Types and dimensions of intermediaries in the customer journey

Daiane Pereira da Fonseca, Karim Marini Thomé and Ricardo Limongi

RAUSP Management Journal, 2026, vol. 61, 60-86

Abstract: PurposeThis paper aims to examine the role of marketing intermediaries in the customer journey, identify key dimensions and analyze how different intermediaries influence customer experiences across various purchase stages.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review analyzed 36 articles from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The methodology followed a structured approach using assembling, arrangement and assessment criteria, complemented by coding and categorization processes to identify key dimensions and patterns in the literature review.FindingsThe analysis identified ten key dimensions that define marketing intermediaries’ roles and four main types: surrogate consumers, opinion leaders, expert sources and supplier-affiliated intermediaries. The results show that surrogate consumers and supplier-affiliated intermediaries affect all stages of the journey, while opinion leaders and expert sources primarily influence the pre-purchase stage. This study reveals that, despite shared characteristics, the impact of intermediaries varies significantly across contexts and types.Research limitations/implicationsThis study advances consumer behavior theory by providing a comprehensive framework of marketing intermediary dimensions and their influence on customer journeys. It also strengthens stakeholder theory by systematically analyzing diverse intermediaries in the value-creation process.Practical implicationsOrganizations can develop more effective marketing strategies by selecting appropriate intermediaries for different journey stages and enhancing service personalization and customer experience management through targeted engagement with intermediaries.Social implicationsThis research illuminates how marketing intermediaries shape consumers’ decisions and experiences in the digital age. This contributes to a better understanding of social influence on purchase decisions and market dynamics.Originality/valueThis systematic investigation of marketing intermediaries in the customer journey provides a novel framework for understanding their defining dimensions and their impact across purchase stages, thereby filling a significant gap in the marketing literature.

Keywords: Customer journey; Marketing intermediaries; Surrogate consumers; Opinion leaders; Expert sources; Intermediary dimensions; Systematic literature review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.emerald.com/rausp/article/doi/10.1108/ ... ntermediaries-in-the (text/html)
https://www.emerald.com/rausp/article-pdf/doi/10.1 ... p-11-2024-0242en.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:rauspp:rausp-11-2024-0242

DOI: 10.1108/RAUSP-11-2024-0242

Access Statistics for this article

RAUSP Management Journal is currently edited by Leandro dos Santos Maciel and Rafaela Almeida Cordeiro

More articles in RAUSP Management Journal from Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Emerald Support ().