DID YOU KNOW:

• 88% of users are less likely to return to a website after a bad user experience.
• 13% of customers will tell 15 or more people about their bad experiences. 72% will tell 6 or more people about good experiences.
• Only 1 out of 26 customers complain when they are unsatisfied, the rest churn without saying anything. The absence of negative feedback isn’t a sign of satisfaction. 91% of unsatisfied customers who don’t complain simply leave.
• Mobile users are 5 times more likely to abandon a task if the website isn’t optimized for mobile.
• If a website needs more than 3…

What is a “pulse”?

A pulse is a sign of life.

It’s a result of the processes happening within us — the oxidation of our blood, the beating of our heart, the circulation through our body.

First responders ask, “Does he/she have a pulse?” the moment that they arrive on the scene.

Doctors take a patient’s pulse as a normal part of office visits.

We even check our own pulse — on a device or by hand — after a significant event like exercising or experiencing a new symptom.

Our pulse, our heart rate, is an indicator of our personal wellness. We may not have the time or ability to go…

Today, 69% of Americans shop online. That number is expected to go up to 91% by 2023.

Shopping online has undeniable advantages — like unbeatable convenience, broader selections, better prices, and quicker comparison between retailers. At the same time, online shopping has its challenges — and those became glaringly apparent with the acceleration of eCommerce and “online as only” retail channel shift this year.

Consumer confidence has proven to be one of the most significant roadblocks. There are items that people are more confident about purchasing online than others. The inability to touch, try-on, and experience presented a struggle for consumers and retailers alike — leading to higher rates of cart abandonment and returns.

With that said…

2020 was a year of disruption.

Shifting realities resulted in shifting consumer expectations.

These shifting expectations caused many brands to face an existential crisis: “Evolve or face extinction.”

At INTO, we call this “making the pivot” or “missing the pivot.”

In this case, “pivoting” is broadly defined as “shifting to a new strategy or approach.” Shifting consumer needs, expectations, and realities are often a catalyst for making a “pivot” — a.k.a. making a change.

What it means to “Miss the Pivot”

Imagine that you are running on a treadmill at the local gym.

When you start running, you observe that there are only two or three other runners — and, you’re the fastest in the bunch. Feeling a slight sense of self-satisfaction, you put your head down and keep going at the same pace.

Thirty minutes later…

Dating isn’t what it used to be.

It’s a strange analogy. Bear with me.

Gone are the days when our options were limited by where we lived, what high school we went to, or who our friends were. When the main way we got to know someone was through conversation, and the only way to communicate with our crush was by call, letter, or even AOL chat. We’ve said “sayonara” to the time when people were content with their choices because they’d picked the best person around for them— and, the means didn’t exist to know if there was perhaps something better out there.

Modern romance is…

What is “trust”?

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines “trust” in both noun and verb forms. In noun form, “trust” is “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.” In verb form, “trust” means “to rely on the truthfulness or accuracy of ____.” A synonym for the verb “trust” is “believe.”

As humans, we have relationships built on trust. We put our trust in other people. We become frustrated when others betray our trust.

And what is a company? It’s a collection of employees — or people. By that definition, consumers’ relationships with companies can be viewed as relational — human-to-human…

The Importance of CLV

For a company, there are many ways to measure customer value — from average order value to conversion rates.

But none is perhaps as important as Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). A customer’s lifetime value measures how valuable a customer is to a company over the course of their entire relationship, instead of on a transaction-by-transaction basis.

As many executives know, it’s five times more expensive to attract a new customer than keep an existing one. The same survey shows that the probability of selling to an existing customer is 60–70%, compared to 5–20% for new customers. …

2020 shook things up.

While it’s easy to focus on the negative, 2020 also brought with it a flood of positive innovations and advancements for the retail industry. As the proverb goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” To quote Trendwatching, “Disruption allows new ideas to take hold.” This year, consumers had new needs and it became necessary for brands to consider how to meet those evolving needs in new ways.

In 2020, brands made their experiences more seamless, intuitive, and delightful. They considered how to deliver additional value to customers at every stage of the purchase process. …