SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Hero Digital, a leading independent digital customer experience consultancy, has released the Truth & Beauty Index. This inaugural study facilitates enterprise digital transformation by uncovering what matters most to customers in 2021.
The Truth & Beauty Index surveyed 5,000+ customers across 52 brands in consumer goods, financial services, wellness, and healthcare. The index’s framework identifies the attributes that are most likely to drive both customer choice and brand advocacy while providing a framework for successful digital transformation.
Experts believe up to 95% of purchasing decisions are subconscious. The Truth & Beauty Index intentionally uncovers the factors that influence subconscious customer behavior. For example, while functional attributes like price, quality, and security were shown to drive choice across nearly all industries, emotional factors like connection and the ability to transform the status quo were found to drive brand advocacy.
“Customer wants and needs are constantly evolving, and this yearly study allows companies to consistently have a finger on the pulse of those needs,” said Owen Frivold, EVP of Strategy at Hero Digital. “By highlighting current purchasing behaviors and decisions, the Truth & Beauty Index helps businesses prioritize digital customer experiences that meet evolving expectations.”
Hero Digital’s Truth & Beauty Index highlights critical takeaways from four major industries. Each industry has unique customer priorities, defined by what people say is important when choosing a brand and what people feel is important when recommending a brand.
Key takeaways:
- For consumer goods customers, price is the most essential attribute driving both their brand choice and advocacy. Emotional attributes—like a fun shopping experience as well as strong values—also stand out as key differentiators.
- Financial services customers now expect transparency and data protection above all other factors when recommending a brand.
- For wellness brands—including fitness and nutrition companies—customers seek out quality of product or service, with brand stature standing out as significant.
- Healthcare customers want to have options for both digital and in-person care and value ease, quality, and understanding the most in their experience.
The Truth & Beauty Index measured the performance of 52 leading brands against the industry average to understand how different brands stack up against the competition.
Some brands stand above the pack. For example:
- Stitch Fix, a leading consumer goods brand, ranked higher on 86% of attributes.
- Betterment, a financial services app, indexed above the …….