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 remain skeptical about brand promises

We don't just want promises, we want solid proof

The index was based on a global survey of 6,000 consumers across the United States, United Kingdom and China, and covered 100 brands across 10 industries, asking consumers to rate their various brand experiences and comparing what brands had promised with what they were perceived to have actually delivered.

Globally, brands that scored high in delivering proof to their promises (through the experiences they create) boast 25% more loyalty and a more than 200% higher Net Promoter Score (NPS), indicating strong brand health - which suggests that customer satisfaction with the actions and interactions of brands is a stronger indicator of business impact than brands' marketing messages alone.

The brand experiences included in the index cover the actions and interactions provided by brands: in-store and employee interactions, online shopping, web and mobile experiences, experiential and social content.

The index ranked brands with a maximum score of 100, and found that Amazon, Netflix and Royal Caribbean rank as Experience Leaders (#1) across all experience touch points in the US, UK and China respectively, and only four other brands consistently show up in the top 20 across touch points: Sony, Apple, IBM and IKEA.

However, even those that score high teeter on the edge of mediocrity with a B- grade (79). Experience Laggards, brands at the bottom of the Index, receive a failing grade (on average 53.6).

The report outlines five key lessons for brand marketers the world over:

1. Brand proof matters and is a stronger indicator of brand health than brand promises. Experience brands deliver more than 200% higher NPS and 25% more loyalty. Consumers care in particular about "how brands behave toward customers, employees and their communities." 79% care about this.
2. Brand integrity is delicate. Customers will abandon brands if they don't live up to your promises
   nearly half (47%) agree "it makes me feel I can't trust the brand and won't buy it anymore."
3. Brand touchpoints are proofpoints. Every interaction matters and the most successful Experience Brands deliver consistently across all interactions with consumers and actions.
4. Brand promises fall short on delivery. More than 50% of consumers agree that brands fall short of their expectation. In China it's 60%. Less than one in four consumers say brands deliver experiences that are significantly better than their competitors. However, Experience Brands are nearly two times more likely to deliver a superior brand experience and be worth talking about.
5. Brand proof is only going to get more important. Changing generational tides give new focus for brand owners
   Millennials are the most distrustful of brands (36% globally) and 41% in the U.S. believe that brands do not live up to their promises and "want me to believe it is something it's not."

"Consumers demand brands do more than promise a great experience: they expect proof. Brands that back their words with concrete action reap bigger rewards, and they scored significantly higher in the Brand Index," said Josh McCall, CEO for Jack Morton.

The full report has been made available for free download here: http://www.jackmorton.com/blog/experience-brand-index

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)