So we all know what every single business in the world ultimately wants, right?

To increase their profits and garner more attention so that their products and services will eventually become so revolutionary that they can change the world (a particular company named “Amazon” comes to mind).

Maybe you think the latter part is farfetched, or you’re not as ambitious as Jeff Bezos, but one thing is clear: the goal for every business is to generate more sales and to draw in customers continually. 

Let’s get the basics down.

A business works by selling products and services to the public.

The price you charge your buyers should cover the cost of resources you put into the development and profit.

However, some businesses don’t think about the extra value that can be included.

Essentially, the price they labelled only fulfills the most basic need.

If you wish to price your product more expensively, you first need to look at its intrinsic value and then think about what additional values you are able to put in. 

? Relevant: Why should your customer buy from you? Cost vs Price vs Value

Thinking outside the box

So what values can businesses put into a product?

The answer is not as complicated as it seems– you can elevate your buyers’ perceived value of your product through customer experience design.

Think of better product packing and the extra personal service you can provide when a potential client is browsing.

When you go the extra mile for your customer, not only does it promote loyalty, it allows businesses to charge a higher price for the extra service.

In other words, you reap what you sow. 

Go beyond fulfilling your customer’s basic needs, step inside their shoes and see what else they would enjoy. Enhance your customers’ shopping experience by appealing to their needs and wants.

So how does a company become successful?

That is a heavy-loaded question and this article does not aim to answer the full scope of what constitutes success for a company.

However, it will guide you towards three fundamental ideas to improve a customer’s experience and thus increase sales.

3 companies, 3 success stories, and many happy customers!

I wish to start by saying that there are many reasons why these companies are successful.

To create a tasty dish, you need different ingredients.

As great as an ingredient might be, a dish is only made complete by incorporating other elements into it.

With this in mind, here are some star ingredients that helped these following companies’ dishes shine.

1.  Company: Apple | Product: iPhone | Ingredient for Success: Aesthetics

Apple is often credited for having many innovative products in the market due to many reasons, but sometimes people don’t realize how their aesthetics contributed to their success.

Basically, the first thing anyone sees about a product is the exterior of it.

Not the things it can do, but what it looks like.

Thanks to Apple’s modern and minimalist design, the iPhone is beloved by many, including celebrities and influencers. 

Apple became so popular that it has over 1 billion active users! 

To those android users out there, you might be reading this and think that iPhones are overrated.

While it is true that Android phones may have the same functionality as iPhones or even outperforms them, a partial reason why Apple has an edge over other companies is because of the aesthetics they chose.

The iPhone’s sleek and gorgeous finish should not be underestimated because visually appealing products and packaging can entice potential customers to decide on the “prettier” option, as evident by the number of sales and the types of people having them.

Yup, even Mr. Bezos.

From opening the box to getting to the product inside, Apple has carefully designed the whole experience to be enjoyable for the customer (try watching some unboxing videos, they’re very satisfying).

Their attention to detail to the packaging and the appearance of their products is to be commended and businesses should understand the importance of aesthetics. 

2.  Company: Function of Beauty | Product: Hair, Skin, Body Care Products | Ingredient for Success: Customization

Next up, we have a smaller business called Function of Beauty.

This company centralizes in creating unique hair, skin, and body care products tailored to each customer based on the quizzes they take online before placing their orders.

If you were to buy their shampoo or conditioner, you would fill out a questionnaire that asks you to put down your hair type, hair structure, scalp moisture, desired hair goals, scent, and colour. Who knew shampoo could be so complex? 

But there’s more: as you’re filling the quiz in, they inform the customer of what each option would do for your hair.

For example, if you clicked “hydrate” as one of your hair goals, it would show you what hydrating your hair means and the types of ingredients that will hydrate your hair (it’s coconut oil and aloe vera for those who are curious).

It is no wonder why the company flourishes as their process of customization is informative and easy to navigate. 

Examining this further

The process of picking and choosing your formula for a product builds attachment to the product.

As I’m filling the quiz out for fun, I found myself wanting to purchase the product for myself.

This is customer experience design at its finest. So what is the takeaway then?

Try implementing customization into your products or service that enables your clients to tailor something for themselves.

That way, your buyers can change from being potential customers to regulars.

3. Company: Tesla | Product: Cars | Ingredient for Success: Tracking Information

When you hear about a Tesla car, you probably would think of it as a luxury good and an innovative product.

There are many reasons why Tesla has become one of the most sought-after car brands today but let’s focus on one of the drivers for success (excuse the lame pun): tracking information and using it to improve their products and service.

From car sensors to its autopilot function, Tesla can collect vast amounts of data so much that they can improve their systems significantly and boast about having the best car safety ratings. 

Besides obtaining data from their products, they are also able to do the same from customers’ experiences.

Interestingly for Tesla, there is no third party involved in its selling process.

Many car brands have partnerships with dealerships to sell cars, but everything is done by Tesla.

Think of test drives and follow-up maintenance, all these are handled by the company.

Now, I can go off on a tangent as to why Tesla became so successful.

But a straightforward takeaway is that tracking the performances of your products/services and even identifying the causes of the increases in your sales can be instrumental in advancing your products. 

To give a more practical example: let’s say you’ve noticed a 200% increase in people signing up for your newsletter.

After a certain amount of time, you observed an increase in your sales by 30%.

Without knowing the increase in your newsletter audience, you probably wouldn’t have correctly identified the actual cause of the rise in sales.

By tracking customer engagement, you’re able to connect the dots and improve your service.

What is your recipe?

To further the analogy earlier, there are many recipes to cook delicious meals, but not all recipes have the same ingredients.

Likewise, there isn’t one right recipe to achieve success because different companies require different elements.

What you can do, however, is to see what steps in the recipe spiced up or enhanced the flavor of a company’s product.

In other words, look at some of the aspects and actions successful companies undertook to become what they are today.

For Apple, is the aesthetics of their products and packaging; for Function of Beauty, is the personalized experience they offer; and lastly, for Tesla, is the information they collect from their products and customers– all of which enhanced the customer’s experience and led them wanting for more. Bon appétit!