Customer satisfaction and product analysis

BusinessEcommerce

  • Author Santanu Hazra
  • Published April 16, 2010
  • Word count 698

More than 50 years of consumer research suggests that when dealing with product types that consumers really care about, there are at least 5 ways marketers can encourage customers to develop favorable attitudes toward their specific products. Whether you appeal to their imaginations, their values, their feelings, their analytical minds, or their need to belong, these tried-and-true tactics should serve you well. They've made the difference for a range of marketers over the years. Post this list next to your computer:

Five Sure-Fire Paths to Your Customer's Heart

  1. Offering a direct or imagined experience with the brand. Think product samples, or ads for "experiential" products like fantastic vacations.

  2. Using an analogy to something familiar. For example, you might talk about a new digital camera by saying it has the precision of a surgeon and the functionality of a Swiss watch.

  3. Relating the product to values consumers hold dear. The right phrase goes straight to the ol' ticker. ("Nothing comes closer to home." "A diamond is forever.")

  4. Using an analytical process, where you discuss the great features and benefits of your brand. (Think descriptions of how antacids work, with "anatomical" charts.)

  5. Linking your brand with a social identity. Play up a group of people consumers want to be like, or feel they are like already. ("Smart shoppers choose…").

Transactional messages like membership confirmations and shipping notifications show some of the highest open rates in the inbox," says Aaron Smith at MediaPost's Email Insider blog. "Customers receiving these [are engaged] … and they wait ready for you to reach out and seal the deal." According to Smith, there's a sure way to make each email a memorable experience like these: Pretend that customers are paying to receive your messages. With that in mind, here are a few strategies for high-quality content:

  • Group important details, like an order confirmation, in the upper right corner. Customers don't want to hunt for basic information, and this should appear within the preview pane.

  • Include complete contact information for your customer service department. Phone numbers should be accompanied by the hours a representative can be reached; this lets customers know you want a relationship.

  • Offer valuable—and unexpected—features. Coach, for instance, tells customers that belated gifts can be heralded by emails alerting recipients to their imminent arrival. A thoughtful service like this will be perceived as a pleasing extra.

Smith suggests you periodically ask yourself these questions, from Pine and Gilmore's The Experience Economy: "If you charged customers 'admission' for their experience with you, what would you do differently? How would you make sure that the experience they were paying for was worth the ticket fee?"

The Po!nt: There are so many ways to connect. Try each of these tried-and-true approaches to see which one works best for you.

As demonstrated in past issues, consumers often make choices based on their feelings. We also know that their decisions about what to buy may be based on how they think a given product will make them feel. Simple formula: promote it with a positive hype, and they'll love it. Right? Not so fast. Now comes research that says we may actually be poor predictors of our future feelings.

Researchers have identified a gap—called an "affective misforecasting gap"—between our predicted and actual emotions. Does this gap affect how satisfied we are with the products we buy?

Indeed it does, these researchers say, but with one important caveat: the "gap" only has an effect when we feel worse than expected about a product, not when we feel better.

For example, if a consumer buys a comedy DVD expecting to be amused by it, and she actually feels it is hysterically funny, she still may not judge it any more positively than she had expected. However, if it makes her feel only mildly amused, she might actually judge it negatively. Wow.

The message for marketers here? Don't over-promise on how good a product will make your customers feel. If they expect to feel great and just feel good, they might actually be dissatisfied with it.

The Po!nt: Promote with care. A super-positive promise could actually backfire on you, when feelings are involved.

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