When agent interfaces and external surfaces take more space, the journey becomes less linear. A new customer may build preference through comparisons, reviews, and proof long before the first purchase appears in your analytics. A loyal customer can repurchase without visiting your site or opening email because the agent keeps choosing you based on trust, delivery, price logic, and return terms. That means CRM and acquisition can no longer be optimized separately without losing effect. You need shared goals, a shared customer model, prospect and customer in the same view, and an experiment engine that spans the whole chain rather than being owned by one channel.