Study: It's human, not consumer, experience that matters

While customer experience may remain a phrase buzzing around many agencies and businesses, one new report cautions businesses and marketers against treating their customers too much like, well, customers. That, because new data is showing that brands that are more attuned to the wants and needs of people are growing at faster rates than those treating people like consumers first and people second.

by Kristina Knight

Researchers with The Human Experience: Quantifying the Value of Human Values report found that brands actively aligned themselves with the core beliefs not only of their customers but also their employees and even business partners are growing at faster rates than those doing 'business as usual'. This is happening because those businesses with that strong alignment are creating experiences that are more relevant to not only their customers but their partners and workers. In fact, these businesses are outperforming their competitors at the rate of 2-to-1 over a three year period and are growing 17x faster in-store that competitors who are simply focused on the customer experience.

"We know intuitively that the human experience matters," said Amelia Dunlop, Head of Customer Strategy and Applied Design, Deloitte Digital. "Now we are so excited that we can prove that it matters to the bottom line of an organization. This research shows marketers what they have been missing by focusing only on measuring customer experience: human experience fuels growth."

How can businesses ensure that they are aligned in those values? The report authors suggest being authentic with not only social media posts but with advertising campaigns and themed marketing blitzes, and to think first about the human aspect.

"We can ask ourselves: What will enable a connection with another individual--whether that person is a customer, a member of the workforce, or a partner--in this moment? Given this individual's Values Compass, what stories will resonate most? What experiences can we create? What senses can we engage to evoke a feeling?" write the report authors. "A human experience can be transformative; it takes on a life of its own, in the same way that a smile begets a smile. That's a high bar for organizations--but one worth striving to achieve."

More data from the Deloitte report can be accessed here.

Tags: advertising, Deloitte, ecommerce, ecommerce experience, experiential marketing, mobile commerce, mobile marketing