Customer Experiences Beset With Bows – How to Celebrate and Delight Every Time

As you get ready for Valentine’s day, you might want to pay particular attention to the boxes and bows.

Did you know that in America alone, we spend over 2.6 billion dollars annually on wrapping paper and ribbons?

I was reminded of the “power of bows” while consulting for and writing a book about Mercedes-Benz titled Driven to Delight. Since a Mercedes-Benz represents a landmark purchase for most customers, why would delivery look like this?

Moreover, why does a past client of mine (Godiva Chocolatier) present their chocolates in a Gold Ballotin

or Tiffany & Co. place their fine jewelry in their iconic box?

The short answer is:

 experiences are visual, sensory, emotional, and immersive. Boxes and bows envelop gifts, heighten senses, create anticipation, and engage discovery!  

Let’s assume you deliver a service instead of a product (e.g., accounting, legal services). How do you put a bow on those deliverables? For me, the box’s content is your core offering, and the box or bow is how you build excitement, nurture, and engage the sensory elements across critical moments in your client journey.  So as you approach the upcoming holiday,

1)   Pay attention to the emotional role boxes, wrapping paper, and ribbons play in experiences. How do they contribute to anticipation? How do they symbolize care, love, and specialness? Finally, how do they heighten sensations, elevate emotions, and enhance a peak moment?

2)   Place a ribbon from Valentine’s day in your work area. As it catches your eye, remember that great customer experiences involve your box of products/services wrapped with extra care, sensory elevation, and discovery.

May your Valentine’s day be rich with love and celebration.