Survey Says: Consumers Don’t Feel Appreciated by Brands

Earlier this year, Handwrytten commissioned a survey to measure how consumers prefer to be contacted. In this extensive survey, we polled 2001 Americans over the age of 18 on how they prefer to communicate with their peers and with their brands. Key audience demographics captured included household income, preference for premium or economy goods and percent of non-grocery purchases performed online.

We will be providing full access to our report next month. In the meantime, we would like to tease you with some of our most interesting findings.

Only 20% of Consumers Often Feel Appreciated for Being a Client

Only 1 in 5 consumers said they often feel appreciated. Sadly, 31% said they “rarely” or “never” feel appreciated.

This problem is especially relevant for off-line shoppers: 38% of those who mostly shop off-line, never or rarely feel appreciated as a client compared to 26% of those who usually shop online. Digital sellers have have more ways to interact with their customers, so they have the leg up.

When Consumers Feel Appreciated, It Benefits Your Brand

When consumers are shown they are appreciated, they respond. 60% say they would be more likely to buy more. 49% say they would be more likely to spend more per purchase.  54% say they would be more likely to write an online review, and 63% say they would more likely tell friends and family about the brand.

The Best Way to Thank a Customer is to Send a Handwritten Note

When consumers were asked what makes them feel appreciated, handwritten notes win out. 45% of consumers prefer it over traditional communication channels such as an email, a text message or a phone call.

We hope you found this data useful. We will be posting more in the coming weeks as we lead up to the general release of our whitepaper.

As always, feel free to reach out to us if there are any ways we can be of assistance.