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Research Outline

Prepared for Jack M. | Delivered June 28, 2021

Apple: Customer Experience

Goals

To prove that Apple's customer experience allows it to maintain and grow its user base. An example here could include the "exclusivity" of owning an Apple product, the free use of the Genius Bar at any Apple Store for troubleshooting problems, among others. This data will be used to write a script for a YouTube video.
  • Provide statistics to prove/disprove this statement.
  • Provide examples of some of the strategies the company implements to enhance the customer experience.

Early Findings

Data Availability

The initial round of research indicates that there is a wealth of information available on this topic.

Apple's Customer Satisfaction Statistics

  • Customer experience has been a critical strategy in building the Apple brand. This is reflected in a statement by Steve Jobs: “You’ve got to start with the Customer Experience and work back toward the Technology, not the other way around.”
  • According to the American customer satisfaction index, Mac and iPad buyers registered the highest customer satisfaction rate of 82% in the personal computer category.
  • A survey of Apple Watch users reveals a satisfaction rate of 97%. 
  • The results of a survey of 2,014 iPhone users reveal that 91.9% intend to stay with the brand against 74% of current Samsung users. Additionally, Samsung users have higher rates of switching to iPhones than vice versa. This is because iPhone users are 18% more loyal than Samsung customers.
  •  61% of iPhone users that intend to stay loyal opt to because they like the brand and believe that it is the best in the market. Additionally, 21% feel that they are too used to the device's ecosystem, 10% say that they would not want the hassle of switching from one operating system to another, and 8% would rather stay with what they are familiar with instead of switch brands.
  • In 2020, an MBLM study into brand intimacy ranked Apple at the top followed by Amazon and Google, respectively. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, this brand still maintained a strong connection with its customers. In the course of the year, customers demonstrated a 23% increase in connecting with brands emotionally. This study also revealed that Apple ranked top among women and millennials. 

Customer Loyalty Strategies

  • Apple emotionally connects with its user base using adverts. The Think Different advert gave the brand a David-vs-Goliath feel, which connected with people strongly. This makes its user base feel a sense of purpose and connection.
  • Apple's marketing strategy focuses on the value that its products add to people's lives instead of listing out the different features that are available. They focus on addressing people's emotions instead of reason, believing that they are more likely to act out of emotions rather than logic.

Summary

  • Within the first hour, we have been able to prove that by focusing on their customer experience, Apple has managed to maintain and even grow its user base over time.
  • For a deeper dive into the different strategies and additional statistics, we recommend further research. Details on our recommended research paths have been provided in our proposals below.
  • For all our research, we would focus on the United States unless a different research path is requested.