Marketing is about psychoanalyzing customer behavior. Customer satisfaction is about catering to this behavior, which helps businesses to stand out of their competition. This requires a deep dive and understanding of perception, i.e., what a person perceives as opposed to what is presented. The best place to begin your education is with Maslow's hierarchy of needs (link). Customers are influenced by psychological, social, cultural, situational, emotional factors. A recent published article in Harvard Business Review reported that a strong correlation exists between customers’ emotional and psychological indicators with lifetime value measures (e.g., annual spending, churn, and tenure) link.
Physiological
These are things needed for survival, e.g., food, water, air. Using this foundation, let’s apply it to the online realm. Not to be sarcastic but, will anyone visiting your website survive the many processes that you intentionally or more likely, unintentionally put them through?
Threats can be hidden but felt subconsciously. A perceived threat can hinder progression and usually leads to abandoned shopping carts, incomplete forms or canceled downloads.
To combat this ‘fight or flight’ feeling, offer no risk trials and guarantees. The first step in getting someone to part with their information, especially nowadays, is a major hurdle. Be clear on requirements, costs and follow best practices and review all processes monthly at the very least.
Safety
Given all the most recent innovations in technology, a person’s safety still seems to be an afterthought. Physical and data security both should be important safety considerations (Iink). Recent news events involving hackers and ransomware contribute to that perception, even though purchasing online is still one of the safer ways to shop.
One survey noted “mobile security worries are still an issue for 28% of those polled and that privacy and security concerns will deter them from using a phone to shop.”
Trust is key for making the sale. Testimonials and reviews from returning customers help. Google, Yelp and Facebook offer the ability to let customers review and provide feedback. Use them to your advantage.
Belonging
Social Media has gotten a bad rap recently involving their mishandling of data, yet the platform can offer some sense of community. It may ring false for some as they strive to earn hundreds of thousands of likes and followers. A previous published article in marketing reported that belonging to a virtual community around a brand is likely to enhance consumer
satisfaction, affective commitment and word-of-mouth advertising towards a brand (link).
Concentrate on your loyal customer base. They’ll buy into a brand or company before they buy an actual product or service. It’s a proven fact. Create an advantage by developing a membership program. Exclusive offers along with a personalized experience will help to create a sense of belonging.
Esteem
What do customers feel when they show their circle of friends your products and services. Are they jealous? Do they crave the access you have? Do they want to make their friends envious of what they have? Think of Apple during their first iPhone launch. Much like owning a BMW or Porsche, Apple created an amazing fan base around luxury. Previous marketing research reported that consumers’ with high self-esteem, are likely to influence by the quality, brand that they are purchasing will pay a price premium for the product or service they are enjoying (link).
A device once thought of only making calls was now a personal communication and entertainment device. Though the smartphone wars have died down a bit, each mobile device company now tries to ‘one up’ each other. This sense of exclusivity can build a customer base quickly as most people desire what the other has.
Company culture is a key piece to this feeling. You may feel your product or service is not that desirable but a company that does community outreach, environmental activities and other culture related output can build recognition for themselves. Remember, customers buy into you before they buy a product.
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