FedEx, the logistics company, is measuring consumer emotion as a means of tracking the most significant pain points in the customer journey.

Originally a B2B delivery business, FedEx has developed a significant B2C business in the age of online retail. “Today, almost 50% of our stops every day in the US are actually to residences,” according to Brie Carere, FedEx’s evp/chief marketing and communications officer.

Speaking at the recent CES 2020 event in Las Vegas, she explained how the company is reframing its strategy to put the consumer – and not just shiny new technology – at the center of its thinking.

And a crucial part of that is that “we started to measure emotion”, Carere said. (For more details, read WARC’s report: Why FedEx is researching consumer emotions to help deliver a new brand strategy.)

Such granular consumer knowledge can assist FedEx in identifying the most important pain points on the customer journey, as well as the roadblocks that may be a lower priority.

“When you think about friction, there are things that are kind of annoying when you’re doing your customer journey, and there are things where they can either delight or really piss you off. And we have been measuring all of those,” she reported.

“It’s really, really important to understand those moments, because you can spend a lot of time and energy fixing something that doesn’t change the emotion in a consumer, and that doesn’t make them feel different about your experience, about your brand, about what you’re bringing to market.”

An instance where shiny new tech meets consumer psychology is “Roxo”, an AI-powered delivery robot that FedEx tested last year in various markets, including Memphis, New York, and Dubai.

“How do you feel when Roxo comes to your door?” asked Carere. “How do you feel about Roxo going down the sidewalk when you’re walking your dog or you’re out with a stroller? Because most of us are not used to a robot walking by.

“You have to think about the physical, the digital, and, of course, the emotional, and the customer experience.”

And it’s that work on customer emotions that FedEx is betting will give it a competitive edge when automated delivery eventually arrives.

Sourced from WARC