicate the impact of their product/service and educate their customers on why they should pick their brand instead of those other brands.

However, there are these little moments that sit in the shadows.

These intermediary messages — often forgotten or ignored — communicate with customers, nonetheless.

And when brands are not intentional about them, they can interrupt your otherwise-intentional journey for customers, shaking them out of that lovely continuous experience the brand had designed for them.

Sometimes these little moments in the shadows look like blank, white space.

But I’ve found some clever brands that have capitalised on these little moments that didn’t exist before.

They’ve found quirky and subtle ways to slip in an extra branded touchpoint, a personality-packed moment, or a message that aligns the customer’s values with the brand’s.

For me, it’s the unexpected touchpoints that make a brand so much more memorable (and interactions with them more meaningful).

These cheeky little touchpoints wouldn’t be missed if they didn’t exist. But they add SO much value to a brand when they’re added in. And if you can create one new touchpoint with a customer, they’re just one step closer to booking with or buying from you.

We’re talking about loading screens, product packaging, 404 error pages and *no longer dry AF* contact pages.

Unexpected touchpoints that elevate a brand can have a knock-on effect in many ways, like:

“I’m more likely to buy from them again”
“I’m less likely to return to competitor brands” and
“I’m more likely to recommend this brand to friends and peers”

While seemingly minor, these are critical moments in the customer journey that brands can leverage to strengthen their connection and align with customer values.

Here are some of my favourite examples of amazing ‘flourishes’ — as I like to call them — in the customer experience. I’ve revisited all of these businesses multiple times, whether it was exploring their website weeks later, returning to visit their physical location or favouring them over an alternative option that does the same thing (but just wasn’t as ‘wow’).

These magic brand touchpoints that add up to an epic customer customer experience.

P.S. 4 out of the 5 examples don’t need to be using special tech, so you should walk away with a few new ideas up your sleeves.

1// your 404 error page:

a missed branding opportunity?

BRANDS // Patagonia, Indigo Wild Studio + Headspace

What's the purpose of a 404 error page?

It's meant to handle situations where someone types in an incorrect URL on your website or follows a broken link.

Instead of abruptly presenting a dead end, an effective 404 page gracefully guides visitors to find what they were actually looking for and continue their journey smoothly.

I'm going to use one of my go-to analogies here: It's like going to your favourite bakery on a lazy Saturday morning, hoping to grab those delicious almond croissants you've enjoyed for years, only to find the storefront shut down with zero explanation of where they've relocated. You storm off back home, forced to settle for a dry supermarket equivalent that will never hit the spot.

From the bakery’s perspective, this ain’t good.

The last thing you want is to frustrate people who ARE interested in your website, presenting them with a dead-end error page.

That just incentivises them to give up and go straight to a competitor's site instead. Avoid those negative vibes at all costs!

A good 404 page prevents that enraging scenario by acting as a friendly "You can still get your weekly flaky pastry, don’t fret — we’ve only moved down the street!" sign on the door.

It redirects people to get back on track.

In the website world, you’re redirecting prospective customers to other pages that are most likely going to solve their query.

Patagonia’s 404 error page:
filling the void with vulnerability

While basic 404 error pages might use generic "Not Found" messaging, you can inject way more personality here. Use some humour to explain what happened in a surprising, smile-inducing way that aligns with your brand voice.

If you’re not au fait with the snowboarding lingo, the picture shows the unfortunate victim of a Tomahawk wipeout.

According to Snowboarder Mag: “[t]he start to a tomahawk is when the nose of the board catches in the snow and sends the rider into an uncontrollable cartwheel downhill.”

Fellow snowboarders will feel the draw like that of a relatable peer (because, let’s face it — whether they like to admit it or not — every rider has tomahawked at least once in their snowboarding career).

And I won’t lie, it’s pretty darn embarrassing when that happens.

The underlying message is that Patagonia is kind of embarrassed too: bashful that you ended up clicking a link to a page that doesn’t exist.

So the brand’s vulnerability makes them feel more trustworthy to us, that they’re not hiding anything, that they’re going to be honest and open if things go wrong.

In a world of chronic greenwashing and fast-fashion faux pas, this is a major trust-building win for them.

Indigo Wild Studio hits the website-goal trifecta

Then there’s Simon John’s photography website (written by yours truly).

Here I was able to hit the trifecta of website goals:

[1] show Simon doesn’t take himself too seriously (so he’s the ideal bloke to hire if you’re a bit nervy in front of the camera,

[2] get the customer back on the right track, giving suggested links to blog posts, services page and a contact form at the bottom of the page (to delete any potential feelings of frustration and get the reader back to the good stuff), and

[3] showcase Simon’s photography work at the same time.

Using Headspace’s 404 to give a taste of what’s inside their paid offer

Finally, we’ve got Headspace’s 404 error page.

This is such a lovely reminder to slow down for a sec.

The brand is using this opportunity (that would USUALLY be a pain in the ass) to get their web visitors to take a quick moment away from their busy schedule.

It's almost like a free tip, so that website users can get a tiny taste of what Headspace does and the power of what they teach.

A somewhat sly, but impactful, way to add value to the life of your web user, before they've committed to handing over any cash-monies.

(But now web visitors are more likely to pay for the Headspace membership — or at least get more involved with their longer video and audio meditation recordings — now that they've just seen how much calmer they feel with an *accidental* freebie…. So just think of all the amazing stuff inside the paid app!)

Add some charisma to your own 404

Your 404 error page may seem insignificant, but it represents a critical branding opportunity. Everyone hits 404s eventually — why not use that moment to create an unexpectedly delightful experience?

More than just restating obvious navigational info, really lean into showcasing your brand's personality and values with witty copywriting and visuals to support.

These seemingly small touches leave a lasting impression.

You can reinforce what makes your company unique, while delivering a healthy dose of brand affinity.

Instead of being forgettable tech jargon, leverage your 404 copy and strengthen the perception that you truly understand your audience's experiences.

If it will help visitors self-navigate, include a search bar so they can hunt for what they're looking for.

Or if you have a blog, link to your most popular articles since those may have been their intended destination.

This is the perfect chance to get people back on track with your intended website journey and funnel toward your primary conversion goals.

A little creativity can transform a typically negative moment into a positive brand impression that keeps people following your funnel journey versus bouncing elsewhere.

And in an oversaturated market, those unique differentiators are everything.

So embrace the 404 as a chance to flex your brand's charisma! With some wit and care, you can turn even website errors into memorable relationship-building touchpoints.

2// your unboxing experience:

a branding opportunity

BRAND // PERCIVAL MENSWEAR

Skeletor (He-Man’s arch nemesis, if you’re not a 90s kid), a bowl of ramen, and the Off Menu podcast with James Acaster and Ed Gamble.

I recently bought these three gorgeous stitched tees for me and my husband.

Each t-shirt arrived in a compostable bag that made me LOL IRL (see below).

They really went the extra mile by infusing their personality into the product packaging.

This got me thinking — why would a brand bother putting so much thought into the seemingly minor detail of product packaging, when they’d already secured my money in their pocket?

The answer lies in the way that memories are constructed.

Percival’s unboxing experience:
when neuroscience influences copy

Rather than just telling their customers their values, instead of saying “We’re cheeky” or “We’re eco-conscious” or “We’re a big fan of social gatherings”, they are showing customers their values.

Percival is able to channel their values into these delightful real-life experiences that we, as consumers, can relate to:

The image of someone bumbling around the kitchen, bleary-eyed in the early morning, fumbling for the cereal box.

Casting your mind back to when you were chatting in the kitchen with mates, music’s playing, there’s that lovely tinkling sound of ice plopping into cut-glass glasses.

These images that start to form in our minds embody Percival’s values and personality.

This is some clever neurosciencey sh*t: research says that "memorization is enhanced when the individual actively simulates the visual characteristics of the object to be learned."

It’s the images held in the brain that are more likely to transfer to our long-term memory (more than a message that doesn’t conjure up an image in our minds).

Why? Because our brains encode images twice, whereas words are encoded just once.

In short, that means that when Percival uses these quirky visuals, the images created in the mind of the reader linger longer (as opposed to Percival telling us what their values are, which we’re FAR more likely to forget).

They give a sh*t about how we see their products. And how we feel about interactions with their brand. The unboxing experience isn’t just a cute (but fleeting) LOL moment — it’s an experience they’ve engineered so that we remember them for longer.

What could be an intangible brand ethos has now materialised.

And how genius is it to encourage UGC (user-generated content) not around the product itself, but around their packaging? As delighted buyers share photos and videos of the cheeky packaging across social media, this extended Percival's reach while ALSO building deeper connections with their audience.

Percival's unboxing experience appeals to like-minded consumers who appreciate those same values of humour, craftsmanship, and community experiences. The packaging symbolises shared ideals, deepening their connection.

The comedy unites audiences who don't take themselves too seriously.

Does your brand’s package resemble a soulless vessel?

Or are you engineering it to be a memorable LOL moment that’ll stick in your customers’ brains for more than a few seconds?

By breathing life into their values through packaging instead of just stating them, Percival builds a stronger brand affinity with those customers who are on their exact-same wavelength.

Unboxing becomes an opportunity to remember the good times, rather than just a transaction.

Consider how you could inject your own values, personality and audience attunement into the unboxing experience.

3// the messaging on your contact page

A missed opportunity?

brand // aether online emotional health studio

Many businesses simply have a dry, uninspiring standard contact form on their website — maybe there’s one for customers, one for suppliers, one for affiliates.

But your contact page represents a major opportunity to make prospective leads and customers feel supported before they've even converted.

Trust can only be built when a customer believes in you, when they’re assured that their time/energy/money spent with you will be beneficial to them. So there needs to be a level of comfort and for trust to flourish.

A 2023 study showed that 82% of customers felt that great customer service boosted their trust in a company at the point of making a purchase.

But what if you were to make a concerted effort to build trust before they’d made a purchase, when they’re still not 100% convinced that handing you their time/energy/money is worth it? What would be the impact of building trust earlier in the buyer’s journey?

How Aether’s contact page copy boosts psychological safety

Take Aether's website contact page for example, which aims to create a sense of relief and optimism even before someone submits an enquiry.

It's not just a basic form, but a space designed to:

Reassure visitors that no question is too big or small
Invite prospects to join the mailing list if they aren’t ready to commit to a paid service
Showcase testimonials that speak of the business owner's sensitive nature (so readers can feel safe in reaching out) and
Clearly reinforce the notion that everyone's experience is different

The goal?

To gently support, nurture and reassure future customers, addressing any hesitations so they feel confident moving forward after having their queries sensitively answered.

At this stage of the buyer's journey, prospective customers visiting the contact page likely have some uncertainties about whether the offering is right for them. They may be interested but are still tentative.

Some could even feel embarrassed to enquire about something they fear is an obvious or ‘silly’ question.

A thoughtfully designed contact page can overcome these obstacles and provide that extra nudge of confidence a prospect needs before taking the plunge.

Turn your own contact page into a space of affirmation

Ultimately, the point that your prospects are on your contact page is when they are at their most vulnerable, credit card in hand, as they consider investing in you/your brand.

They want to feel welcomed, not judged or dismissed like those dry, generic contact pages.

Put yourself in their shoes — what hesitations might they be wrestling with? What can you say or showcase to address those hesitations warmly and make them feel embraced, not intimidated?

Invite curiosity rather than doubt.

Key Elements to Include:

FAQ section covering common queries
Searchable knowledge base
Realistic response time expectations
Satisfaction guarantees or policies
Testimonials about how lovely you and your support team are

More than just a utility, your contact page is a chance to warmly invite dialog.

It’s a space — more often than not, underutilised — to demonstrate your appreciation for the consumer's needs at this pivotal decision stage.

A little nurturing here can mean the difference between an abandoned cart and a loyal new customer relationship.

4// self-segmenting

Develop stronger connections by turning your readers off

Brand // Woodgreen Pets Charity

I had my heart set on adopting a puppy for months and over Christmas I signed up with a few rescue centres.

Woodgreen Pets Charity stood out to me.

Why? Once I had submitted the application form, I was rather surprised to receive an email persuading me not to adopt a puppy.

After joining their waiting list, I received a series of emails. Emails ranged from helping me understand what it takes to look after a rescue pup and how it’s different from looking after new pups.

Another email helped me understand how we could prepare our home and garden.

Rather than just trying to rehome their dogs as quickly as possible, Woodgreen was educating me on making a more informed decision about adoption.

It showed they truly care about ensuring their dogs go to the right homes.

Woodgreen Pets Charity is a fabulous example of how an email sequence can show customers that you care about the work you’re doing, that you care about your future customers, by educating them on how to make a more informed choice.

Even if you’re telling them not to book with/buy from you.

Woodgreen’s emails that allow prospects to self-qualifying: an exercise in humility

This email series was a form of self-qualification for leads.

Some of the content was quite harsh, including lines like "Think about whether you have any other commitments that might keep you from giving them the attention they need!" and "Alongside training and management, this can sometimes involve lifestyle changes like avoiding leaving them home alone."

And then the fact that they "take a lot of time, hard work, dedication, training and patience to become well-rounded adult dogs" really made me second guess what I was doing.

Sounds like they’re putting off potential leads to me. And that feels very counterintuitive. But by making the adoption process sound quite difficult, more people are likely to self-select out of following through on their applications, if they realise they aren't properly prepared.

Surely they want to find a home for as many dogs as possible?

Without these serious, self-qualifying messages in their emails, the alternative would be having their admin team manually filter out applicants who aren't suited to care for a dog due to lack of time, funds, or patience.

So by having some potential leads opt-out themselves, it reduces unnecessary admin work for Woodgreen.

Obviously, there’s an ethical responsibility for Woodgreen to encourage self-qualification of potential dog-adopters (as fewer dogs will be returned to them if only the people who are serious continue on their adoption journey).

But this strategy is not just a selfish endeavour for the charity.

Woodgreen clearly values animal rights and justice for neglected animals.

Their process demonstrates a long term mindset of finding the right permanent homes, rather than rushing rehoming.

This aligns with prospective adopters who will also prioritise an animal's life-long wellbeing.

**How your business can share values and save on admin hours**

The key is providing upfront education about the realities and commitments of working with you. This allows unsuitable prospects to self-select out early, saving you tedious back-and-forth conversations. It ensures only qualified, invested leads make it to your inbox.

Email is a low cost option to help prospective clients remember you, while making them feel valued as followers.

Ask yourself: Who is the biggest drain on your time and resources?

Then, how could you introduce a new touchpoint into your pre-conversion marketing ecosystem that weedles out the bad-fit customers and discourages them from contacting you in the first place?

5// while they’re waiting for your website to load…

activate your values

Brand // FloDesk email marketing platform

As our businesses grow, and our tech stacks double in size, each new platform we add to our SOP-arsenal wants to be faster, slicker, easier to navigate. And with streamlining often comes the removal of unneccasty touchpoints.

But the brands that are willing to get raw, relatable and inject some soul into those micro-moments? They're the ones winning hearts, minds and customers for life.

Take FloDesk for example.

This email marketing platform could have settled for basic loading screen updates: "Page Loading...". Or a cute animation of their logo being drawn… yawn.

Instead, their devs coded in cheeky messages that tap into the realities of the solopreneur hustle:

FLODESK’S LOADING SCREEN MESSAGES DON’T JUST SHOWCASE COPYWRITING FLAIR

In a matter of seconds, these quippy loading screens:

✨ Recognise the hard hours that FloDesk’s customers are putting into growing their businesses

✨ Nudge useres to take a moment for themselves, if their work-life balance has gone askew

✨ Create camaraderie that "We're all in this together"

✨ Add a glimmer of comedy to an otherwise mundane moment

✨ Show that FloDesk doesn’t take itself too seriously, and neither should their customers

It's feedback like: "We see you, we get you, and we're here for you - not just your open rates."

This is quite an intimate, raw relationship they want to spark up with their clients: not just focussing on the money their customers can make through their emails, or the growth and lead gen opportunities, but they’re focussing on the business owner as an individual.

These unexpected flourishes are massively underrated in creating breakthrough brand experiences.

While competitors focus on fancy tech or their professional image, FloDesk is focused on serving the HUMAN behind the screen.

Sometimes these micro-messages are on the screen for such a short period of time that people don’t even have enough time to read them.

But they decided to do this nonetheless.

BRINGING YOUR OWN VALUES TO LIFE

For a few minutes of extra coding, they've made an indelible impression that inspires deep loyalty, word-of-mouth obsession, and customers who would never dream of wandering off to a soulless alternative.

When there are studies that tell us that increasing customer retention rates by 5% can increase profit anywhere from 25% to 95% we can start to appreciate the tangible impact of optimising the in-product experience as much as we feel we need to optimise the pre-purchase experience.

Even after a customer trusts you enough to give you their bank details, there is real power in continuing to align yourself with your customers, patting them on the back for the hard work they’re doing and encouraging them to keep at it, deposit the hard time and tantrums.

What truly memorable experiences could YOUR brand create with a bit of extra soul? It's those magic touches that transform your business from just another option into an obsession.

conclusion + takeaways

ELEVATE YOUR CUSTOMER JOURNEY WITH STAND-OUT COPYWRITING

First of all, it is paramount you know what your brand values are.

And also who your customers are (in order for you to be able to align yourselves with prospective buyers).

The next step is creating a brand voice that can be infused into each and every touchpoint, before, during and after the purchase.

Then it’s time to get brainstorming:

How can you convey your values more effectively through the customer journey?
How can you actively show (not just tell) customers what you stand for?
How can you create brand affinity with those scrolling your site?
Where can you inject more of your unique personality into seemingly generic touchpoints?

Too many brands simply list out their values on an About page and call it a day.

But the companies really mastering the art of brand affinity are those injecting their values into every possible customer touchpoint through creative, smart and psychology-driven copywriting.

They use copy that creates a little internal smile.

Copy that creates the feeling of safety.

And copy that makes readers feel they’re not alone.

Adding these flourishes by way of micro-moments will elevate your customer experience, so you can:

Get more return customers
Educate your followers on what your values are, so they can get behind your mission and your vision
Make your future customers feel cared for, before they’ve even £invested in you
Get more recommendations and word of mouth referrals
Turn their experience from ‘meh’ to memorable

If you're ready to ditch "meh" and embrace "obsession-worthy", here are 2 ways to start infusing your brand's personality into your customer experience.

YOUR HOMEWORK

Get your hands on my signature customer journey map (and there’s a version with it all filled in already for one of my past clients, to get your creative juices flowing).

Use it to uncover opportunities to infuse more personality across ALL your interactions with customers, no matter how momentous or seemingly insignificant.

Bonus points

Have a photos folder on your phone so you can snap any fun, unexpected, values-asserting touchpoints you experience as a consumer yourself.

Then when you’ve got a lul in client work, or it’s the off-season and you’re looking to upgrade your customer experience, then you’ve got a bunch of epic ideas to inspire you.

Rethink your onboarding sequence. What clever, personality-packed twists could you add to really wow new customers from the start? User guides with quirky humour, unboxing experiences that share your mission, surprise goodies that convey your values?
Rehash those default messages. Loading screens, confirmation pages, email footers - any place you have default or basic messages are opportunities to forge real/better connections. Few things build loyalty like human connection.
Look for "edge case" moments. The 404 error page. The "item out of stock" notification. The post-purchase follow up. These are missed chances to create memorable delight by addressing the situation in a way that's on-brand and make people smile.
Make live customer support experiences remarkable. Smash those generic email templates and chatbot scripts. Give your team the guidelines to up their game when it comes to the voice they should be using – it’s not the individual that’s talking (as that’s going to change drastically, from customer service rep to customer service rep), it’s the brand that’s talking. They need to convey the brand’s stand-out personalities while solving customer woes.
Then audit your core journey for "meh" moments. For each key touchpoint, brainstorm flourishes that reinforce your mission, unique personality and customer-centric mindset. There's always room for improvement.

It shouldn’t take major resources to transform mundane interactions into memorable brand moments.

Just a commitment to realness over robotics.

Don't sleepwalk through blatant opportunities to showcase what makes your brand's personality shine.

Take a lesson from the companies thinking outside the box, and truly ACTION your core beliefs in unexpected ways that delight customers.

Because in today's over-saturated market, being remembered is the greatest advantage you can give your brand.

And thoughtful, personality-packed touchpoints are the easiest way to make that lasting impression.

Wanna see more of my client experience first hand?

click here to get in my calendar ➝

5 unexpected touchpoints to make you x20 more memorable [inc. examples]