I’ve written about creating convenient, frictionless experiences many times in the past, and I will continue to do so in the future as it may be one of the most important customer experience strategies in our arsenal of tactics for getting customers to come back again and again.
As humans, we love convenience, and we’re willing to pay for it. In our annual CX research (sponsored by RingCentral), we found that 70% of customers felt convenience was so important that they would pay more if convenience was tied to the customer experience. But, what if that convenience was built into the product?
A few years ago, I wrote about this and shared the example of Ciari, the manufacturer of guitars that fold in half and fit in a backpack for easy travel. I referred to it as the most convenient guitar on the planet. In that same article, I also wrote about using keys to unlock a door. Who ever thought we wouldn’t need a key to unlock our car door? Just push a button on the fob, and the door unlocks. Today, it’s even more convenient. The newest technology does away with the key, replacing it with a plastic card that looks like a credit card. Keep it in your wallet or purse, and when you get close to the car, it automatically unlocks the door.
So, how much do people love convenient products? Just like customers who love a convenient experience, they will also pay more for a convenient product. Here is another example:
This past summer, a large watermelon cost around $5. If I wanted chunks of watermelon, I could cut it myself or, for convenience, I could pay $10 to Double Market for a small container of pre-cut watermelon. It tastes the same, but buying it pre-cut is more convenient. Is it worth paying twice as much for a smaller amount of watermelon? It is if you appreciate convenience. The store selling the watermelon probably gets three or four containers from one watermelon. Do the math, and you’ll see they get as much as $40 – eight times more – for that same $5 piece of fruit. Sure, there is a cost of labor to cut up the watermelon, but that’s why customers are willing to pay more – they would rather have the store do it for them.
Convenience is becoming the standard expectation. At one time, it was something unique and special – even a competitive differentiator. Today, customers notice it and want it. In addition to creating a convenient customer experience, how can you give your customers a convenient product experience? Come up with that answer, and your customers will appreciate you even more.
Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.
Shep HykenShepard Presentations, LLC.
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