A product showroom is usually evaluated by the product on display.
But customers experience a business before they touch the product.
A visit to River's showroom in Kochi is a useful example.
The experience began before the scooter itself became the focus. The security guard helped with parking. The interaction was calm and welcoming. The environment felt closer to a contemporary technology or design company than a conventional automobile showroom.
Customers experience a sequence
That matters because customers do not experience businesses in departmental categories.
They experience a sequence.
Arrival.
Parking.
Greeting.
Navigation.
Conversation.
Product interaction.
Payment.
Follow-up.
Every small interaction contributes to the perception of the brand.
A business can spend heavily on branding and advertising and then lose some of that value through a poor first interaction.
The reverse is also true.
A thoughtful experience can strengthen the positioning created by the marketing.
When the product can't differentiate
This is particularly important for categories where the product itself is difficult to differentiate.
Electric vehicles provide an interesting example. Specifications can be compared. Prices can be compared. Features can be listed.
Experience is harder to compare on a spreadsheet.
How does the brand make a customer feel?
Does the environment create confidence?
Do employees behave like the brand claims to behave?
Does the process feel modern, easy and considered?
These details become part of the product experience.
It starts before the purchase, not after
Customer experience therefore should not be treated as a customer-support problem that begins after purchase.
It begins the moment someone encounters the business.
Sometimes that moment is an advertisement.
Sometimes it is a Google search.
Sometimes it is a security guard helping someone park.
The customer does not separate these interactions.
Neither should the brand.