Customer experience (CX) is the overall impression and feeling a customer takes away from their entire interaction with a brand, product or service. This experience arises at every touchpoint, from first learning about the brand through the purchase process to subsequent service and support.
Customer experience is a holistic view of how a customer perceives and feels about their relationship with a company throughout their whole customer lifecycle. It is not only about the product itself but about a combination of several elements: rational ones (functionality, price, delivery speed), emotional ones (a sense of trust, satisfaction or frustration in communication) and sensory ones (design, packaging, the atmosphere in the store). A well-thought-out and well-executed customer experience leads directly to greater loyalty, repeat purchases and positive recommendations.
An example of a company built on exceptional customer experience is Apple. The whole ecosystem is designed to be as simple and pleasant as possible. Visitors to an Apple Store meet clean, modern design, helpful and knowledgeable staff (the Genius Bar), a simple purchase process and seamless product integration. This consistently managed experience is the main reason customers are willing to pay higher prices for Apple products and show them such loyalty.
