As a Christmas present for my boys’ dad, I bought online a full English breakfast made of a chocolate (you know, a bit like when you go to the seaside and the rock shops are selling candy plates with coloured sugar ‘sausages’ and sweet ‘fried eggs’ made from rock? A classic dad gift!).
Anyway, the point is not to expose my tacky gift choice…
I was misled.
When it arrived in the post, it was literally the size of a drink’s coaster. This questionably inadequate gift was now a confirmed embarrassment.
The website photos made it look life-size (and I like a BIG fry-up!) and the price suggested a good plateful too.
Did you purchase, or receive, any disappointments this Christmas?
The marketing lesson here is simple: at the very least, you should always meet your customers’ expectations. The goal should be to exceed them!
Will I buy from this seller again? Nope! Would I recommend their products? Definitely not.
Whilst a large part of marketing is about convincing your target audience to buy, don’t be tempted to ‘sex up’ your offering by making something look or sound better (or bigger) than it really is. False promises are rarely forgotten.
You should be emphasising your key selling points and delighting your customers with what you deliver.
In sharp contrast, for my son’s birthday last year, I ordered a few items from a Japanese online store (he’s a big anime fan). Not only did they arrive as expected, the seller included a handwritten note of thanks and a tiny origami crane.
It was such a lovely (and inexpensive) touch that really made me feel like my custom was valued.
How can you make sure you serve up the right amount to satisfy your customer’s appetite?
And what can you add on the side to make them remember you warmly, long after they’ve consumed it?