Today, we are in an era where customers not only want quality products but also want brands to understand their needs and take care of them.

When we surveyed a large number of consumers all over the US, we discovered that 89% of consumers consider buying from brands that understand their needs and care about them. Not only this, but consumers also desire brands to provide an exceptional customer service experience.

In simple words, brands need to do more than just create products or services and sell, they have to prove that they care about customer needs and make every effort possible to satisfy those needs.

Adapt to their needs

Consumers want brands to show that they care about them and their needs.

When we asked consumers, “Will you consider buying from a brand that understands your needs and cares about you?”, a large majority – over 89% of consumers said ‘yes’.

Traditionally, brands used to create products or services as per their capacity and resources, and consumers were also used to consuming these products. But consumer expectations have changed with time, now they expect brands to go the extra mile to cater to their needs.

In simple terms, brands need to do everything possible to adapt to consumers’ needs and to show care for them.

Consumers Compare Brands With The Best!

Not only competitors, consumers compare the experience that brands provide with the best brands like Amazon and Uber.

In our survey, 3 out of 4 consumers said that they compare their experience that a brand provides with the likes of Amazon, Netflix, and Uber.

Big brands are making their way into local markets, making it crucial for small-medium businesses to provide customers with a superior brand-like experience.

Set New Standards Of Customer Service

Customer service is a thing that consumers don’t compromise with, and want brands to keep improving the customer service experience over time.

A large proportion – 87% of consumers want brands to innovate and set new standards of customer service.

Not only this, but customer service is so important to the consumers that they can even break the business relationship with a company if their expectations of customer service are not met.

In our US consumer engagement survey, a significant proportion – 45% of consumers reported breaking a business relationship within one day of experiencing poor customer service.

So, customer service is really a sensitive thing, and brands shouldn’t compromise on its quality. And if your company is unable to build an in-house customer support system, then you should consider outsourcing your customer service to another specialized company.

Understand Their Priorities And Preferences

Do you want customers to be loyal to your brand? Understanding their priorities and preferences can be key.

In our survey, a large majority – 86% of consumers said they feel more loyal to a brand that shows a deep understanding of their priorities and preferences.

This can be a key insight for brands that they can use to influence customer loyalty. But it’s not as easy as it sounds. To increase customer loyalty, a brand needs to go out on the field to know its customers and their perception of the brand, and what their issues, challenges, and deep desires are. And then delivering an optimized experience or service to meet those desires and preferences.

While consumers feel more loyal to a brand that shows a good understanding of their priorities, sharing values and beliefs can also influence their loyalty to the brand.

Share Brand Values And Beliefs With Them

Consumers like brands that share their values and beliefs with them. Along with building strong business relationships and trust, sharing brand values and beliefs can also increase customer loyalty to the brand.

A good majority – 83% of consumers said that they feel more loyal to the brand that shares its values and beliefs with them.

In today’s competitive era, having a transparent and strong vision can help brands stand out from the competition. How?

Consumers like to buy from brands with a clear and well-shared vision so that their purchases also reflect what they stand for and what they believe in. This can give your brand a leg up on the competition.

So, a brand should definitely share its values and beliefs with its existing and potential customers to influence their loyalty to the brand and to have a competitive advantage.

Exceed Expectations Across The Entire Customer Journey

“Not only while making a purchase, but I also want a seamless experience throughout my customer journey.”

In our survey, 85% of consumers said they want brands to exceed their expectations across their entire customer journey, and not just while purchasing with them.

Get To Know Me

Deliver For Me

Keep Winning Me

If a brand wants to retain its customers, it seems essential for the brand to provide an exceptional customer service experience across the entire customer journey.

Otherwise, it can be their first and last purchase with your brand.

Publish Custom Online Content

When it comes to trust, custom online content can make consumers trust a brand more than those that don’t.

 

80% of consumers said that they trust a brand or company that publishes custom online content relevant to them, keeping their customer journey in mind.

Further, they said, “I would trust them more because they seem interested in building good relationships.” This means, creating custom online content can help brands to build stronger relationships along with building trust.

So, a brand shouldn’t turn its back on publishing useful custom online content for its customers.

The Brand They Choose To Buy A Product From

To know why consumers prefer buying a product from one brand over another, we asked them, “When it comes to buying a new product, which brand would you choose to buy that product from?”

More than half (54%) of consumers said, “I would choose a very well-known brand that I’m very familiar with.”

Another significant proportion – 39% of consumers said, “I would choose a brand I like” and the remaining 7% of consumers said, “I choose a brand with heritage.”

So, brand awareness plays an important role in consumer purchase decisions as more than half of shoppers prefer to purchase only from a well-known brand that they are aware of.

Customer Service: Building Strong Connections

In today’s competitive market, creating lasting connections goes beyond selling; it’s about prioritizing customer satisfaction. Email support plays a pivotal role, providing a convenient channel for personalized assistance. Brands investing in excellent customer service, including responsive and effective email support, transcend the transactional nature of business.

Survey Details

The Helplama team surveyed a large number of consumers across different locations in the US to know their expectations and perceptions of brands, and what brands should do to win consumer trust and loyalty.

Gender

The survey consisted of a fair equal proportion of men (53.2%) and women (46.8%).

Age Groups

• 16 – 17 (0.8%)
• 18 – 24 (9.4%)
• 25 – 34 (20.6%)
• 35 – 44 (42.6%)
• 45 – 54 (13.2%)
• 54+ (13.4%)