The Visionary Brand | The UX Creating A Seamless Buyer Experience

EPISODE 156

 

CHRONICLE | May 31st, 2024

 

Content from Bryan’s new Award Winning, Bestselling Book

The Visionary Brand, The Success Formula Behind the World's Most Visionary Brands.

 

• Readers Favorite Award Winner| Best, Non-fiction, Marketing book
• Amazon Bestseller.

 

The Visionary Brand | 156 | PREMIUM | The Visionary Brand | The UX | Creating a Seamless User Experience

 

"Our DNA is as a consumer company - for that individual customer who's voting thumbs up or thumbs down. That's who we think about. And we think that our job is to take responsibility for the complete user experience. And if it's not up to par, it's our fault, plain and simply.” – Steve Jobs

 

A seamless user experience (UX) should always be the goal for any premium brand. The UX is a multifaceted puzzle built from the brand's foundational principles of the brand itself, and as such, you always need to look out for consumer time and value when it comes to UX. Being able to provide a seamless, fully integrated brand experience rather than a disjointed UX is a clearly defined point of difference over your competition.

Think beyond the purchase cycle; Visionary brands extend the UX into all company areas, and how a brand interacts at these levels will create an unforgettable UX by design.

For example, think of when you engage with a brand. Whether product, information, events or some other value-driven need, the experience always sets a good brand apart from the rest and keeps you coming back.

There are several principles these brands have in common, and they are consistently always executed:

1. A great UX is seamless, with the end user in mind. Make it easy both with products and processes.
2. Time is money. Ensure you save your consumer time, both pre-purchase (brand consideration, product features, reviews, purchase process) and post-purchase (returns, credits).
3. Longevity, Lifetime Customer Value (LTV). “It’s always easier to take care of current customers than attract new ones.” Too many brands either choose not to engage with their current customers or do not have a process to deliver personalized, post-purchase value propositions and value beyond the product. Both of these omissions are detrimental to long-term, sustainable growth. I am always amazed when I engage with large and small brands that have failed to implement and integrate this into their brand.
4. Take care of your customers, and they will take care of you. Enough said.
5. Simplify your engagement points, empathize, and understand your customers. Nothing is worse than a lousy purchase experience except for a bad return experience. You may not like the execution of a seamless experience, but it must be the same on both ends of the engagement cycle.

76% of complaints are from having a bad service experience.

Make sure you do not do the same. Be different, be memorable, be personal.

The touchpoints experienced by a customer are what create your seamless, end-to-end UX cycle. From the outset of this book, I have continually mentioned that visionary brands think beyond an isolated or siloed approach. They analyze the overall UX, how this product will impact their daily lives, and how to develop it to be user-friendly and out of the box. At the very beginning of a product’s development, they are asking questions such as:

“How will this make our lives better?” “Where does it fit?”

“Why are we doing this?” “What is our POD?”

“When will it be ready?” “Who will buy this?”

These need to be asked early on, and unless they are cohesively and collectively answered with a clear strategy built around marketplace execution, the answers will not be apparent to those you are communicating with. You cannot be at all places at all times, so ensure your voice is adequately translated through your consumer engagement, whether online or in person. This can take the form of product marketing literature translated in easy terms, sites dedicated to brand or product experiences, merchandising, point of purchase, videos, or ambassadors, to name a few. All of this pre-product commercialization planning leads directly to an excellent UX.

Creating a seamless buyer experience is essential for consumer brands aiming to sustain lifetime value, build loyalty, and increase customer satisfaction. Here are key strategies to achieve this:

1. Understand Your Customer’s Journey

• Mapping the Journey | Identify all touchpoints where customers interact with the brand, from awareness to post-purchase.
• Persona Development | Create detailed customer personas to understand their needs, preferences, and pain points.

2. Consistent Branding

• Uniform Messaging | Ensure brand messaging is consistent across all platforms (website, social media, emails, in-store).
• Visual Identity | Maintain a consistent visual identity (logos, colors, fonts) to create a cohesive brand image.

3. Omnichannel Presence

• Integrated Channels | Provide a unified experience across online and offline channels. Customers should seamlessly transition between them (e.g., buying online and returning in-store).
• Responsive Design | Ensure mobile-friendly websites and apps are accessible on various devices.

4. Personalized Experiences

• Data Utilization | Use customer data to tailor experiences, such as personalized recommendations, emails, and offers.
• Customer Segmentation | Segment customers based on behavior, preferences, and demographics to offer relevant content and products.

5. Streamlined Processes

• Easy Navigation | Design intuitive websites and apps with simple navigation and search functionalities.
• Quick Checkout | Simplify the process with options like one-click purchasing and multiple payment methods.
• Transparent Policies | Build trust by communicating shipping, return, and refund policies.

6. Superior Customer Service

• Multi-channel Support | Offer customer support through various channels (phone, chat, email, social media).
• AI and Automation | Implement AI chatbots for quick responses to common queries and issues.
• Empowered Staff | Train customer service representatives to handle issues effectively and empathetically.

7. Technology Integration

• CRM Systems | Implement Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems to manage and analyze customer interactions and data.
• Analytics| Use analytics to monitor customer behavior and optimize the buyer experience accordingly.

8. Community Building

• Engage on Social Media | Create and participate in communities where customers can share experiences and feedback.
• Loyalty Programs | Develop loyalty programs that reward repeat customers and encourage brand advocacy.

9. Innovation and Trends

• Stay Updated | Keep up with industry trends and technological advancements to continually enhance the buyer experience.
• Flexibility | Be adaptable and ready to implement new strategies that meet changing customer expectations.

 

By focusing on these strategies, consumer brands can create a seamless and satisfying buyer experience that meets and exceeds customer expectations, creating loyalty and encouraging repeat business.

 

Stay True, Stay Authentic, be Different, and be Great!

Enjoy the Journey!

 

Bryan Smeltzer, President

 LiquidMind Inc.

 

#TheVisionaryChroniclesPodcast

#TheVisionaryBrandBook

 

@LiquidMindsite.com

@BryanSmeltzer.com

 

 © All rights reserved, Bryan Smeltzer, 2024

 

BRYAN SMELTZER

Bryan Smeltzer is a consumer products business executive and entrepreneur. He has held executive-level roles in business development, Product, and marketing with some of the world's most prestigious brands, including Oakley, TaylorMade, Adidas, K-Swiss, and Schutt Sports, among other international brands. He also founded a men’s apparel brand, successfully running a profitable business for ten years, eventually selling to a VC firm.

THE VISIONARY CHRONICLES

He also hosts a podcast called The Visionary Chronicles, ranked as the #1 Visionary and Top 50 Marketing Podcasts by Feedspot.

 

He recently finished his first bestselling book, The Visionary Brand, The Success Formula Behind the World’s Most Visionary Brands, and recently received the prestigious Readers Favorite Award for BEST Non-fiction, Marketing Genre book.

 

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Bryan oversees LiquidMind Inc., a global brand strategy firm that partners with start-ups and establishes mid to large-cap consumer brands to empower businesses to think differently, be different, drive a passionate culture, and execute relentlessly.

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