Many brands are competing to win their customer’s hearts today, but how many of them are doing it right? 

As one of the driving forces behind consumer purchasing decisions, emotions are a decisive factor in customer satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy, which are all key elements of your brand’s success. 

Emotional responses along the customer journey and the overall emotional experience can significantly impact the growth of your business. Therefore, understanding and prioritizing customer emotions is critical. 

What is EVI®?

One of the most recognized metrics for measuring customer sentiment is the Emotional Value Index (EVI®). The survey incorporates all the major emotions generally experienced by customers. EVI® measures emotions by categorizing the sentiments based on intensity and assigning a weightage to each category. Calculating EVI® is very simple, and the impact of its usage is profound!

So, how does your brand make customers feel? Measuring emotional responses is an essential part of evoking the right emotions throughout the customer journey. Let’s explore how to measure emotional feedback at each key touchpoint.

Awareness: First Impressions Matter 

In the awareness phase, customers are introduced to your brand. First impressions are crucial—how do your marketing campaigns, ads, and social media posts make prospects feel?

To gauge emotional responses, pay attention to comments, posts, and reactions on your social media channels. People express their emotions through emojis, likes, and mentions. Additionally, embedding a pop-up EVI® survey on your website can help capture visitor impressions as they explore your brand for the first time.

Key Actions for the Awareness Stage:

• Monitor social media reactions and comments.
• Use sentiment analysis tools to understand emotional feedback.
• Embed an EVI® survey on landing pages to capture first impressions.

Consideration: Nailing the Right Solution

During the consideration phase, prospects evaluate your solution. How do they feel about your product information, website design, and overall value proposition?

EVI® surveys are highly useful at this stage. For example, a pop-up survey can be displayed after the prospect spends some time browsing through your product and reading the details provided. We have found that pre-purchase emotional experience and conversion rate to purchases are directly proportional. You can read more about it from the case study here. 

Key Actions for the Consideration Stage:

• Use EVI® surveys to capture pre-purchase emotions.
• Monitor user engagement metrics like time spent on product pages.
• Analyze open-ended feedback on product content, ease of navigation, and the value proposition.

Purchase: The Emotional Tipping Point 

The purchase phase is a critical touchpoint in the customer journey. A positive emotional experience during this stage can lead to repeat purchases and word-of-mouth marketing. But how do you measure it?

Besides using EVI® surveys, incorporating other customer satisfaction metrics like C-SAT (Customer Satisfaction) and CES (Customer Effort Score) can provide a fuller picture. Focus on key moments, such as the checkout process, customer support, and payment options, to measure emotional responses effectively. Are your customers delighted or frustrated by wait times or ease of payment?

Key Actions for the Purchase Stage:

• Use EVI® surveys during checkout or after customer support interactions.
• Complement with C-SAT and CES to gauge overall satisfaction and effort.
• Measure emotions at key moments like payment or customer service interactions.

Post-Purchase: Building Long-Term Emotional Loyalty

The post-purchase stage offers a golden opportunity to understand how your customers feel after completing the transaction. Emotional responses in this phase provide insights into repeat purchase likelihood and brand advocacy.

Send a detailed survey to your customers, incorporating EVI® and NPS (Net Promoter Score) to measure their overall satisfaction and emotional sentiment. In addition to surveys, monitor online activity such as reviews, tagged posts, and comments to assess public feedback on your brand. A sentiment analysis of customer service chats and product reviews can reveal the general emotional tone customers associate with your brand.

Key Actions for the Post-Purchase Stage:

• Send post-purchase surveys with EVI® and NPS to gauge loyalty.
• Monitor social media activity and online reviews.
• Use sentiment analysis tools to review feedback from customer service and online interactions.

Why Emotional Responses Matter in the Customer Journey

Emotional responses are a powerful indicator of customer behavior. By measuring emotional feedback at each touchpoint of the customer journey, you can better understand customer needs, improve satisfaction, and drive long-term loyalty. Using tools like EVI®, C-SAT, and NPS enables you to gain deeper insights into how emotions influence decisions, helping you refine your strategies and enhance the overall customer experience.

Whether it’s the first impression during the awareness phase or their long-term sentiment after making a purchase, understanding emotions at each stage will ensure that your brand resonates on a deeper level with your customers.