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What consumers expect from brand experiences today—new report shows CX crisis urgency

by | Feb 9, 2022 | Public Relations

New research from unified CX platform Emplifi takes a deep dive into what consumers are looking for in their brand experiences in 2022, looking at everything from expected customer service response times and preferred communication channels to just how integral CX is to brand loyalty.

The firm’s newly released 11 Key Things Consumers Expect from Their Brand Experiences Today report offers deep insights into customer expectations for B2C brand experiences. Surveying more than 2,000 consumers from the U.S. and the UK, the research found that 86 percent of consumers will leave a brand they were once loyal to after only two to three bad customer service experiences. Sixty-three percent of the survey participants confirmed they would leave a brand because of poor customer experience, and 49 percent admitted they had left a company they were loyal to in the past 12 months for that reason.

1 in 6 shoppers walk away from a purchase due to bad CX:

What consumers expect from brand experiences today—new report shows CX crisis urgency

“There is a major disconnect happening right now between what consumers expect and what brands are delivering when it comes to their CX efforts,” said Shellie Vornhagen, Emplifi CXO, in a news release. “Consumers have too many options to stick around after a poor customer experience. If you’re not delivering exceptional CX, your customers are going to turn to your competitors, no matter how loyal they were once upon a time.”

Customers have a long memory when it comes to CX:

What consumers expect from brand experiences today—new report shows CX crisis urgency

The survey findings highlight just how critical CX is to brand perceptions and outcomes. The report revealed slow response time as the leading contributor to a negative experience, followed by a lack of 24/7 customer service support. Out of the consumers surveyed, 52 percent expect brands to respond to customer service inquiries via digital channels within an hour, with 22 percent expressing a preference for social media, 19 percent for email and 16 percent for website chat.

Most consumers will pay a premium for superior customer experience:

What consumers expect from brand experiences today—new report shows CX crisis urgency

The biggest takeaway from the report: Brands that fail to prioritize CX initiatives are putting brand loyalty—and revenue gains—at risk. This goes for brands in both the U.S. and the UK: A nearly identical number of consumers from each country (63 percent of U.S. consumers and 62 percent of UK consumers) said a poor customer experience is enough of a reason to leave a brand they were previously loyal to.

About half of customers surveyed recently left a brand due to poor CX:

What consumers expect from brand experiences today—new report shows CX crisis urgency

U.S. consumers do expect more from brands: 49 percent of U.S. consumers attach a high importance to social media CX experiences compared to 37 percent of UK consumers. U.S. consumers are also more discerning when it comes to CX, with 65 percent of survey participants in the U.S. willing to pay a premium price for outstanding customer service compared to 56 percent of UK consumers.

Each experience can have a massive impact on a brand’s bottom line:

What consumers expect from brand experiences today—new report shows CX crisis urgency

“The differences we are seeing in terms of customer expectations among U.S. consumers and UK consumers are minimal. The reality is that people want an exceptional customer experience no matter where they’re located,” said Vornhagen. “The good news is that the technology needed to close the customer experience gap happening across the customer journey is readily available. Brands that invest in superior CX platforms will outperform the competition every time.”

Download the full report here.

Richard Carufel
Richard Carufel is editor of Bulldog Reporter and the Daily ’Dog, one of the web’s leading sources of PR and marketing communications news and opinions. He has been reporting on the PR and communications industry for over 17 years, and has interviewed hundreds of journalists and PR industry leaders. Reach him at richard.carufel@bulldogreporter.com; @BulldogReporter

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