Editorial
The Gist
- Future focus. The future of multi-sensory customer experience will transform how we connect with brands.
- Brand insight. Discovering unique customer product interactions is essential to shaping the future of multi-sensory customer experience.
- Consumer connection. Anthropomorphizing products enriches the multi-sensory customer experience by fostering a more personal connection.
Ah, summertime and the living's easy — and one of the best "living easy" things we can all enjoy is a cold beer on a beach with our feet in the sand, specifically a Corona with a lime. Oddly enough, it has quite a bit of alignment to what the multi-sensory future of customer experience will look like.
Let me explain.
Envisioning the Future of Multi-Sensory Customer Experience
After I graduated college — I traveled to a few countries in Central America. As one does when visiting exotic places that offer vast beaches and clear blue water — I ordered a beer. I walked up to the beach side bar and asked the bartender for a beer. He replied with “How about a Corona?” — I’m ashamed to say I had never had a Corona before this encounter, so in the spirit of trying new things I said “sure!” The bartender then proceeded to ask the all-important question with the slightest smirk: “Lime?” There I stood, at the precipice of decisions, thinking to myself, “Why is he asking me if I want a lime in my beer?”
I had come this far with my beer journey, so I accepted his offer of lime, sat down on a beachside lounge chair and took a sip of my freshly lime-spruced lager. As I did, I thought, “Where has this been all my life?!” For the rest of my trip, Corona and limes were my go-to drink, and at the time, I didn't realize the significance this would have in the future of customer experience regarding what consumers will desire from brands.
Now, I know I’ve talked about beer previously, specifically cheap beer and recessions. But this Corona and lime story sheds light on a different approach when examining exceptional customer experience, particularly centered around appealing to the power of offering consumers their own path and choice.
Insight from the Sensory Adventure of Corona & Limes
Corona, as a brand, clearly knows that people love to enjoy their beer with a freshly squeezed lime, right? Of course, they do. So, why don't they just make lime-flavored beer? Well, there are a few reasons, but the most important one is how this tiny green wedge opens up the gateway to our senses. Visually, it's appealing and alluring, pulling us in. The bottle is clear, allowing the contrast between the beer and lime to be recognizable. It adds an additional flavor to a mild-tasting beverage. We can smell the fusion of lime and beer, a combination of complex and satisfying aromas. The act of pushing the lime wedge into the beer provides a satisfying tactile feeling, and we hear the "swoosh" of the lime hitting the liquid.
The marriage of Coronas and lime unites all the senses we humans have at our disposal, and because of this, it creates a bond and connection with consumers that is synonymous with summertime, the beach and relaxation. Now, Corona and limes are more than just a fond memory; they symbolize the future of multi-sensory customer experience.
Any brand, regardless of the category of products or services it belongs to, can take a page from the above use case. Leveraging a multi-sensory customer experience will become the new standard as brands move toward more immersive interactions. The reason is simple: It's what consumers desire. The advent of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) into the mainstream by brands like Apple, Meta and others has showcased the art of what's possible. Although Corona beer can't be consumed through a VR device (yet), it still engages all of our senses in a way that allows us as consumers to have a complete sensory experience while enjoying a beverage.
Related Article: How to Use Sensory Marketing Online
3 Key Steps Toward the Future of Multi-Sensory Customer Experience
1. Product Application Research: How Do Customers Use Your Product?
The story of how Coronas and limes came together is now folklore — did the Corona brand create this combination? Did a bartender come up with this idea? The truth may never be known.
However, what you can discover for your brand is how customers today may be using your product in combination with others. Start by researching your social media accounts — are your customers tagging you in new, fun ways to combine your products with others? Poll your customers and customer service associates; are they hearing any new product trends or use cases? This first step is critical to determine where there may already be some activity occurring around your product.
2. Embrace the Emergence: Curating Ideas for Employees, Customers
With any new trend, brands must be open to change and adoption. When looking to appeal to the five senses, it's important to acknowledge that some trends may be unorthodox or outside of what was previously done — and that's OK.
Embracing the new and unknown allows your brand to stay fresh, fun and unique with your customers. Of course, you must always remain true to what your brand stands for — but growth often yields greatness out of discomfort. Allowing your brand the grace and time to step out of the typical "comfort zone" will curate new ideas for your employees and also for your customers.
3. Accept Anthropomorphizing: Elevate Customer Lifetime Value Metrics
Anthropomorphizing is the process of attributing human-like characteristics to non-human things. Why do we humans do this? It helps us connect and relate to non-human things more easily — just like how customers connect with brands.
In Corona's use case, consumers may not associate direct human-like characteristics with the beer (in the sense of giving the beer a name, as meteorologists assign human names to hurricanes, or correlating human emotions to our pets). However, it does make the beverage relatable as it appeals to all five senses. This relatability allows consumers to visualize previous experiences they have had with Corona: a vacation, a memory, a pool-side afternoon. This power curates extremely nostalgic memories that will undoubtedly evoke elevated customer lifetime value metrics.
Related Article: To Create Experiences Customers Won't Forget, Appeal to Their Senses
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Embark on a Multi-Sensory Odyssey: Shaping the Future of Customer Experience
Edwin Hubble once said, "Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure science." I challenge you to evoke the senses of your customers and, in doing so, curate the adventure and desire for consumers to connect with your brand on a human-like understanding. After all, the possibilities of what's beyond the galaxy of exceptional customer experiences are endless.
Embrace the power of multi-sensory customer engagement, and let your brand journey take your customers on an unforgettable exploration, forging a lasting and meaningful connection. The future of customer experience is here, and it's a multi-sensory approach to better service your customers.
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