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March 28, 2024

Why the Customer Experience Is Important in Marketing

A Milk representative speaking to customers at the Sephora Brand Fair

Nowadays, simply having a great product or service isn't enough. The customer experience (CX) is what truly differentiates brands in a crowded market. 

In this article, we’re breaking down what customer experience marketing is, why it’s something marketing teams need to leverage, and how to build the perfect marketing strategy that maximizes ROI while driving serious conversions.

What are you waiting for? Let’s talk consumer experience marketing! 

The Power of Consumer Experience

Consumer experience is a big part of marketing. While traditionally pigeonholed as a customer service concern, savvy marketers recognize that the entire customer journey—from initial brand awareness to post-purchase interactions—drives key metrics. 

The proof is in the data: 73% of consumers say customer experience impacts their purchasing decisions. You can spend millions on advertising, but if the actual customer experience falls flat, you might as well have flushed it down the drain. 

Here’s where customer experience marketing comes in!

What Is Customer Experience Marketing?

Customer experience marketing (a.k.a. consumer experience marketing) focuses on shaping positive experiences throughout the entire customer journey. Instead of solely pushing a product or service, it prioritizes what the customer needs and wants. 

The hope is that this focus will translate to:

    a better understanding of customer pain points
    the potential to exceed customer expectations
    a seamless and enjoyable experience at every touchpoint

💡At its core, customer experience marketing is orchestrating all potential brand interactions into cohesive, compelling, and personalized customer experiences. 

Two chefs plating steaks in a luxurious black kitchen

Consumer Experience Marketing vs. Experiential Marketing

Both are about creating positive experiences but with a twist!

Consumer Experience Marketing (CXM) focuses on the entire journey, from browsing your website to using your product. Meanwhile, experiential marketing is about creating unique, immersive events that connect with customers on an emotional level—think exciting pop-up shops or interactive product demos. 

They’re both essential to creating a holistic experience marketing strategy!

Related article: Is a Pop-up Event or Shop Right for Your Brand?

How Consumer Experience Marketing Drives Business Growth

Now that we’ve answered “What is customer experience marketing?” you might be wondering how exactly it translates to more sales and a thriving business. Well, consumer experience marketing done right is a recipe for:

Increased Customer Acquisition

By prioritizing positive customer experiences across every step of the buying journey, customers are more likely to be attracted and eventually convert. Put yourself in the shoes of a consumer and decide which of these options you would prefer to purchase from:

  1. A website that makes it easy to shop with detailed product descriptions, helpful reviews, and a straightforward checkout process.
  2. A website where you spend 15 minutes searching for a specific product, only to find a confusing description and a checkout process riddled with hidden costs.

Now apply this same logic to everything—from customer experience management to marketing campaigns!

Improved Customer Retention

Happy customers are loyal customers, with the facts proving that delivering exceptional customer experiences drives customer retention:

  • 33% of customers would leave a brand after a single bad experience;
  • 92% would break up with you after two or three negative interactions; and
  • 60% of customers would stop doing business with an entire company if they didn’t find the customer service teams to be friendly and helpful.

If you want to avoid customer churn and maximize customer loyalty, you need to invest in exceptional consumer experience marketing!

Higher Lifetime Value

Speaking of retention, did you know that customers gained through positive customer interactions tend to have higher lifetime values? They're more willing to be upsold, try new offerings, and increase spending over time.

For businesses, a mere 5% increase in customer retention can produce anywhere from 25% to 95% more profits. When you effectively use experience marketing to optimize the customer lifecycle, your business performance will thank you.

Stronger Brand Advocacy

When you create a seamless customer experience, you can foster a community of brand advocates who will rave about your brand to friends, family, and on digital channels. 

This organic word-of-mouth marketing is powerful and cost-effective because 88% of customers trust it more than advertising and other paid marketing strategies.

Related article: How to Create Brand Advocates 

A brand representative talking to a customer at a Summer Fridays’ pop-up booth

Enhanced Brand Reputation

Your consumer experience marketing shapes customer perceptions. If you're known for resolving issues quickly and offering exceptional service, your reputation will be glowing through offline and online reviews. 

Think of companies like Ritz-Carlton, which are renowned for their exceptional customer experience strategy. They have a positive reputation that allows them to command premium pricing and attract new customers looking for a luxurious experience. 

Increased Marketing Effectiveness

Customer experience marketing provides a wealth of first-party data about your existing and potential customers which you can use to:

Remember: experience marketing is all about data-driven insights. By tracking customer feedback (positive and negative), you get a look into how customers feel about your brand, their needs and preferences, and what they expect. 

Amazon, for example, uses consumer experience marketing data from various digital channels to recommend products based on past purchases. This helps them maximize relevance and increase their likelihood of getting a purchase.

Curate Elevated Customer Experiences Through Experiential Marketing

Want to level up your customer experience marketing? Don't just optimize customer journeys—create unforgettable peaks of positive customer experience through buzzworthy brand experiences.

Immersive experiential activations spark moments of intense emotional resonance and engagement that create longer-lasting consumer impressions. Want to learn more about how experiential marketing can boost your overall marketing strategy?

Get all the data and information you need from The Ultimate Experiential Marketing Playbook. Made by The Concierge Club, North America’s premier event and experiential marketing agency, it’s your ticket to creating experiences that resonate deeply.

Check out The Concierge Club’s free XM Playbook here!