Anger topped the list by far, generating the highest volume of the emotion-categorized mentions we studied. 

What were the drivers of those angry mentions? When looking at the topic cloud representing all the negative conversations relating to retail and customer experience, “call,” “time,” and “phone” were some of the most common themes.

This tells us that consumers tend to complain about having to make a call to customer service, the wait times when they do, and the extra (and unnecessary) hoops they have to jump through to get the service they need. 

As one consumer put it: “I do not want to call on the phone for a simple answer.” Another consumer echoed that sentiment with, “It shouldn’t be legal to be allowed to subscribe online but have to call customer service to cancel.”

Lastly, consumers were very negative about being “left on read” when reaching out to brands for support. “Left on read” and “seen on read” were mentioned 850 times. 

Overall, between September 1 2022 and March 1 2023, “inconvenience” and “inconvenient” were mentioned over 36k times in conversations about consumer experience and retail.

In a crowded marketplace, brands that make it difficult for customers to get what they want risk losing them to the competition. Prioritizing customer convenience and providing a seamless experience is key to retaining existing customers and building a loyal following.

The power of the positive customer experience

Looking at the top themes in the positive conversations, we can identify what customers appreciate about their online brand experiences, and provide valuable insights into what drives satisfaction and loyalty – even if positive experiences aren’t shared nearly as much as negative ones.

People sharing their positive encounters online focus on positive interactions with support staff using words like ‘helpful,’ ‘timely, and ‘friendly.’ To back that up, another Statista survey also lists “friendly” or “helpful” as the top leading characteristic of a great customer experience.  

Show that you care. Brands that show that they genuinely care can really impact their customers’ experience and build long-term relationships.

One joyful tweet that stood out for the engagement it generated puts it well:

Generally speaking, brands need to pay attention to what people say on social media, both good and bad. If customers mention pain points, brands should address them ASAP or risk losing business. In today’s digital age, listening to feedback and taking action is crucial to keeping customers happy and the bottom line healthy.

Want more retail consumer insights? 

Our coming report analyzes millions of online consumer conversations to identify what’s shaping the industry in the year ahead.

You’ll read about:

• How retailers are personalizing experiences for consumers using AI, AR, VR, and 3D tech 
• More insights on customer experiences in retail and e-commerce
• Sustainability in retail, thrifting, and the growing popularity of recommerce
• And much more

The report will drop on May 8. Pay attention to this space here. 

See you in two weeks

The Brandwatch Bulletin is taking a break next week, but we’ll be back May 12.

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See you next time,

The Brandwatch Bulletin team