Consumer’s Experience with a brand (including retailer) drives brand loyalty, and throughout the pandemic, companies have been forced to rethink how they deliver these. There have been increased levels of brand and retailer switching during the lockdown, and later with supply chain constraints.
79% Customers agree “the experience a company provides is as important as its product or services” (Salesforce)
Qualtrics 2022 Experience index “highlights companies that stepped up and delivered truly great experiences in a fast-changing world, listening deeply and responding with speed and agility”
Qualtrics shares perspective on different ways companies are winning by putting customers first that we can learn from.
Their top 5 companies winning on customer experience:
Costco – wins by continuously raising the bar innovating its Kirkland (private label) brand.
Amazon – Built Prime into an experience that 150 million people can’t imagine living without
Kroger – delivered convenience and ease with fast pivots to contactless payments, safety measures in stores, heavy investments in ecommerce and robotics
Publix – has strong culture of employee owners who deliver personalized human experiences
Aldi – Pioneered technologies that make checkout up to 40% faster than other retailers.
Others that top their industry:
Electronics: Bose – developed first ever FDA-approved self-fitting hearing aid
Payments: VISA - Provided open access to Visa Checkout to help millions of businesses pivot to digital
Online retail: Etsy – scaled an experience that made commerce human for 30 million new users
Restaurants: Chick-fil-A – Used employees’ ideas to build a drive-thru experience for 75 cars an hour
Insurance: State Farm – Cut rates and provided $4.2B in credit; supporting customers during difficult times
Airlines: Southwest – Held firm on passenger safety despite a $20M hit to revenues during COVID-19
Any surprises? What is compelling customer experience for you?
[Remember: Company ranking can vary across studies based on Research agency’s study goal, which brands/ industries/markets included, modeling, etc.]