Have you seen The Customer Experience Factbook?

In this 180+ page report, you'll find all the information and support you need to build a profitable, effective CX Improvement Program that spans every part of your business. You'll be able to implement and manage meaningful and profitable change, and grow your bottom line despite a slowing economy.

Get it on Amazon (Kindle/Print)

Consumers won't engage until trust is established

The report found that the existence of trust drives consumer decisions, with 84% of respondents reporting they will not engage with a brand until trust has been established.

Ten essential elements were identified for developing trust with consumers, including the following:

1. Expertise - communicates authority and real value, and distinguishes itself from other brands and content fighting for consumer's attention.
2. Fairness - provides information and tools to help the consumer evaluate pros and cons, risks, and so on.
3. Relevance - aimed at the consumer's needs and situation, and directly on-topic.
4. Choice - respects and acknowledges the consumer's buying process by offering more options and solutions, and by allowing consumer to express their preferences.
5. Relatability - understands the consumer and looks at things from his point of view, leading them as would a knowledgeable friend.
6. Awareness - although name recognition alone doesn't guarantee trust. Consumers rely on awareness driven by personal experiences or recommendations from a friend.

"With the great volume of information at consumers' fingertips, not only is trust a valuable filter but it is also a prerequisite for consumers to even enter the purchase process," said Laura Salant, director of research for About.com.

Different platforms were identified as being better at delivering certain trust elements, and can therefore be complementary tools for brands. Respondents reported that all ten trust elements are even more important to the mobile channel than the online channel. However, 'format' was identified by 71% of respondents as being more important for mobile, with 'accuracy' and 'expertise' also ranking highly.

In social media, consumers are ambivalent about the value of certain commonly-used social actions such as Likes. Reviews were identified as inspiring trust twice as much as general Likes, though seeing a Like or recommendation from a friend increased the trust value of that action.

Video works best to enhance trust when it is combined with other types of content, and 56% of respondents agreed that video builds trust when it adds illustration or explanation attached to other types of content.

The study also found that consumers prefer to combine information from a variety of sources, with 82% reporting that they use information from brands, content, ads and social media to create custom solutions for what they need.

"In today's online world there is no such thing as one-stop shopping for information," explained Tracy Raiser, senior vice president of sales for About.com. "Marketers must proactively coordinate their efforts with other trusted sources, whether that be content, social elements or word of mouth, to make sure their campaigns are adding value to the consumer's experience."

Have you seen The Customer Experience Factbook?

In this 180+ page report, you'll find all the information and support you need to build a profitable, effective CX Improvement Program that spans every part of your business.

You'll be able to implement and manage meaningful and profitable change, and grow your bottom line despite a slowing economy. Grab this goldmine of easily adaptable and up-to-date strategies, walk-throughs, trends, technologies, research, suppliers and partners, plus all the supporting arguments you need to build a solid CX strategy.

While most marketers could list maybe a dozen key points for improving their brand's Customer Experience (CX), the researchers and writers at The Marketing Factbook have identified FORTY main 'CX Keys' which will help you drive your customers to new levels of delight, loyalty, advocacy and profitability.

The areas in which customers have direct contact with your organization are perhaps the most obvious places in which CX improvements can be made, and this report addresses all 24 of these 'Direct CX Keys', applicable to offline and online businesses alike.

At the same time there are many other areas that indirectly affect CX (such as the supply chain, policies and processes) in which every business can make simple but far-reaching improvements. This report guides you through the problems and solutions for all 16 of these 'Indirect CX Keys', many of which are often forgotten or under-played even in the best CX strategies.

Get it on Amazon (Kindle/Print)