Emotion Prepares Customers to Take Action

According to the NCBI, emotions are “situated conceptualizations” (cf. Barsalou 2003) because the emerging meaning is tailored to the immediate environment and prepares the person to respond to sensory input in a way that is tailored to the situation (Barrett 2006b).

We know that emotions and customer journeys are important. When we design an experience that supports a journey to the full scope of emotion, results are seen in your bottom line. According to Forrester®, CI leaders will shift 10% of their budgets to emotion analytics. Increase positive results by serving every customer with a tailored fit experience.

The primary driver of customer loyalty is emotion. Forrester’s Customer Experience Index (CX Index™) research shows that emotion is the strongest predictor of customer experience outcomes such as customer loyalty.

Emotion drives loyalty and loyalty drives sales. When a company inspires customer loyalty, the benefits are exponential. Customers engage with your content, are willing to provide Zero-Party data, and make more frequent purchases. Loyal customers become brand ambassadors.

Don’t forget that the functional aspects of the experience are emotional, too. Two of the top considerations for customers when making any purchase is price and fit. Enhance customer experience through effective implementation and execution of hyper-personalization.

Experience Your Customer’s Emotion and Journeys

First, go beyond the assumption that emotion is merely a scale between delight and disdain. In order to shape memory, we have to create optimal ratios of emotion.

To maintain an optimal ratio of positive to negative emotions, we need to understand the emotional makeup of journeys.

Second, we need to design emotional customer journeys that lead to desired outcomes – a social engagement, opt-in, or purchase. With the right data, analysis, and journey development, a customer enjoys their experience from first engagement, to checkout, and beyond. A post-purchase thank you is a great way to continue the journey of positive emotion and cultivate loyalty. For example, with high-ticket items, customers need high-frequency positive-reinforcement along their journey, before making a purchase. They need to feel positive about their investment and see the benefits prior to making a purchase.

Evolve Journey Mapping, Measurement, and Design

Take a closer look at your journey maps and journey data visualizations to figure out what the customer is seeing and experiencing. Approach it through the lens of emotion to better understand the experience of your customer. Make purchases from your own store or website, subscribe to your email list, follow every path you have laid out for your customer. This process will help you evolve journey mapping, measurement, and design. Also, you need to have the power of data and an ai-driven content marketing strategy. Optimal customer journeys use a human approach that is enhanced by technology.

Drive decisions by thinking ahead with prescriptive analytics. Once the desired outcome is defined, behavioral data can be used to forecast outcomes. When the journey starts with positive emotion it’s easier to elevate your brand. Make a commitment to understanding every area of interaction.

Hyper-personalization develops a more intimate and successful CX. Prioritize focus on functional things that drive emotion. If your customers’ experiences are mostly neutral and devoid of peaks, seek to arouse states such as wonder, pride, and — yes — even delight. Make sure that the lowest moments on the journey are not let-downs.

Single location access to a macro view of analytics helps you to make critical micro-adjustments to the design phase of the journey. When data is not readily accessible and consolidated into an easy-access location, important information is lost – creating an increased risk of poor decision making when creating the design.

Emotion analytics takes time to create and implement. You will have success when these strategies are used effectively. However, many businesses lack the technology, manpower, and experience to accelerate success in this complex arena. Implementing the necessary tools and people yourself isn’t always the most cost-effective approach.