8 Stats That Prove the Value of Customer Experience
Are you curious about how important CX really is? Check out our breakdown of eight key customer experience statistics that prove its value.
Customer experience is king in the modern market, and there’s a good reason for that. These days, customers know that many companies competing in the same niche offer similar products. Therefore, the differentiating factor or deciding element that determines whether a customer will shop at one brand or another is experience.
Simply put, customers want stellar, positive experiences from all of their brands. They want to feel seen and heard, and they want each shopping experience to be emotionally resonating and engaging. That might seem like a tall order, but it’s one that your brand must fulfill if it helps to succeed.
Still not convinced? Today, let’s break down eight customer experience statistics that prove the value of focusing on CX regardless of industry.
1. Personalization Leads to Impulse Purchases
Did you know that about 49% of buyers make impulse purchases when they receive more personalized customer experiences? It’s true!
Personalization is a major factor in terms of whether someone will buy something from a brand or not, especially if it’s their first time trying out a new company. Essentially, when you personalize someone’s shopping experience, they are more likely to take a chance with your business.
That’s a win, no matter how you look at it. This just highlights the importance of personalization in customer experience design. When about half of your purchasers use personalization as a deciding factor, it’s key that CX is more vital than ever before.
Impulse purchases, as well, can lead to long-term customer loyalty and retention. If that initial purchase does a great job of convincing prospective customers of the value of your brand, don’t be surprised when they come back again and again. Then, all you have to do is keep up the personalized CX (and stellar product) so they recommend your brand to others!
2. Most Companies Compete via CX
Customer experience is also highly important because it’s the primary competition factor for brands like yours. These days, over two-thirds of companies compete primarily through customer experience. Compare this to 36% in 2010, and it’s clear that CX is crucial if you want to avoid losing your market share to your most direct competitors.
It’s no secret why this is the case. These days, customers know that your products may not be extremely different from the products of a direct competitor. But if you offer a stellar experience with personalization, top-notch customer support, and other effective elements, those customers will still rather shop at your brand instead of another.
Seen in another way, CX is vital because it helps your brand stand out from the competition. Think of it as a form of passive marketing. With five-star customer experiences at the forefront of your brand's offerings, it'll be the go-to choice for people among your target audience for a long time to come.
3. Omnichannel Investment Is Vital
Omnichannel marketing and customer experience design are critical, with 80% of companies investing in omnichannel experiences. Omnichannel experiences are holistic, consistent, and similar throughout a customer’s journey. As an example, they have a great experience chatting with a salesperson on social media, enjoy visiting your store, and finally purchase a product while still feeling a good experience and vibe.
It's an omnichannel journey through and through. You design your CX so it feels consistent and excellent throughout, not just at the beginning or very end. Omnichannel investment is crucial for your CX to convince prospective customers to spend money at that business as they gain confidence in the brand's long-term quality. It’s not just about acquiring new customers; it’s also about keeping customers coming back time and again.
4. It’s Time To Invest in Mobile-Friendly CX
Over half of all Internet traffic comes from mobile devices these days, so odds are your brand gets a lot of mobile visitors and prospective shoppers. Customer experience is important because you want to snag those mobile shoppers before they click away to a competitor's site.
According to certain surveys, 57% of customers won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed website for mobile use. A business must be mobile-friendly; it won't matter what products they offer or what the reputation is if leads can’t navigate through the site on iPhones or Android devices.
Investing in mobile-friendly CX is important for your revenue, long-term reputation, and the satisfaction and enjoyment of customers. Need a boost? Use Awesome CX’s expertise to redesign your UI for better mobile functionality.
5. Customers Leave Brands After One Bad Experience
In a survey of 15,000 consumers, approximately 33% of customers leave brands after they have just one bad experience. 92% of those customers completely abandon companies after two or three bad experiences or interactions.
Simply put, customer experience protects a brand’s reputation … and bottom line. Just one mistake, like a customer support call that goes poorly or a bad shopping experience, is enough to turn a customer away from a brand.
Unsatisfied customers often negatively contribute to brand image and reputation, too. Double down on CX to ensure that negative interactions are as rare as possible.
6. Customers Prefer Self-Service
Self-service tools, like self-help portals, knowledge bases, and self-checkout stations, are shoppers’ go-to options when available. Eighty-one percent of consumers prefer self-service options and would like to see more of them. This is especially true when it comes to online shopping.
This is partially due to the cultural shifts of our time, but it’s also because of the realities of online purchasing. When someone wants to purchase things online, they want to do so quickly and easily with minimal extra steps and hassle. Focus on providing self-service CX tools and portals wherever you can.
7. Automated Customer Interactions Are the Future
By the same token, expect CX to remain important, especially through an automation lens. Early research suggests that a majority of customer interactions are likely to be automated through AI and machine learning by the end of 2023.
To that end, focus on providing automated CX that doesn’t compromise in terms of quality or user-friendliness. Introducing user-friendly AI chatbots, for example, can take a load off your customer support department’s shoulders and enable customers to get quick answers to FAQs without a lot of trouble.
That being said, some complaints or questions require a knowledgeable, friendly support team member to solve. Sixty-seven percent of consumers appreciate the option of having live support. While many shoppers do make use of the self-service options mentioned above, a real support team does things that no computer can do. A highly-trained support staff goes even beyond that.
8. Customers Demand Proactive Communication
Proactivity and fast response time are among the most essential elements in any customer interaction. Provide both of these elements through remarkable customer experiences. Eighty-five percent of customers expect proactive communication and contact from a business that wants to get their patronage.
This statistic is especially relevant for sales-focused industries or for businesses that have to pursue leads for most or all of their revenue. For example, suppose you get most of your revenue from a handful of important clients or accounts. In that case, your sales staff needs to be very proactive in approaching those clients about upcoming purchases, renewing subscriptions, and so on.
Proactive communication shows a customer or client that you care about their business. It makes them feel special and recognized. More importantly, it gives your sales and customer support staff the opportunity to provide stellar experiences.
For instance, if your sales staff reaches out to a high-value client, then have the chance to ask the client if they can do anything better, if they can offer them a discount, if there’s anything they need to do to satisfy the client’s needs, etc. All of that contributes to a top-notch customer experience that clients remember for a long time to come.
Improve Your Brand’s CX With Awesome CX
The numbers don’t lie: customers demand excellent experiences no matter what. In order to thrive, businesses have to fulfill customer expectations and desires: Focusing on CX at the earliest opportunity helps a company put its best foot forward.
Make it that easier than ever with Awesome CX. Our knowledgeable CX specialists can provide many different types of assistance, ranging from back-end office support to customer support agent training and more.
When it comes to improving your brand’s CX, we can certainly help, so send us a message today.
Sources:
Customer experience is everything | PwC
35 Website Statistics Every Business Should Know | Fit Small Business
US Consumers Want Today's Companies to be Proactive in Customer Service | PR Newswire
50 Stats That Prove The Value Of Customer Experience | Forbes
Active Vs. Passive Marketing | Small Business Chron
How AI-powered conversational commerce will transform shopping in 2023 | VentureBeat
81% Of Consumers Say They Want More Self-service Options | CXMToday