Acquisition Cost: The total cost incurred to acquire a new customer, including marketing, sales, and onboarding expenses.

Awareness: The stage in the consumer journey where potential customers first become aware of a product or brand, often through marketing or advertising efforts.

Audience Segmentation: The process of dividing a broad consumer base into subgroups based on shared characteristics, such as demographics, behavior, or purchasing patterns, to tailor marketing strategies.

Attribution: The process of assigning credit to different touchpoints in the customer journey that lead to a conversion or sale, helping businesses understand which channels are most effective.

Brand Loyalty: The extent to which consumers consistently choose one brand over competitors due to emotional attachment, satisfaction, or perceived value.

Behavioral Data: Information gathered about how consumers interact with a brand or product, such as browsing habits, purchase history, or engagement with marketing content.

Buyer Persona: A detailed description of a target customer based on research, encompassing demographic data, behavioral patterns, motivations, and goals.

Best Practices

Brand Equity: The value a brand holds in the marketplace, driven by customer perceptions, experiences, and relationships with the brand.

Customer Journey: The series of interactions and touchpoints a consumer experiences with a brand, from initial awareness to post-purchase support.

Churn Rate: The percentage of customers who stop using a product or service over a specific period, often used as a metric for customer retention.

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): A prediction of the total value a customer will bring to a company over the entire duration of their relationship, used to guide marketing and retention strategies.

Customer Feedback Loop: A continuous process of gathering, analyzing, and acting on customer feedback to improve products, services, or experiences.

Customer Experience (CX): The overall perception and feelings a customer has about a company based on their interactions across various touchpoints, including online, offline, pre-purchase, and post-purchase experiences.

Customer Retention: The ability of a company to keep its existing customers over time, usually measured as a percentage of repeat buyers, and is critical for sustainable business growth.

Cross-Selling: A strategy to encourage customers to purchase related or complementary products or services in addition to their primary purchase, enhancing the overall experience and increasing revenue.

CX Metrics: A set of key performance indicators (KPIs) used to evaluate the quality of the customer experience. Common metrics include NPS (Net Promoter Score), CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score), and CES (Customer Effort Score).

Data-Driven Decision Making: The practice of basing business and marketing decisions on data analysis and interpretation rather than intuition or anecdotal evidence.

Demographic Segmentation: Dividing customers into segments based on factors like age, gender, income, education, and geographic location to better target products and services.

Diary Study: A qualitative research method where participants record their thoughts, behaviors, and experiences over a period of time, providing insights into real-world consumer interactions.

Data-Driven Insights: The use of data collected from customer interactions and feedback to inform decisions about improving customer experience.

Diary Study: A qualitative research method where participants record their thoughts, behaviors, and experiences over a period of time, providing insights into real-world consumer interactions.

Emotional Response: The feelings elicited in a consumer when they interact with a brand or product, influencing decision-making and brand loyalty.

Emotional Journey Mapping: A technique for understanding how customers feel at each stage of their interaction with a brand, helping to design experiences that foster positive emotions.

Emotional Branding: A marketing strategy that focuses on creating a deep emotional connection with consumers by appealing to their feelings, values, and aspirations to foster loyalty and positive brand perception.

Engagement Rate: A metric used to assess how actively consumers are interacting with content on social media, websites, or email campaigns. It includes likes, shares, comments, and click-through rates.

Ethnographic Research: A research method that involves observing consumers in their natural environment to gain insights into their behaviors, motivations, and cultural influences.

Exit Survey: A questionnaire given to consumers when they are leaving a website or store, aimed at understanding why they did not complete a purchase or other desired action.

Experience Management (XM): A structured approach to improving the four core experiences—customer, employee, product, and brand—by focusing on the feelings and perceptions that drive behavior.

Eye Tracking: A technology that measures where and how long a person looks at certain parts of a visual display (like a webpage, ad, or product). Marketers use this data to understand visual engagement and optimize content design.

Facial Coding: A method that uses AI to analyze facial expressions to detect emotions such as happiness, surprise, or frustration. It's commonly used in advertising and product testing to measure consumer responses.

First Contact Resolution (FCR): A metric used in customer service that measures the percentage of customer issues resolved in the first interaction, leading to higher satisfaction.

Focus Group: A qualitative research method where a small group of consumers discuss their perceptions, opinions, and attitudes toward a product or service under the guidance of a moderator.

Feedback Loop: The process of gathering consumer feedback, analyzing it, and making iterative changes to a product or service to improve customer satisfaction and experiences.

First-Party Data: Data collected directly from consumers by a company, such as through website interactions, surveys, or customer support, used for personalized marketing and insights.

Friction Points: Moments in the customer journey where the experience becomes difficult or frustrating, hindering the customer's ability to achieve their goals efficiently.

Focus Group: A qualitative research method where a small group of consumers discuss their perceptions, opinions, and attitudes toward a product or service under the guidance of a moderator.

Gap Analysis: The process of comparing actual customer experiences to expected or desired experiences to identify areas for improvement in a product or service.

Geographic Segmentation: The division of a target market based on geographic criteria, such as region, city, or neighborhood, to tailor marketing messages or offers to a specific location.

Gestalt Psychology in CX: Applying the principles of Gestalt psychology to understand how customers perceive the overall experience, with a focus on creating seamless interactions.

Granular Data: Detailed, specific data points that offer deep insights into consumer behavior, preferences, and interactions, allowing for more precise targeting and analysis.

Growth Marketing: A data-driven approach to marketing that focuses on rapidly testing and optimizing strategies to acquire, engage, and retain customers efficiently.

Guide Experience: Structured content or tutorials that help users navigate products or services, leading to a smoother onboarding process and enhanced customer experience.

Hypothesis Testing: A research method where assumptions about consumer behavior or preferences are tested through experiments or surveys to validate or invalidate them.

Heatmap: A visual representation of data that shows how consumers interact with a website or app, often used to understand where attention is focused and identify usability issues.

Human-Centered Design (HCD): A design framework that ensures solutions are developed with a deep understanding of the customer’s needs, pain points, and experiences.

Help Desk Software: A tool used by customer support teams to manage inquiries, support tickets, and issue resolution efficiently.

Hyper-Targeting: The practice of delivering highly personalized marketing messages to very specific audience segments based on a combination of demographic, behavioral, and psychographic data, aiming to increase relevance and engagement.

Insights AI: Advanced AI tools and systems used to derive meaningful insights from vast amounts of data, including behavioral and emotional data, to inform business and marketing decisions.

Incentivization: The use of rewards or perks, such as discounts or free trials, to motivate consumers to take specific actions, such as completing a survey or making a purchase.

Insights: Deep, actionable understanding derived from consumer data and research, used to inform marketing strategies, product development, and customer experience improvements.

Intent Data: Information that indicates a consumer’s intent to purchase or take a specific action, often gathered from online behavior, search queries, or content engagement.

Interaction Analytics: Analyzing customer interactions across channels, such as voice, chat, or email, to identify trends and improve service delivery.

Interactive Content: Content designed to engage users through participation, such as quizzes, polls, calculators, and interactive infographics, often used to boost engagement rates and collect data from audiences.

Journey Mapping: A visualization of the consumer’s end-to-end experience with a brand, highlighting key touchpoints, emotions, and pain points throughout their journey.

Joint Survey: A collaborative research effort where multiple companies or departments gather data from a shared target audience to gain comprehensive insights.

Just-In-Time Marketing: A strategy that delivers personalized marketing messages to consumers at the moment they are most likely to engage, often based on real-time data and behavior.

Journey Orchestration: The process of managing and optimizing every step of the customer journey in real time, ensuring seamless transitions between touchpoints.

Joint Customer Success: A collaborative approach where businesses and customers work together to achieve success, focusing on aligning goals and delivering maximum value.

Just-In-Time Feedback: Collecting feedback from customers at relevant touchpoints in their journey to understand their experiences and drive real-time improvements.

Key Drivers: The factors that have the greatest impact on consumer behavior, such as price, quality, convenience, or brand reputation, are used to prioritize marketing efforts.

Kano Model: A framework for understanding customer preferences, categorizing product features based on how they affect customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Knowledge Panel: A centralized source of information provided to consumers about a product, service, or brand, often used to enhance visibility in search engines and improve customer trust.

Key Moments: Critical touchpoints in the customer journey where interactions have a significant impact on overall customer satisfaction, loyalty, or decision-making.

Kano Model: A framework is used to prioritize product features based on their impact on customer satisfaction, balancing basic needs, performance, and delight features.

Loyalty Program: A marketing strategy designed to encourage repeat business by rewarding customers for their continued patronage, often through points, discounts, or exclusive offers.

Lead Nurturing: The process of developing relationships with potential customers throughout the sales funnel, using personalized content and interactions to guide them toward conversion.

Latent Need: A consumer need that is not immediately obvious or expressed but can be uncovered through research and innovation, leading to the development of new products or services.

Live Chat Support: A real-time customer service tool that allows users to communicate with support agents via messaging, enhancing the speed and convenience of issue resolution.

Longitudinal Study: A research method that tracks the same group of customers over time to observe changes in behavior, preferences, or satisfaction.

Lookalike Audience: A marketing strategy where a brand targets new audiences who share similar characteristics and behaviors with an existing audience. This is commonly used in digital advertising to expand its reach to potential customers.

Market Research: The process of gathering, analyzing, and interpreting information about a market, product, or target audience to inform business decisions and strategies.

Moment of Truth: A key interaction or touchpoint in the customer journey that significantly impacts a consumer’s perception of a brand, often influencing their decision to purchase or not.

Mystery Shopping: A research method where trained individuals pose as customers to evaluate the quality of service, product offerings, and overall customer experience at a business.

Multichannel Experience: An approach to customer experience that ensures consistency and ease of use across multiple channels, such as online, in-store, or mobile.

Net Promoter Score (NPS): A widely used metric that measures customer loyalty and satisfaction by asking consumers how likely they are to recommend a brand to others.

Neuroscience Research: A method of studying how consumers’ brains respond to marketing stimuli, such as ads or products, to better understand emotional and cognitive reactions.

Niche Market: A small, specialized segment of the market, often with unique needs or preferences, that brands can target with tailored products or marketing.

Nudging: Using subtle prompts or cues in the customer experience to influence behavior, such as encouraging product recommendations or highlighting key benefits.

Needs-Based Segmentation: Categorizing customers based on their specific needs and tailoring marketing efforts or product features to better meet those needs.

Omnichannel Experience: A seamless consumer experience across multiple channels, both online and offline, where each touchpoint is consistent and connected to the overall brand strategy.

Opinion Leader: A person or group with the ability to influence the attitudes or behaviors of others within a target audience, often used in influencer marketing strategies.

Observational Research: A research method that involves watching and recording consumer behavior in real-world environments to gather insights without direct interaction.

Onboarding Experience: The process of guiding new customers through their first interactions with a product or service, ensuring they understand its value and functionality.

Content that changes based on user interactions, preferences, or other contextual factors.

Pain Points: Specific problems or challenges consumers face when interacting with a product or service, often used to inform design improvements or marketing messaging.

Psychographics: The study of consumers’ psychological traits, such as interests, attitudes, and values, to better understand their motivations and preferences.

Panel Study: A longitudinal research method where a group of participants is surveyed or observed over an extended period to track changes in behavior or attitudes.

Personalization: Tailoring products, services, or marketing messages to individual customers based on their preferences, behavior, or past interactions.

Predictive Analytics: The use of data, machine learning, and AI to predict future trends and behaviors based on historical data. Predictive analytics helps marketers anticipate customer needs, optimize campaigns, and make data-driven decisions.

Post-Purchase Experience: The stage after a customer completes a purchase, focusing on delivery, onboarding, and ongoing support to ensure continued satisfaction.

Quantitative Research: Research methods focused on collecting numerical data, such as surveys or analytics, to measure consumer behavior and identify trends.

Quantitative Research: A research method that involves the collection and analysis of numerical data, such as surveys and experiments, to identify patterns and measure consumer behaviors at scale.

Queue Management: Techniques are used in customer service to manage wait times and customer flow, aiming to improve the efficiency of service and customer satisfaction.

Quality Assurance (QA): The process of ensuring that a product or service meets specific standards and delivers a consistent and positive customer experience.

Content that changes based on user interactions, preferences, or other contextual factors.

Regression Analysis: A statistical method used to understand the relationship between different variables, often employed in consumer research to predict behaviors or outcomes.

Retention Marketing: A strategy focused on retaining existing customers through personalized communication, loyalty programs, and ongoing engagement to reduce churn.

Response Bias: A distortion of survey or research results caused by participants providing inaccurate or misleading answers, often due to social desirability or leading questions.

Retention Rate: The percentage of customers who continue using a product or service over a given time period, indicating the effectiveness of customer experience efforts.

Real-Time Analytics: The collection and analysis of customer data as it happens, enabling businesses to make immediate adjustments to improve the customer experience.

Content that changes based on user interactions, preferences, or other contextual factors.

Satisfaction Survey: A questionnaire designed to measure customer satisfaction with a product or service, often used to gauge brand loyalty and identify areas for improvement.

Sample Size: The number of participants or data points included in a research study, where larger samples tend to produce more reliable and generalizable results.

Social Listening: The process of monitoring online conversations and social media to gain insights into consumer opinions, preferences, and brand sentiment.

Sentiment Analysis: The process of analyzing customer feedback, reviews, or social media mentions to determine the overall sentiment (positive, negative, neutral) toward a brand.

Service Blueprinting: A method for visualizing and analyzing the processes involved in delivering a service, identifying opportunities to enhance customer experience.

Target Audience: The specific group of consumers a brand aims to reach with its marketing efforts, typically defined by demographic, geographic, or behavioral traits.

Testimonial: A statement from a satisfied customer that endorses a product or service, often used in marketing materials to build trust and credibility.

Touchpoint: Any interaction or contact a consumer has with a brand during their journey, including both online and offline experiences.

Thematic Analysis: A research method for identifying and analyzing patterns or themes in customer feedback, helping businesses understand common experiences and issues.

Transactional NPS: A metric that measures customer satisfaction immediately after a specific interaction, such as a purchase or support call, rather than overall loyalty.

User-Generated Content (UGC): Content created and shared by consumers, such as reviews, photos, or social media posts, that brands can leverage to build authenticity and trust.

Usage Rate: A metric that measures how often or how customers return to a product or service after their initial use. It's used to assess customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Usability Testing: A research method where customers are observed using a product or service to identify usability issues and gather feedback for improvement.

Upselling: A sales technique where customers are encouraged to purchase a higher-end product or add additional features, improving revenue and customer satisfaction.

UX (User Experience): The overall experience a user has when interacting with a product, website, or application. Good UX design prioritizes ease of use, accessibility, and satisfaction to improve user engagement and retention.

Voice of the Customer (VoC): A research method used to capture and analyze customer expectations, preferences, and feedback to improve products and services.

Value Proposition: The unique benefits or features a brand offers to customers, differentiating it from competitors and providing reasons to choose the brand.

Virtual Customer Service: Customer service provided through digital means, such as chatbots or AI-powered support systems, to deliver assistance without human intervention.

Win-Back Campaign: A marketing strategy aimed at re-engaging and retaining customers who have stopped purchasing or interacting with a brand.

Website Personalization: Customizing a website's content and layout based on the visitor's past behavior, preferences, or demographics to enhance the experience.

Workflow Automation: Automating repetitive tasks in customer experience processes, such as support ticket management or email follow-ups, to improve efficiency.

Yield Management: A strategy used to maximize revenue by adjusting the price or availability of a product based on customer demand, often seen in industries like hospitality and airlines.

The unique quality or feature of a design that sets it apart from competitors and adds exceptional value or appeal to users.

Yield Management: A strategy used to maximize revenue by adjusting the price or availability of a product based on customer demand, often seen in industries like hospitality and airlines.

Yearly CX Analysis: An annual review of customer experience metrics and insights to identify long-term trends, customer behavior changes, and areas for improvement.

Zero-Party Data: Data that customers intentionally and proactively share with a company, such as preferences, interests, and feedback, used to tailor their experience.

Zen Customer Experience: A CX approach that focuses on simplicity, minimizing friction, and delivering seamless, stress-free interactions for customers.