Unlocking Brand Loyalty: Enhancing Customer Experience in the Digital Age

There’s no denying the importance of digital marketing when it comes to the success and growth of any business. However, today’s consumers want more than traditional advertisements and techniques — they want better experiences and stronger relationships. If your business focuses on those things, you’re more likely to build customer loyalty and create brand ambassadors. 

With that in mind, let’s explore some of the strategies and best practices to improve customer experience and foster brand loyalty in the digital age. 

READ: How Brands Can Grow Customer Loyalty and Build a Positive Reputation in 2023

Why is brand loyalty important? 

Why should you invest your time and energy into building your brand? The reason is that brand loyalty keeps your business going, as it allows you to draw from a dedicated and loyal customer base.  It will help you to experience continued growth and sustainability, even in times of economic uncertainty. 

In addition, your consumers will be more willing to pay more if they trust your brand.  Plus, the more loyal your customers are to your brand, the more likely they are to give you free word-of-mouth advertising, whether it’s digitally or in-person. In order to begin cultivating relationships that can lead to brand loyalty, you need to start by meeting your target audience where they are. 

Understanding the customer journey

The first step in enhancing the customer experience is understanding the journey your target audience goes on from start to finish. Doing so helps to establish a customer-centric business model where your primary focus lands on the needs of your consumers. 

So, what can you do to map the customer journey and ensure their needs are being met every step of the way? Some of the basic steps include: 

  • Looking where your customers move online and in person.
  • Noting what actions they take when they need help.
  • Checking on data from your marketing team.
  • Common areas of frustration.

Understand that mapping the customer journey isn’t a one-time process. It’s something you will need to continue to look at and redesign periodically to make sure you’re optimizing the user experience for everyone who comes to your website, checks out your social media platforms or visits you in person. 

Building a better experience

Once you’ve figured out the paths your customers are taking — especially online — what can you do to improve their overall experience? 

Don’t focus on individual steps. Rather, focus on improving your company culture to be more customer-centric. That means creating an emotional connection with your customers after developing an understanding of who they are and what they want. Create a vision for every customer so everyone who has an experience with your brand online feels valued, heard and understood.

READ: 5 Tips for Building a Strong Company Culture in a Hybrid Work Environment

Your goal should be to form healthy relationships with your target audience. Doing so will make your brand more easily recognizable, whether you put it on your packaging or you strictly have an online presence. Not only will more people know who you are, but something as simple as seeing your logo can help them associate that visual with what they know about you. Your brand becomes your identity, and it’s how your customers will start to view you. 

A great customer experience typically starts with a healthy company environment and happy employees. With that in mind, get feedback from your team regularly about what you can do to improve the overall customer journey, and what they’re willing to do to help. The happier they are with their work environment, the more likely they are to create a pleasant experience for your audience. 

The bottom line 

A great customer experience needs to be personal, tailored and well-suited for your business. Don’t assume there’s a cookie-cutter concept that works for all customers and all brands. Think about your audience and what they might value most from start to finish. 

By cultivating great relationships with your customers, you’ll unlock brand loyalty, create customers for life, and grow your brand using grassroots tactics that are focused on relationships, rather than outdated marketing techniques. 

 

Indiana Lee Bio PictureIndiana Lee is a writer, reader, and jigsaw puzzle enthusiast from the Pacific Northwest. An expert on business operations, leadership, marketing, and lifestyle, you can connect with her on LinkedIn.

Speed and Weed — How Does Colorado Feel About Driving While Stoned?

How often do cannabis customers consume and drive? Is driving while high really a usual practice thing these days?

Native Roots Cannabis Co. in Colorado wanted to know the answer in order to find the best way to reach its customers and make a positive impact. Finding a gap in existing data, they partnered with RBI Strategies to find out for themselves. After reviewing the results from 520 respondents, all 108 Native Roots budtenders are completing CDOT’s Cannabis-Impaired Driving Course. Read the full survey results in the Topline Report and Data Analysis Report, or view the standout findings below.

READ: Native Roots Guest Commentary — Inclusivity in the Cannabis Industry

  • 41% of respondents may drive while under the influence of cannabis, with 11% indicating they were “very likely,” 8% responding “probably”, and 22% indicating that they would drive while feeling the effects of cannabis depending on the amount consumed.
  • Some consume while driving, with 15% opting to consume cannabis in a vehicle or on a scooter or bicycle.

  • Some regularly travel with drivers who are under the influence of cannabis, with 12% indicating they rode with someone who had consumed cannabis once every day or two and 10% indicating once a week.

  • Knowledge of the law varies. When asked, “If you fail a sobriety test after being pulled over but are under the legal limit of alcohol or cannabis, you can get a DUI. True or false?”, 76% of daily cannabis consumers answered correctly, that number dropped to 62% with less than weekly consumers.

  • There is marked hesitancy of traveling with someone who has consumed cannabis. 71% of respondents indicated they “almost never” or “never” are a passenger where the driver has consumed cannabis.

  • Nearly all surveyed usually consume at home. Approximately 96% of respondents said they usually consume at home, with the next most popular answers being at a friend’s home (22%) or at an event (21%).

  • Regular cannabis consumers aren’t regular alcohol consumers. While 71% of respondents reported using cannabis products at least once a day, with one-third indicating they use cannabis products more than once a day, nearly two-thirds of the respondents indicated that they “almost never” or “never” consume alcohol and cannabis at the same time. Note: The latest data from the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice shows the most common combination of substances involved in crashes are alcohol and Delta 9-THC at 43%.

  • A majority abstain from driving while feeling the effects of cannabis. The data found that 59% of respondents are “not very likely” to drive a vehicle after consuming. 

  • Less frequent cannabis users aren’t likely to drive while under the influence of cannabis. In respondents who consume once a week or less, only 2% indicated they were likely to drive a car or operate a motor vehicle while feeling the effects of cannabis. 

  • Rather than driving, respondents use multiple modes of transportation, with 56% indicating they will ride with a friend who has not consumed or a designated driver, 43% indicating they will use a ride share service such as Uber or Lyft, and 32% indicating they will walk. One-third (33%) indicated they would go nowhere or stay at a friend’s home after consuming cannabis.

Survey Research Methodology

RBI Strategies in association with Native Roots conducted an in-store survey of Native Roots customers. The survey was conducted February 7-23, 2023, at 10 Native Roots stores across the Front Range and two mountain community stores in Colorado. The total number of respondents for the survey were 520; respondents had to be a Colorado resident to qualify. An online questionnaire was distributed to respondents in-store via QR code. Interviews were staggered across three dayparts (morning, afternoon, and evening). Respondents were provided an incentive of one joint to participate. The margin of error for this survey is +/- 4.2 at the 95% confidence level.

Limitations and Considerations

The data sample includes respondents at 10 Native Roots locations in Colorado and should not be extrapolated to indicate overall statewide cannabis user behavior. The significant portion of the sample from the suburbs may under-represent younger cannabis users, with 49% of users in Urban areas ages 18-29 whereas only 39% of cannabis users in the Suburbs are 18-29. The sample population also skewed heavily toward Men under 40 (43% of the total sample). Data from CDOT indicates the highest prevalence of DUI incidents involves young men.

 

About Native Roots Cannabis Co.

Native Roots Cannabis Co. is one of Colorado’s most successful vertically integrated medical and adult-use cannabis operators. Native Roots has 20 dispensary locations across Colorado, serving thousands of adult consumers daily and the state’s largest number of registered patient members. With over a decade of experience providing cannabis to patients and adult consumers, Native Roots has won national recognition for its sustainable business practices, retail design, high-quality products and employment practices. Since 2010, Coloradans have turned to Native Roots as their trusted leader in cannabis for wellness and recreation. Native Roots offers a vast assortment of affordable products and a welcoming environment for cannabis beginners and experts alike. Rooted in the community, we are Colorado’s Happy Place. In 2022, Native Roots was named to the Civic 50, an initiative that recognizes and celebrates the 50 most community-minded companies in Colorado. To learn more about the company, visit nativerootscannabis.com. Follow Native Roots on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Wrap Rage — You’ve Probably Experienced It

So I go to the store and pick up some item or another, take it home, and then I discover that I am going to need some help — like TNT, a howitzer, chain saw, Sawzall, plastic explosives — just to open the packaging. Have you tried to open a pack of batteries? Or, God forbid, an electric toothbrush head? Or how about the little plastic and tin foil compartment holding cold-remedy capsules? And, yeah, who hasn’t laced nearly a whole box of breakfast cereal across the counter or floor trying to open that pesky and impenetrable plastic bag actually holding the product in the box?

I want to take a selection of some of the worst examples of poor and frustrating product packaging, interview the CEO of the manufacturing company, hand them the product and ask: Can you open this? It would make a great “60 Minutes” segment to find out that the president of Eveready isn’t.

Over the years I have learned all too acutely that I am not unique, and that the odd things I notice have been noticed a lot by tons of other people. But still, while wrestling with a particularly pernicious plastic shell on a set of flashlights I thought I would never get to use for lack of access, I decided to search the internet for packaging problems and was pretty amazed to find out that the anger I was feeling is actually widespread and has a name: Wrap Rage. Not only that, but Wrap Rage as a title for the phenomenon goes back at least 20 years and the respected publication Consumer Reports even had awards for the packaging Hall of Shame in the 2005-2007 era called the Oysters. (Oysters being notoriously hard to open, which is fine for a mollusk but crazy for a computer zip drive package.)

Just as I suspected — because I myself have come this close — thousands of people every year are injured enough to go to the emergency room because the knife or box cutter slipped when they were trying in vain to open vitamins heat-wrapped in a plastic shell, or they put a screwdriver into their leg attempting to free a Barbie Doll from the twist-tied torture chamber she is embedded in. Who knew it would take patience and patients to be able to enjoy everyday products.

While surely Marquis de Sade types play an integral role in any self-respecting packaging design team, there are of course broader goals in devilish packaging that require the skills of people who possess Machiavellian sensibilities as well. On the one hand, it appears important to piss off consumers one at a time with evil product wraps, so why not also screw entire societies and the whole world with containers made of materials that our descendants in the 41st century will be studying for clues to our way of life 2,000 years before? What with indestructible and non-degradable materials, our human successors 20 centuries from now will wonder why the only identifiable remains of our time are ginormous hoards of crap buried underground and lining the seas that still clearly proclaim our stuff was “New and Improved!” and “As Seen on TV,” whatever that was.

The packaging industry, to some extent, both defends its designs — a deterrent to theft, to maintain freshness, ease of display, etc. — and says it is diligently working on creating less packaging and packaging made of better recyclable, biodegradable or compostable materials. But the truth is that the industry and manufacturers have been saying this for years and years, and yet the onslaught of hazardous materials and Wrap-Rage-worthy packaging only accelerates — exponentially, as it turns out, as e-commerce tightens its vise grip on the product supply chain. 

The only real way to change this scenario is for consumers to take individual action and stop buying diabolically packaged goods, which is difficult in that so few better-choice alternatives are available. Not to mention that the rate of recycling for American consumers remains disturbingly low while we also hear that recycled materials end up in landfills and oceans anyway. 

Actually, I am hopeful, as the strident debate over the existence of global warming seems to have subsided just lately, so maybe, perhaps, it is possible to unwrap Wrap Rage too. That, however, may prove to be the most difficult wrap to open.

 

Jeff RundlesJeff Rundles is a former editor of ColoradoBiz and a regular columnist. Email him at [email protected].

Tech Startup — OneClock is Your Solution for a Tech-free Bedroom

ONE CLOCK 

Boulder

FOUNDED: 2021

WEBSITE: www.oneclock.co

INITIAL LIGHTBULB

“My wife and I committed to getting our phones out of the bedroom,” he says of the inspiration for OneClock. “We’d been using them, keeping them plugged in on our nightstands, using them as our alarm clock. We were both ready to commit to trying to get better sleep.” 

After failing to find an alarm clock that he wanted, Kripke teamed with co-founder Lon McGowan, a serial entrepreneur with manufacturing experience, and started working on a design in earnest in 2020, enlisting the help of Denver-based Link Product Development in the process. 

OneClock launched the $299 product on Kickstarter and other crowdfunding platforms in early 2021. The company shipped about 4,000 clocks to customers in 30 countries as a result, then pivoted to a direct-to-consumer model.

READ — Tech Startup: Maybell Quantum and The Next Generation of Quantum Computing

IN A NUTSHELL

OneClock takes a science-based approach to rousing its users from slumber. “It’s an analog clock that wakes you up with really nice music that is designed to help you create a tech-free bedroom,” Kripke says.

The company works with a contract manufacturer in China to make the OneClock. “We tried everything we could to make them here in the States,” says Kripke. “It just wasn’t possible for us.”

The company hires artists to create original music for the clock. Multi-instrumentalist Jon Natchez, a member of the band The War on Drugs, composed the music on the first OneClocks, and Captain Planet is working on forthcoming tracks for the product. “His music is completed and we’re just finalizing the tool that will allow you to change the music on your clock,” Kripke says.

Marc Hanchak of Link Product Development (now part of ERI Group) helped design the OneClock — and is now a dedicated user. “Smart design for manufacturing had to marry with the unique sound science behind OneClock to culminate in something that everyone would want on their bedside table,” Hanchak says of the design.

As a user, his first experience sold him on the product: “I recall soft music building slowly in my dream, then this uninterrupted transition from sleep to being awake that I wasn’t even aware of. I opened my eyes and said to myself, ‘Wow, now that’s the right way to wake up.’”

THE MARKET

While the sun all but set on the alarm clock market with the advent of the smartphone, a growing backlash to always-on connectivity is fueling demand for OneClock, says Kripke.

“Millennials are starting to bounce the other direction, because I think they see the negative effects of being on their phones all the time,” he notes. “I really believe that sleep and our bedrooms are going to become the only real place to recover and recharge from a day that’s increasingly packed with technology and screens.”

FINANCING 

The company raised $1.2 million on Kickstarter and Indiegogo to launch the product in 2021. Kripke says he is “open to conversations” with outside investors. “We were approached recently by a VC firm in New York that liked our business just because it’s of the moment, with people trying to cut down on their tech addictions,” he adds.

 

Denver-based writer Eric Peterson is the author of Frommer’s Colorado, Frommer’s Montana & Wyoming, Frommer’s Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks and the Ramble series of guidebooks, featuring first-person travelogues covering everything from atomic landmarks in New Mexico to celebrity gone wrong in Hollywood. Peterson has also recently written about backpacking in Yosemite, cross-country skiing in Yellowstone and downhill skiing in Colorado for such publications as Denver’s Westword and The New York Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected]

The Serious Business of Shopping Small

We all know the benefits of shopping small – it supports members of our own community, puts money directly into the local economy, and is the best way to discover unique, not-found-elsewhere gifts. Over the past two years, we have also learned both how essential these businesses are to our communities, and how critical it is for us to support them.

But small business owners also understand the significance of making the shopping experience a memorable one, in hopes that customers return multiple times; and they are investing more time, effort, and budget than ever before in creating those meaningful interactions. Cultivating customer loyalty is as critical as attracting the attention of new customers; and these initiatives accomplish both goals. As corporate marketing gets louder, bigger and more prevalent, small businesses must continue to be creative in their efforts to attract and retain customers. Below are several ways to create unforgettable experiences that extend beyond simply shopping for items on a list and keep people coming back.

Capitalize on the Personal Connection

One of the key differentiators of small businesses is shoppers are very often interacting with the business owners themselves, people who have deep knowledge of the products they are selling – which allows for a more personal and meaningful shopping experience than relying on online reviews or big discounts.

But most small businesses are known for their personal touches and the relationships they build with their customers, so what else can they do keep their stores top-of-mind for consumers?

Enter: placemaking.

READ — 5 Tips for Overcoming Customer Service Obstacles as a Small Business

Become a Destination – Not Just a Stop

Creating a sense of place within your own community, a destination people are proud of, feel welcome in and want to return to, possibly with friends and family, has become increasingly popular among small businesses. Bonus if they can partner with other small, locally-owned spots to leverage the placemaking feel.

We have embraced placemaking at Stanley Marketplace: in addition to the gifts and services offered by our boutique retailers, local restaurants, fitness studios, salons, and service providers, we offer free events and creative activations to keep the community engaged, interested and excited to visit again and again.

Give Back to The Community That Gives to You

Of course, giving back to the community is a priority to small business owners and employees. They want to reflect and return the support they receive from their neighbors back into their own local communities and continue to strengthen those ties.

The benefits of providing unique, curated experiences for consumers who shop small are significant. You create memorable traditions for neighbors and community, turning your business into a must-visit holiday destination while emphasizing the importance of shopping small. As a result, at Stanley Marketplace, we welcomed more shoppers than any past holiday season in 2022 — a refreshing difference from the relative quiet of the past two pandemic-affected years.

As small business owners and supporters, the goal in implementing these creative initiatives is to create return guests who are inspired to make your business a treasured part of the holidays each year, supporting their neighbors and community along the way. Through these efforts, we also hope to remind people to shop small and local year-round.

 

Allyson Fredeen
Allyson Fredeen

Allyson Fredeen is the General Manager at Stanley Marketplace in Aurora, CO, a community gathering place which houses 50+ independently-owned businesses including retail shops, restaurants, bars, fitness, services, and classes.

Colorado Business Owner Shares the Importance of Shopping Locally This Holiday Season

The holiday season goes hand-in-hand with exchanging gifts with loved ones. It’s also an essential time of year for keeping small businesses, like mine, afloat. It’s not only meaningful, but it’s advantageous to support, spotlight, and cherish all small businesses here in Colorado and everywhere because they have great services and products that many have been missing out on. Shopping locally is more important than you may realize.

READ — How to Prepare Your Finances for the Holiday Season

I am proud to run one of the women-led small businesses that are leading the way with online tools, despite being harder hit by Covid. Meta’s recent Global State of Small Business Report found that women-led small businesses have effectively flexed to shift their business online, often more so than their male counterparts. Globally, 57% of women-led small business owners report using digital tools to communicate with customers, compared to just under half of businesses led by men.

Here’s the story of how my business came to be. In February of 2016, I was having lunch in a restaurant with my family when I wished out loud that I wanted a way to make adult coloring portable so that whenever I had a few extra minutes, I could pull a small coloring “kit” out of my purse and color away. Having plenty of colored pencils was important to me, as well as a built-in pencil sharpener. That was the day that COLORpockit became an idea that blossomed into a passion.

Our plan to get COLORpockits into retail stores was interrupted because of Covid and we had to pivot to focus solely on online sales through our website and other online retail sites. We turned to Facebook ads, including video ads, to get our name out to new potential customers and help drive sales. The ads give us the opportunity to invite people who interact with us to follow our Facebook Page.

READ — 5 Ways Small Business Owners in Colorado Can Survive Inflation

We also created a private Facebook Group called COLORpockit Community, where members share their coloring and support one another. I post coloring tutorial videos in the Group and let members know about upcoming sales. I’m excited that so many people are joining our Group and have access to this kind of support and encouragement.

We are thrilled to see that Coloradans are making an effort to shop locally.

My hope is that we can be mindful of the businesses we are choosing when we go to purchase a gift. Small changes can lead to huge impacts down the road. This year let’s think about the ways we are shopping locally and work harder to shop small and choose independent businesses.

 

Img 8774Dalaine Bartelme is the Owner and Chief Colorist of Colorpockit – the portable coloring system.

Top Company 2022: Consumer Business

The outpouring of applications for this year’s Top Company awards is a testament to the resilience and adaptability of enterprises that do business in the state. Applications for the 35th annual awards numbered in the hundreds, and it was particularly encouraging to see so many companies rebounding from two years of COVID restrictions, with most posting revenue and employee gains approaching—and in some cases, exceeding—pre-pandemic numbers.

This year’s Top Company winners and finalists represent 13 industry categories, plus a startup category for companies in business less than four years. Entrants were judged on three criteria: outstanding achievement, financial performance and community involvement. The judging panel was made up of ColoradoBiz magazine’s editorial board and two representatives from the business community.

WINNER Alpine Buick GMC

Littleton

Since opening its first dealership in Denver in 2005, Alpine Buick GMC has added two locations  —  one in Colorado Springs in 2018, its flagship location in Littleton in 2020 and Alpine Ford in Pueblo in 2022.  

The company is the highest-volume Buick GMC dealership in Colorado and the state’s largest woman-owned business. 

Over the past two years, Alpine Buick GMC has experienced growth despite a difficult automotive market that’s still feeling the effects of the pandemic. In the last two years, the Colorado dealerships had a nearly 70% increase in revenue, and Alpine Buick GMC ranks as the No. 1 GM dealership in Colorado.  

The pandemic and resulting supply-chain issues made procuring chips for vehicles difficult. GM is building cars and parking them until they can be fitted with a chip.  

“Alpine alone has more than 100 vehicles that have been built for its inventory that are parked and waiting to be retrofitted,” said Ivette Dominguez, Dealer and President of the Alpine Buick GMC. “To add insult to injury, supply chain disruptions might cause problems with the delivery of cars once they’re ready.” 

While its likely that the issues won’t be resolved until late 2022 or early 2023, Alpine remains successful because of its strong relationships in the industry and the community, top-notch customer service and savvy sales professionals who find the best deals and vehicles for each person who walks into one of its dealerships. 

Alpine has supported the community throughout its history. Recently, the company launched a fundraiser to help a customer whose son needed a complicated surgery. It’s helped raise more than $2 million for community and nonprofit organizations, including Alice’s 36 Hours for Kids, Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation and Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.

FinalistCarboy Winery

Littleton

Carboy Winery has helped lift the Colorado wine industry into a region ripe with possibilities. Through ambitious winemaking and innovation with new varietal wines, sparkling wines and wine seltzers, the company is helping to turn a state known for its beer into one that creates exciting and adventurous wines.

“Not only is Carboy Winery putting Colorado on a national map for making world-class wine, we’re also leading the way in sustainable packaging innovation efforts,” CEO Kevin Webber said. “From grape to glass, a winery’s greatest carbon impact is in its packaging, which represents 38% of a winery’s total carbon output.”

Carboy Winery has four winery and tasting room locations throughout Colorado. Each winery is an active participant in the community where it’s located. From private label projects such as Soul to the Summit Foundation and the Legacy Foundation to the numerous charities it donates to, Carboy believes in community engagement and giving back, Webber said.

The company’s biggest advantage is its vintner’s restaurant/winery license that allows for full-scale winery operations and manufacturing to exist under the same roof as a full-service restaurant. It also has wholesale privileges that make it a licensed distributor.

“This has allowed us to profit much, much quicker than most all wineries,” Webber said. “It also builds an organic audience with the adjacent restaurant.”

Finalist — GOLFTEC

Englewood

Golftec Golf Outing
Golftec Team Golf Outing

Headquartered in Denver, GOLFTEC’s mission is to help people play better golf.

The company is the world’s largest provider of golf instruction and premium club fittings with more than 225 locations worldwide.

Among GOLFTEC’s biggest accomplishments over the last year was the launch of OptiMotion, a proprietary motion measurement system that wirelessly captures more than 4,000 data points in every swing. This allows GOLFTEC students to make swings and receive video analysis without the requirement of a harness or sensor.

“The launch of our revolutionary OptiMotion technology was instrumental in GOLFTEC being named one of the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Sport by Fast Company,” said Ryan Gager, GOLFTEC’s digital communications specialist.

Like most businesses, GOLFTEC faced significant challenges last year, but the company and the industry proved to be resilient and turned those obstacles into the most successful year in the company’s history.

“We stayed true to our mission of helping people play better golf, and our incredible team of almost 1,000 GOLFTEC coaches set records in nearly every area of our business,” Gager said.

The company last year provided more than 1.5 million golf lessons, opened 12 new locations and donated more than $2 million to charity.

“With all that growth and success, combined with challenges that limited travel and required remote work, one of our biggest accomplishments in 2021 was what our team did to develop new and innovative ways to onboard new team members, maintain our standards of excellence for coach training and ensure that our company culture was stronger than ever.”