Why Customers Never Follow The Plan

Marketers love customer journeys.Customers, unfortunately, have other ideas.One minute they're discovering your brand on social media. The next they're reading reviews, comparing prices, checking Amazon, asking a friend, forgetting you exist for a month and then buying from a completely different channel.Simple.In this episode, Adam Pearce is joined by Jack Squire from Get Better and Chris Forbes, Co-Founder of Cheeky Panda, to talk about how customers really buy in 2026.From trust and influence to affiliate marketing, customer feedback and the growing challenge of attribution, this is a conversation about the gap between the journeys brands design and the journeys customers actually take.Along the way, Chris shares lessons from growing Cheeky Panda into an internationally recognised brand and why understanding customer behaviour has become more important than ever.In this episode:– Why customers rarely take the route brands expect– The changing role of social media in discovery– Why trust beats marketing messages– The influence of reviews, affiliates and recommendations– How customer journeys differ across DTC, Amazon and retail– Why attribution is getting harder– Finding the moments that genuinely influence buying decisions– What brands can do to create better customer experiencesAbout the GuestChris Forbes is the Co-Founder of Cheeky Panda, a fast-growing sustainable household products brand helping consumers switch to bamboo alternatives.Since launching, Cheeky Panda has expanded internationally and become one of the best-known challenger brands in the category.🔗 Cheeky Panda → https://thecheekypanda.co.ukAbout the HostsAdam Pearce is Co-Founder of Blend Commerce and eCom Collab Club®, helping helps Shopify brands improve conversion, customer experience and commercial performance.Jack Squire is Growth & Partnerships Lead at Get Better, working with brands to understand customer behaviour, improve decision-making and identify opportunities to create better customer experiences with email marketing.🔗 Blend Commerce → https://blendcommerce.com🔗 Get Better → https://www.getbetter.co.ukMost customer journeys don't look anything like the ones in your workshop.And that's exactly why this conversation matters.🎧 Listen now.