Beyond transactions: Building emotional connections for memorable customer experiences

Digitisation has been a boon to marketing teams, allowing them to reach more people – and more specifically, the right people – faster than ever before. But with the explosion of online retail, transactions have started to feel a little…well, cold. Heartless. Driven more by data and CX and relentless optimisation than anything resembling human connection.  

Customers are well aware of ad targeting, segmentation, pay-per-click, SEM and content marketing. And although this awareness doesn’t necessary lower our guard when it comes time to purchase, it doesn’t endear us either. It’s hard to summon up much brand loyalty when you feel like a mouse in a digital maze. 

But why does connection matter? Because research shows we tend to buy with our hearts, rather than our heads, and brands who can somehow worm their way into our affections stand a much better chance than those who simply make a good product. 85% of all purchasing decisions are made subconsciously, and emotional triggers are what drive a lot of that decision-making. 65% of consumers say they feel an emotional connection with a brand or company. Emotionally engaged customers are also three-times more likely to recommend a product to others. 

So how can we go beyond mere transactions, and build those elusive emotional connections?  

Personalisation 

This is a double-edged sword. Data analytics have allowed brands to serve customers more targeted content and relevant products, but too much personalisation and you run the risk of alienating your audience. 32% of consumers say they don’t like personalised messaged from brands, because they feel like an invasion of privacy. 28% also resent brands obtaining their personal information – through browsing data, for example – without them explicitly providing it. The trick is to make customers feel valued. Understood. Not gamed or exploited.  

Engaging content 

Creating high-quality content with a soft product push can be an effective way of building customer loyalty. Emphasis on ‘soft’ here. This isn’t 2015 anymore, and consumer awareness of advertorial content – thinly disguised product placement masquerading as editorial – is razer sharp. Instead, try leveraging storytelling to build emotional connection, highlighting the people, values and stories behind the product. You have to add value to the conversation, either through education, entertainment or engagement.  

Surprise and delight 

Does your brand do anything ‘above and beyond’ the traditional transaction experience? Have you tried personalised thankyou emails, special offers or discounts, random giveaways, surprise upgrades, or early-access to new products or features? Is there a clearly mapped-out post-purchase journey? Surprise-and-delight marketing has traditionally been a physical thing, but there are plenty of things that CX and digital professionals can do to build loyalty in their customer base.

Customer care 

There’s a reason the Customer Experience (CX) market is expected to grow 15% a year from 2023 to 2030 – it works. Customer who experience smooth CX, great customer service and a pain-free purchase journey are way more likely to return and buy again. So what can you do? Try leveraging CX tools to improve your overall online experience, and invest in quality customer service. Not just AI chatbots. Three in four customers will spend more with businesses that provide good CX, and 60% of people have bought something from a brand solely based on the service they received.  

Transparency and trust 

Trust goes both ways, as they say. Brands need to trust in their product, and their services, and customers need to trust that their favourite brands are doing the right thing. Trust is something that grows over time, with repeat transactions, but there are some things you can do to speed it up. Be transparent about your supply chains and business practices, take customers behind-the-scenes, publish your annual reports publicly, and be up-front when it comes to ESG targets.  

It comes back to what you prioritise as a business. If your only goal is margins and growth, you’re probably neglecting the two things that made you successful in the first place: your product and your customer. Instead, treat financial success as a symptom of good CX. The stats don’t lie: organisations that value customer satisfaction alongside growth and profitability can increase their revenue by up to 8%.   

Want to hone your CX skills? Check out RMIT Online’s Customer Experience Strategy and Design short course.