By Diane Markovski, founder of Lit Agency
In today’s competitive market, brands that will survive and thrive are the ones that truly understand and care about their consumers and end user. The ones that lose sight of this empathy risk fading into irrelevance and will fade into an abyss.
What can we do to build a brand that stands the test of time, it’s essential to focus on three key elements:
• User Experience (UX): A seamless, intuitive design that puts users first
• User Interface (UI): Aesthetically pleasing yet functional design
• User Empathy: The bedrock of genuine customer loyalty
A Costly Mistake Many Brands Make
I’ve recently encountered a frustrating experience with a long-standing brand, a big brand. This is a brand i had been loyal to for years. Despite this strong brand relationship, a lack of user empathy not only in store and then online – then turned a simple issue into a stressful ordeal where it took triple the time, which I didn’t have to get to a outcome. Without processes in place to genuinely support users, even the most established brands can break down.
How to avoid this
For Startups: Set yourself apart by prioritizing user empathy from day one. What does this look like? How will you treat these issues?
For Established Brands: Failing to listen to and support your loyal users is a risk you can’t afford to take.
Brands, big or small, must prioritize their users. user experience and interface matter, but true brand loyalty is built on empathy. For small business and startups there’s a massive opportunity to step in and serve customers where larger companies fall short. For established brands ignoring the trust of their community can be a fatal mistake.
Three Reasons Companies Struggle To Develop Consumer Empathy
In my experience, companies encounter three common challenges when they try to build a consumer empathy program.
1. Empathy is complex and multifaceted.
Empathy is difficult to quantify; there’s not a box that the company can simply check off when they’ve “done” empathy. Empathy can be difficult to assemble its pieces into a meaningful, actionable image.
2. Companies don’t have enough useful data about their consumers.
Traditional market research approaches like focus groups and surveys rely on memory and self-reporting, which are inherently limited. Forward-thinking companies access more meaningful insights by understanding consumers in their natural environments, whether at home, in the store or on the go.
3. Employees often need to develop new skills around empathy.
Many companies struggle to build empathy throughout their ranks because their employees aren’t naturally skilled in active listening. But companies (and consumers) shouldn’t have to suffer through awkward, unrewarding interviews while employees gain those skills and develop a sense of empathy.
The message is clear: “Brands that forget their users will pay the price.”
Top image: Diane Markovski