Surprise! Creating experiences for your customers

For many years now, we’ve been telling our clients that one of the keys to connecting with younger customers (Generations X and Y) is to add an experience to your offering. No longer are the traditional “Ps” of marketing (product, price, placement and promotion – and even people) enough. You need to create experiences that transcend these, and give customers a further reason to connect with you.

Some people are talking about tribes (see, for example, a great video by Seth Godin at TED.com). Others are doing funky stuff with their stores (Walt Disney have Steve Jobs to turn their stores in mini theme parks, for example). There are countless examples of creating experiences that develop your brand (Red Bull are geniuses at this).

But here’s a new one…

Hipstery ask their customers to fill in a questionnaire about yourself. They then choose a T-shirt design for you, and send it to you. It remains a surprise until you open the package. This adds an interesting thrill to the boring task of choosing a T-shirt.

It seems that while most companies are providing ever more choice and ever more information, there is a growing trend of businesses relieving consumers of the burden of decision, and helping them make choices. Obviously this can go wrong. So Hipstery will replace any t-shirts that customers don’t like, with the option of a refund if they’re wrong the second time too. Sometimes a lack of choice is a good thing, especially if it is used to surprise and delight consumers.

Nice one.

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