Consumers indicate experience, not price, as top conversion factor

A recent report (registration required) from global performance marketing agency Merkle indicates that delivering excellent digital customer experiences is critical to connecting with consumers to drive revenue. Merkle surveyed 500 US consumers for the report, which analyzes how and why customer experiences affect where they choose to spend their money. 

According to the research, 66% of consumers rate experiences over price when it comes to making a purchase decision. Over half of those surveyed (52%) reported having left a website while shopping because of a poor site experience.

Why we should care

Delivering optimal customer experiences should be a top priority for marketers, but we also need to determine the right solutions for our martech stack to enable these experiences. We often think of martech in terms of the back-end solutions it provides – how the solution addresses challenges for us as marketers, but not necessarily driven by our customers’ needs. Keeping our customer as the focal point in conversations around how we choose and implement martech goes hand-in-hand with our ability to deliver experiences that will realize conversions and repeat-buyers.

“Now more than ever, consumers expect brands to offer personalized and seamless experiences,” said Rives Martin, manager, customer intelligence & brand strategy, Merkle. “Marketers must focus on developing experiences that place customers squarely at the center. It begins with a comprehensive understanding of the entire customer journey, which allows marketers to learn and respond to the interests and needs of their customers. This ultimately results in more valuable, lasting relationships that lead to competitive advantage.” 

More on the news

• Nike, Amazon and Apple were the top-mentioned brands for delivering a personalized experience, according to the report.
• The same three brands were the top-mentioned for online experience.
• Respondents indicated the top three most important factors in delivering a successful experience are ease of use, customer service, and speed.
• Respondents also indicated that unknown quality if the top hesitation for consumers trying a new brand, while recommendations from friends and family are the top reasons they trust unfamiliar brands.

About The Author

Jennifer Cannon

Jennifer Videtta Cannon serves as Third Door Media's Senior Editor, covering topics from email marketing and analytics to CRM and project management. With over a decade of organizational digital marketing experience, she has overseen digital marketing operations for NHL franchises and held roles at tech companies including Salesforce, advising enterprise marketers on maximizing their martech capabilities. Jennifer formerly organized the Inbound Marketing Summit and holds a certificate in Digital Marketing Analytics from MIT Sloan School of Management.