What 28 Days Later Can Teach Us About Great CX (Yes, Really)

Alright folks, confession time: I am a massive horror geek. Proudly so. My crowning adult achievement? Not my career, not even the relationships I hold dear—it’s the fact that I have the carpet from The Shining in my home office. That’s my happy place. That probably tells you everything you need to know.

So, with 28 Years Later on the horizon (yes, I’m both excited and feeling suitably ancient), I recently rewatched 28 Days Later. It holds up. Still gripping. Still brilliant. Danny Boyle manages that rare balance between sarcastic realism and dogged optimism—and it got me thinking. Not just about zombies and societal collapse, but about CX. (Yes, bear with me.)

The Strange Comfort of Chaos

There’s something oddly seductive about the film’s early scenes: a world stripped of noise, screens, money, politics. Just the basics—survival.

No doomscrolling, no job hunting on LinkedIn, no comparison culture. Obviously, I wouldn’t actually want to be relentlessly chased by infected rage-monsters—but the freedom of that stripped-back existence is hard to ignore.

And weirdly, it made me think of the customer journey.

The Supermarket Scene: The Gold Standard of CX?

One of the most powerful scenes (and yes, minor spoiler alert) is when the survivors find a supermarket fully stocked with all the comforts of pre-apocalypse life. There’s no checkout. No queues. No judgment. Just joy—freedom to grab what you want, have fun doing it, and feel alive again, even for a moment.

That’s exactly what a purchase journey—online or offline—should feel like.

It should feel:

• Effortless

• Unpressured

• Fun

• Personal

  
  

The Power of Small Joys

The big lesson? It’s not just about what people are buying. It’s about how they’re made to feel when they buy it. That moment of browsing. The ease of clicking "buy." The anticipation of a delivery. The helpful update email. The delight of great packaging. The smooth return if it doesn't fit.

It’s about the little touches that turn a transaction into an experience.

CX lives in those small moments. That’s where customer loyalty is built. That’s where brand stories take root.

A (Gentle) Plea for Tangibility

In a world that’s always on, the physical still has meaning. Whether it’s the tactile joy of a beautifully delivered package or the rare treat of being offline for a while—there’s still huge value in the real, the visceral, the felt. As we craft digital journeys, we should never lose sight of the human ones.

Don’t Build Zombie Journeys

If your CX makes people feel like they’re trudging through a joyless, automated process—mindlessly clicking, navigating clunky UIs, or jumping through unnecessary hoops—you’ve lost them. No one wants to feel like a zombie. Not in a post-apocalyptic horror, and definitely not when they’re trying to order toothpaste.

Make it easy. Make it delightful. Make it feel like they just found a fully stocked supermarket in the middle of chaos.

Channel the Boyle

Be optimistic. Stay creative. Don’t forget the humanity in what you're designing. Think about how it feels, not just how it functions.

If your customers walk away from an experience with a sense of joy—even if they were just buying soap—you’ve nailed it.

And yes, if I ever find myself in a deserted Tesco mid-apocalypse, I will be stocking up on the best whiskey. Because joy matters. Even when the world is falling apart.