Types and dimensions of intermediaries in the customer journey

This 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. A 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. The 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. This 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. Organizations 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. This 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. This 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.