Creating the Customer Experience…
Customer experience and brand reputation are more important than ever before.
Customer experience and brand reputation are more important than ever before. The present environment creates more available options for consumers, so what you as a business offer needs to be valuable and relatable. In industries like retail, restaurants, and real estate you need to be present both in person as well as online when it comes to experiences. Each has its own set of standards on what consumers want and now expect.
These are a few things to consider, especially in today’s pandemic market. Think like a consumer, how does this establishment or brand make you “feel”? Do you trust the business? Does it have your safety and well-being in mind? It starts at the core of your business beliefs; you need to build a human aspect to your brand that is both internal for employees and external for consumers. For example, Danny Meyer the restauranteur and founder of Shake Shack is not just ‘selling food’, he is selling comradery, community and creating a memory that is supported by the best quality food and service. When you think of your travel’s what typically comes to mind is a fond “memory”, like the little Café in Paris or the Lobster Roll on a picnic table in Maine. A positive experience of a brand, in a place or space, tends to stay in one’s memory more.
In retail, typically the brands that focus on creating excellent customer experiences tend to be more successful and build a loyal following. In the past, Tiffany’s, Neiman Marcus, Mitchell’s of Westport achieved this as they were nimble, flexible, and listened to what customers wanted and expected. This helped the companies adapt to the consistently changing market. At this moment, health and safety are top priorities. If you have recently been to a Trader Joe’s, from the start they took their employees well-being as a first priority along with that of their consumers. Those who opened with curbside pick-up or expanded their e-commerce, both thought of the health first then access second. Zappos is known for its service and that’s because they trust and value their employees and empower them to handle customer service situations.
Building an emotional connection with clients is key to gaining loyalty. Whether that is having a background story people can relate to, supporting local communities and social changes, or in-person connections through employees. Online shopping and food services are more popular, but it is harder to make a personal connection, so you need to make the digital experience easy, aesthetically pleasing, and worth it. Use digital social tools such as Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook in a positive way, so you can build a following. Show you are available and accessible
Know your customer. Listen to them. Proceed with a purpose.
Limited brainstorming and creative strategy sessions available.
To learn more, contact Beth@imagesanddetails.com or (203) 966 8203