Brands today are facing more competition than ever, with consumers being able to connect in many different ways. For a brand to succeed and rise above, its relationships with consumers are the make-or-break point. Consumer relationships are complex, with an interplay of psychological, social, and emotional factors that all play into consumer decision-making and brand loyalty. For brands today, understanding the science behind consumer relationships is essential for developing marketing strategies that truly resonate with their target audience. 

As an experiential marketing agency, we understand the importance of the science behind consumer relationships and how they affect brands in every industry and sector. Let’s dive into what the research has to say about consumer behaviors and their relationships with brands. 

The Power of Emotions in Consumer Decision-Making 

Emotions play an important role in consumer decision-making. There’s ample research indicating that the emotional connections formed by consumers are one of the most impactful factors in their purchasing decisions. When brands are able to successfully tap into these emotions, the payoff can be substantial – in many different ways. 

For example, a strong emotional connection can benefit brands by:

• Creating a strong sense of customer loyalty
• Building a positive brand perception
• Higher lifetime spending throughout the lifetime of the relationship
• Brand advocacy and word-of-mouth marketing
• Higher engagement rates with experiential marketing 
• Nourishes brand resilience
• Promotes price insensitivity, making consumers less sensitive to changes in price or competitor pricing

There’s no question that there’s an intricate relationship between emotions and consumer brand loyalty. Emotional appeal is a driving force behind consumer brand loyalty, engagement, and even the tendency of consumers to make impulse purchases. Connecting on this level is all about emotional intelligence and understanding the meeting the emotional needs of consumers. 

Personal Experiences: Shaping Brand Loyalty 

Where does the emotional connection between consumers and brands begin?

The first seeds of this relationship begin with a consumer’s personal experience with a brand. This can be either positive or negative, which is why it’s important to consider the consumer’s personal experience at every stage of their customer journey. 

When consumers have positive, memorable experiences with a brand, they are exponentially more likely to become brand loyalty advocates. Personal experience creates emotional connections, which are really the foundation of consumer decision-making. 

Positive personal experiences evoke feelings of trust, satisfaction, and even a feeling of happiness connected with a brand. On the opposite end of the spectrum, negative personal experiences create a sense of distrust, which is incredibly difficult to overcome once established. 

Here are a few proven examples of ways to create positive experiences and build consumer relationships. 

• Personalized Recommendations: When a customer receives personalized recommendations, whether it’s for a product or service directly, or something non-brand related that improves their life (think along the lines of personalized healthy diet recommendations offered by a health and fitness brand), it makes them feel as though the brand is paying attention to them and invested in them personally. 

However, this involves more than broadly sending out the same recommendations for all consumers. The effort to make it personalized needs to be there, otherwise, the consumer may develop a perception of the brand being inauthentic. 

• Community Engagement: There are simply too many ways to engage with consumers for brands to ignore this important element of relationship building. When audiences are provided with opportunities to engage with brands, whether it’s on social media, through groups, or through community events, they begin to feel connected. 
• Empathetic Communication: Even before a potential customer has made their first investment in the brand, they’re paying attention to the messaging. Consumers are more likely to form relationships with brands that they feel “get them”, intuitively understand their wants and needs, and show an interest and willingness to meet those through the way they communicate. 

With this, consider the different avenues of communication and how they can be used to empathetically communicate with consumers. For example, an interactive live Q&A is a great way to communicate with consumers, address their specific needs or wants, and position the brand as one that’s invested in its customers. 

The overall impact of personal experiences on brand loyalty is further amplified by the fact that they are often shared with others. Today, the majority of people are using at least one social media platform – and this is something that is true across all age demographics, consumers are quick to share their experiences on social media, as well as review sites and online forums. 

This sharing has a tremendous impact. When someone we trust, whether it’s a family member, friend, or trusted influencer shares their experience with a brand, we’re quick to adopt their experience as our own. Word-of-mouth sharing can plant the seed of a positive or negative consumer relationship, long before they have even spent a dime with the brand. 

The Latest Research on Consumer Behavior and Relationship Building Strategies 

There’s a lot about the consumer/brand relationship that’s intuitive. After all, we’re all human and we’re all consumers ourselves. We know what we personally want and expect from brands, and how we react when they engage with us in specific ways. 

However, there is scientific research on how we, as consumers, engage with brands. For example, let’s consider a topic that is timely and relevant in today’s marketing culture – AI-generated marketing content, including both images and copy. AI has incredible potential for elevating the consumer experience in marketing, but it can easily feel cheap, untrustworthy, and inauthentic if not done properly. Consumers will often prefer genuine, non-AI-generated content when given a choice. 

As evidence, one report notes that the receptiveness of AI-generated images can change based on the industry. For example, 51% of consumers say it matters if their healthcare provider uses AI-generated images, while 44% care if their favorite technology brand uses them. The results of this report can be extrapolated to better understand the value of authenticity in building consumer relationships. 

Another study explores an often untapped contributor to consumer/brand relationships – sound. In this study, the role of sound and music is explored for its influence on gendered toy marketing. The bottom line is that sound makes a difference and creates emotions around a product or brand. 

Today, when so many brand interactions are online, it’s important to not lose sight of the value of offline interactions. For example, one field study compared the effectiveness and profitability between online and offline marketing tactics. The results revealed that offline promotional media still has a profound role in triggering consumer behavior. 

In the context of consumer behavior, understanding the activities and the nuances associated with purchases and brand relationships is essential for nurturing connections with consumers. By recognizing these many facets, brands can develop targeted strategies that meet the emotional, social, and psychological needs of their consumers. 

Building Strong Consumer Relationships: Important Insights for Brands 

Once brands better understand the complexities of consumer relationships, they can become better positioned to meet those needs and connect. How this happens can look different for each brand, depending on their sector, target demographic, and goals. However, there are a few pillars of engagement and relationship building that apply across the board. 

Storytelling: Consumers love a good story, and they always have. This isn’t anything new. Today, brands have more options than ever to tap into the power of storytelling. This can be achieved through experiential marketing campaigns, using social media and interactive outreach. 

Brand Values Alignment: When consumers have many options at their disposal, they’re able to pick and choose to support brands based on more nuanced factors, such as how well a brand aligns with their core values. Brands today can make the most of this by being bold with communicating their core values. This doesn’t mean putting the brand in a position to be polarizing, but instead focusing on communicating values of trust, value, quality, authenticity, etc. 

Personalized Experiences: Get consumers engaged in a way that feels personal to them. Whether it’s interactive social media marketing, pop-up events, or VIP product releases tailored to their needs, there’s a way to connect on a personal level to every consumer. 

Community Building: Consumers are attracted to communities. They establish that a brand has a strong presence and a following of people who have already placed their trust in their product or service. Communities also provide the opportunity for consumers to engage with each other, fostering a stronger sense of connection. 

Trust and Authority: Transparency, consistency, establishing expertise, social responsibility, partnerships, and positive customer reviews are all keys to a brand establishing trust and authority in the industry.  

The Future of Consumer Relationships

The future of consumer/brand relationships continues to evolve. Brands today can begin nurturing relationships by better understanding what fuels them and taking the initiative to connect in a way that is energized, personal, and authentic. The latest research on consumer decision making confirms what we already know – consumers want to establish brand loyalty, but they won’t do so blindly. 

At Factory360, we are experts in helping brands like yours create the experiences and emotional connections that make consumers want to align with your brand. The world of experiential marketing is ripe with opportunities to connect in the most effective and meaningful ways. We encourage you to reach out to us at Factory360 to learn more.