The Experience-Craved Consumer

I recently came across the interesting term, the addicted customer. It is defined as someone who is emotionally and psychologically engaged with the customer experience. They thrive on gratification from customer experiences, and will willingly go somewhere to splurge on customer experiences.

This idea really struck me, as I have always been intrigued by consumer (or customer) experience, and how it has changed and evolved so much over the years by technology, and our constant effort to maximize consumer experience for success. Not only has this change impacted the way we shop now, but also how we will (in the next 10–15 years), re-wire our brains into craving these experiences, like sugar, I believe.

(stick with me on this one…)

Experience-o’holics

When we look at the impact technology has had, an often overlooked variable (after considering economic, environmental) is how the consumer experiencehas changed the way we think, for better or for worse. It is evident that consumers not only want the means to get to their destination (or product), they now want to experience the destination (or product). Whether that means more and more tailored offers to each individual’s desires, or the physical space around them providing a constant experience. We are becoming experience-o’holics (#copyright — kidding!) And this want is going to get more and more demanding.

Taxi vs. Uber

Take for example the hotly debated Taxi vs. Uber situation that has been unfolding for a few years now. Before, taking a taxi from Point A to Point B was nothing; it wasn’t an experience. As soon as you exited the car, you didn’t think about it again until you needed one to get you from Point B back to Point A. It was just a means of getting somewhere. Now, with companies like Uber and Lyft gaining popularity, they have created an experience for you before you even enter the car. Everything is at the beck-and-call of your fingertips, from personalization to reviewing the drivers; you (the consumer) are in direct control of power and your experience.

Fundamental Shift in Value

There has been a fundamental shift in what consumers value now. With rapid innovation, and an increase in competition (ex. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu…), we see companies scrambling to create so many experiences (personalized packages, lower monthly rates), which in turn creates an overwhelming amount of choices for consumers, which gives them (us) the upper hand. Which is great for us, but over time is this just re-wiring our brains into craving more, better, and faster experiences at all times?

Is this really far-fetched though?

When we really stop and think about how this has changed the way we think about consumer experience, we can already tell that the need for new, and better, and more exciting experiences is already happening, and will continue to manifest and evolve. It is almost as if over time our brains will be re-wired to need an experience wherever we go. This may seem far-fetched, but I believe that at some point in time, we will become so dependent psychologically on participating in consumer experiences, that just to walk to the post office, we will need many things to interact with to make it worth our time.

Have you ever felt this before? The feeling of wanting a consumer experience that is even better and more exciting, that you almost crave it?

#consumerbehaviour #marketing #customerexperience