At the heart of our methodology is academic Clayton Christensen’s revered and elegantly simple idea of “jobs to be done.” These digital experiences are but a means to help consumers accomplish something.
On top of Christensen’s idea, we build a layer of outcomes. From our decadeslong research in consumer behavior and brand strategy, we know that consumers most value three outcomes: convenience, empowerment and emotional engagement. By measuring activities in their need for these three outcomes and touch points in their ability to deliver them, we can connect activities to touch points and find the most intuitive match.
Pick the experience that fits the need
We put our relational model of “activity to touch point” to the test through a variety of consumer research. Here are some of the significant findings.
Notification is a potent weapon to anticipate needs and nudge consumers. Notifications, consumers tell us, are convenient and empowering. They add value by functioning as a helper—reminding, cajoling and perhaps nagging consumers. They alert consumers, nudge them to complete tasks (e.g., check in to a flight), and achieve goals (e.g., monitor weight loss).
But the magic happens when you mix anticipation with notification. One-hundred percent of digital business executives agree that proactively anticipating customer needs can help them differentiate. Yet—and here’s where the opportunity lies—only 19% say they can anticipate the needs of their customers.
Voice delivers on convenience but otherwise falls short. The overwhelming convenience of voice should not surprise you; it won an evolutionary battle millions of years ago. But despite this convenience, voice touch points fail to be empowering or emotionally engaging.
Consequently, while voice may be the best way to accomplish relatively simple tasks (like finding the nearest sushi restaurant), it may not be ideal for more involved activities (such as learning how to make a sushi dinner for unsuspecting guests). The best voice applications are task-centric and facilitate customer engagement. At Bank of America, virtual assistant Erica handles about 1.5 million client interactions daily.
AR is rich with potential. AR does not enjoy the kind of usage that voice or chat does, but it stands out by delivering on all three benefits of convenience, empowerment and emotional engagement.
As a result, 22% of U.S. online adults are comfortable using extended reality (AR/VR) to consume information. AR significantly influences purchases—consumers using this technology browse more products, make fewer returns and convert at a higher rate. A beauty product retailer implementing AR experiences in its mobile app found a 20% lift in the likelihood of buying.
Don’t write off immersive worlds. All the excitement around gen AI and the taint of Meta may have dulled the sparkle of the metaverse concept, but don’t write it off just yet. The bones are strong, and now Apple is in the ring.
For immersive worlds, it’s less about the usage or convenience today; that will take care of itself in time as technology improves and gets cheaper. It’s about the high levels of empowerment and emotional engagement these already engender. We just need to get beyond the marketing gimmickry of today’s brand activations to build relevant and useful immersive experiences, like working one-on-one with a financial planner in a virtual environment.
