There are an estimated 50,000 fast food chains that exist in the US. Chick-fil-A has been around since before McDonald’s. However, it never really gained momentum in the fast food industry until recently. Why? What changed?
In the midst of Chick-fil-A’s exponential growth, anti-gay comments made by the founding family resurfaced. It was then revealed that the establishment made very generous donations to anti-gay marriage organizations. This in itself is enough reason to spark rage among civilians nationwide. Don’t get me wrong, it definitely did. There were a handful of organized protests outside various franchises – Chick-fil-A definitely faced some backlash, but their sales didn’t, and the uproar was arguably short-lived.
I myself might face some backlash for saying this but Chick-fil-A’s food is no better than the next man (or woman’s). So, what saved them? Why did the public spare this company? It surely wasn’t the spicy chicken deluxe sandwich combo with zesty buffalo sauce, waffle potato fries, and frosty lemonade. It was their customer experience.
Chick-fil-A is famous for its outstanding customer service, arguably more than their hurtful comments (which they have since apologized for). Their employees are known to be overextending, accommodating, and cheerful. Chick-fil-A was able to build such close relationships with their customer base, this seemingly irreparable news just didn’t phase them. Take a look at some of the opinions of some Twitter users had to say after the news surfaced. Some are absolutely hilarious.
Chick-fil-A’s marketing is their customer experience. The takeaway from all this is to really understand the importance of your customers’ experience. It’s also important to note that customer experience extends into their digital experience.
Do you have a website? Is your website loading fast enough? How smooth and simple is your online ordering process? Do you have a solid brand guide to refer back to when planning and designing campaigns? These are important questions to ask yourself as a business owner, especially when customer centrism is becoming more and more relevant.
While it may not be obvious why such questions are important, you’d be surprised to know how dismissive customers are – the smallest things could turn off customers and ultimately lead to them to your competitor. Consumers have thousands of options and as a result, they are now in control. If your website does not load in less than 3 seconds, you have lost a potential 10-year-long loyal customer. Take these statistics into consideration:
- 47% of Users expect a maximum of 2 seconds loading time for an average website
- 57% of customers won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed website on mobile
- 77% of agencies believe that a bad website User Experience is a weakness for their clients.
- It takes about 50 milliseconds (that’s 0.05 seconds) for users to form an opinion about your website that determines whether they like your site or not, whether they’ll stay or leave
- 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout are unattractive
- 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience
- 77% of agencies believe that a bad website User Experience is a weakness for their clients.
- Slow-loading websites cost retailers $2.6 billion in lost sales each year.
Check out these stats: https://www.sweor.com/firstimpressions
Brand images are extremely sensitive and it requires an investment into your brand and its marketing to achieve the type of customer-company relationship Chick-fil-A currently has. In hiring a marketing agency such as Savage Global Marketing, the burden of maintaining a consistent and reputable brand image disappears.
Why are we confident we can achieve this for your company? Well, because we practice what we preach. We take pride in developing and maintaining a good relationship with our clients, both digitally and in real life. We are constantly developing our own website, touching base with clients, even the inactive ones, and showing support by attending their events or dining at their restaurant. We truly believe in what we sell. And we sell customer experiences.
Learn more about how we can help by visiting our website today or calling 954.633.2963 to speak with a Savage associate today.
