The Consumer Reset: Creating Trustworthy Digital Experiences Amid Shifting Expectations
Editor's note: This article is an automated speech-to-text transcription, edited lightly for clarity.
Key Lime Interactive was one of the organizations that presented during the Quirk’s Virtual Session – Consumer Reset series on March 12, 2025. The presentation focused on building trustworthy digital experiences with consumers amid shifting expectations.
Key Lime Interactive’s President, Eugenio Santiago, shared questions to ask yourself to see if your organizations digital experiences are up to consumer expectations. He also went through the best practices for a consumer centered, trustworthy digital experience.
Read the full transcript or watch the video to gain the insights for yourself.
Session transcript
Joe Rydholm
Hi everybody and welcome to our session, ‘The Consumer Reset: Creating Trustworthy Digital Experiences Amid Shifting Expectations.’ I’m Quirk’s Editor, Joe Rydholm.
Before we get started let’s quickly go over the ways you can participate in today’s discussion. You can use the chat tab to interact with other attendees and you can use the Q&A tab to submit questions during the session. And we will answer as many questions as we have time for at the end.
Our session today is presented by Key Lime Interactive. Enjoy the presentation!
Eugenio Santiago
Welcome everybody to today's webinar. The digital landscape has shifted significantly, and today we'll explore what that means for consumer trust and engagement.
My name is Eugenio Santiago. I'm the president of Key Lime Interactive, and I'm excited to guide you through how businesses can create seamless, inclusive and trustworthy digital experiences.
Before we begin, I'll tell you a little bit about myself. I am a user research professional, with over 20 years of experience, designing and executing research and sharing actionable insights.
Many years ago, I cut my teeth as someone who supported user research projects, graduated to running projects of my own where I did get an opportunity to travel to over 43 different cities globally to run this research.
Now I lead this research organization of about 40 researchers. And we're tasked with executing research for some of the most well-known brands in the world.
Over the last five years, I've been personally focusing on scaling research ops and educating my team on how to make an impact with the research that we conduct at Key Lime Interactive. We believe that knowing your customers' needs and understanding their behavior is the key to business success. Our focus is to bring information to our clients so that they can create better and more inclusive experiences, products and services.
So, really, quickly. This is what I plan on going over today in our short but hopefully impactful session.
I'm going to start with a little bit of context setting and share with you all what we're up against. Then we will dive into topics about building trust through digital experiences and creating inclusive and adaptable journeys. Then we'll do a quick recap.
So, let's start with understanding the current consumer landscape.
Now, more than ever knowing your customers and understanding their behavior is the key to business success. This is because of how rapidly things are evolving. Consumers expect more options. They want faster service, and they have higher standards. It's not only about reacting to what they do, but about predicting and guiding their journey.
So, you know what exactly is going on. And it's there's a lot. But before we get into how consumer behavior and priorities are shifting; I want to quickly touch upon some of the external factors we have to contend with. These are things that businesses have to be mindful of even though they don't really have a lot of control over it. But these things are influencing consumer expectations.
So, things like our current economic uncertainty is leading to consumers more closely scrutinizing their options more so than they did in the past. As consumers, most of us nowadays are in pursuit of value, right?
In addition to that, over the last five years, digital transformation has continued to revolutionize how consumers engage with brands. Our changing demographics are playing a big role in moving the target of what it takes to win over customers so that these things make the task of defining value not so easy.
As we think of the generations of people on the planet there's definitely an overlap in what we collectively define as value. However, our approach to decision-making can vary pretty greatly.
For instance, most Baby Boomers are adapting to online shopping, appreciate things like clear communication, reliability and easy to use interfaces. So, focusing on their needs of convenience and trust can go a long way to gaining their loyalty.
When it comes to Gen X, we value quality, practicality and convenience. You know we're a pretty practical bunch.
Our millennials value authenticity, social proof and personalization. And if you don't get it right, they are quick to explore alternatives.
Gen Z is growing accustomed to fast and seamless digital experiences. On top of that they also expect brands to be able to be to stand for something, and they align themselves with the brands that match their values. So, things like mental health, prioritization, inclusivity and social responsibility just to name a few.
So, what does all of this mean? What do all of these changes, these factors mean for business?
Well, it means that consumers today have heightened expectations for digital experiences. There is an increasingly growing demand for those experiences to also be frictionless and seamless. We have to contend with increased consumer skepticism where trust remains and continues to be a core driver for brand loyalty.
And then there's this growing expectation for personalization and ethical digital practices.
So, when I think of these, I think ‘man, that's a lot. What do we need to do? If we don't get it right, how forgiving will customers be if we don't get it right?’
The data suggests that they won't be very forgiving at all. In fact, according to a 2023 PwC study, 32% of consumers would stop doing business with the brand after just one single poor experience.
I mentioned briefly the importance of trust, and I want to expand on that. Trust is fragile, but it's critical, and I'm going to break it down into four actionable pillars.
The first pillar is security and privacy. Then we've got seamless and reliable experiences. We follow that with authenticity and transparency. Lastly, we have human-centered design.
We believe trust is the foundation of successful digital engagement in an online environment where consumers are interacting with brands without a lot of face-to-face interaction. Trust becomes a critical factor in overall customer decision making, in retention and in brand advocacy. Trust can directly impact retention and revenue.
So, I'm going to talk about the different ways that trust can really impact important business KPIs and ultimately the bottom line.
Consumers who trust a brand generally are more likely to stay loyal, whereas a lack of trust can lead to high churn rates as users might abandon brands that don't provide security, transparency and reliability. So, in this scenario trust can be closely tied to achieving higher customer retention.
Another thing that trust can do is it can increase the overall customer lifetime value. Generally loyal and trusting customers tend to spend more money over time making them more valuable than transactional or one-time buyers.
Another example of how trust can directly impact business KPIs is through the lens of trustworthy checkout experiences where those are leading to fewer abandoned carts which are boosting conversion rates. Trust can and will often lead to stronger word of mouth and referrals because customers who trust the brand are more likely to recommend it to others which leads to organic growth.
Then the last example I wanted to share is around competitive differentiation. In particular markets where products and prices are similar trust can become a key differentiator. I'm thinking of industries like finance, health care and e-commerce, where there's some degree of parity, trust can really be the thing that moves the needle.
So, I talked generally about how trust can influence, positively and negatively, some important business metrics. But I also want to leave you with a tangible example of what that looks like in practice. So, I'm going to talk about something that I believe most of us are familiar with, and that's shopping on Amazon.
Amazon has built one of the most trusted digital commerce platforms. They've done it by focusing on security, transparency and customer centric policies. So, I'm going to talk about what that actually looks like and some shining examples of these things.
My family buys a lot of stuff on Amazon. And one of the things that I know I appreciate is how seamless and secure their checkout process is.
Amazon for years now has offered multiple secure payment options. It has offered one click checkout options as an example and really easy to follow, and clear refund policies. These are the types of things that as a business they offer that ensures customers feel safe making a purchase. Again, it leads into trust, which removes one area of concern that we may have, consciously or subconsciously.
Another is, there has for a long time been a degree of authenticity and transparency that Amazon has offered its customers via their customer reviews. So, they've had customer verified reviews and a rating system. The types of things that build credibility and help shoppers make informed decisions.
Now these two things I see everywhere on e-commerce sites of all varieties. Even when it comes to booking things for travel, buying electronics, buying household goods, it's become a staple. And if I don't see it, it sort of feels weird, sometimes it may not even feel real.
Another example that Amazon has done is in reinforcing trust through easy returns and refunds, a type of customer centric policy. It again builds on making buyers confident in their purchases. It's easy to order things on Amazon. It's just as easy if the thing that you ordered doesn't necessarily match your expectations to send it back. Again, we're talking about reducing friction to increase engagement. This is a prime example of that.
Speaking of Prime, and the last example I will use, Amazon has spoiled us, and sort of got us to a point where we are expecting fast, on time deliveries and via their Prime program. They consistently deliver on that, and they even offer ways to reliably track the status of your orders. These are things that they are doing to communicate and provide you with a sense of control. Then allowing you to be adaptable, to be flexible, depending on if your situation or your needs change by prioritizing trust.
Throughout their digital experience, their policies and services, Amazon is reaping the benefits of that. And so, they've got higher retention rates. They've got increased revenue, and they're the top dogs when it comes to thinking about e-commerce.
Alright. So, I just talked about the pillars of trust within a digital experience. And we talked about how that looks for Amazon. Now, I want to tell you about a framework that you can use to evaluate your own digital experiences.
You can use a trust model like this which can help provide you with a structured approach to building consumer confidence and enhancing digital experiences.
So, I'll talk a little bit about how to apply each component of this trust model effectively. I'm going to first start with transparent communication. Clearly communicating how customer data is collected and used is a form of transparent communication. So, think privacy policies, and perhaps, instead of being riddled with legal jargon, you can provide it in more simple language as an example.
Another example of transparent communication can be in the transfer of information as we're doing research online. Another really specific example can be providing straightforward pricing with no hidden fees. Clear return policies, be upfront with that information. There's no real value in hiding it in fine print. Again, it goes a long way, and you can help people reach their decision point faster. Even subconsciously, they'll appreciate it more.
No one likes to jump through hoops to only find out that what you think was going to be a good fit is not going to be a good fit. You're not necessarily doing yourself any favors. You're also not really influencing your ability to convert, which is ultimately what you're looking for.
Another example of transparent communication, I talked about this with Amazon, is real time status updates on orders, transactions, customer support calls, keeping people in the loop, letting them know that you're dealing with it. Again, it goes a long way to removing that from sort of the list of problems that people have. And it goes a long way into how they ultimately perceive your brand.
Another part of the trust model that I want to talk about is reliable interactions. We're focusing on digital, but it's interactions in general. This is about performance. This is ultimately about properly setting and meeting the expectations that consumers have of us.
In the digital landscape that can manifest itself in things like the website and the app working when people expect it to work with things like fast loading times and minimal downtime. We can't take these things for granted. The overall impact that they have on how people perceive brands overall accuracy and information is important. So whether that is through chat bots, customer support, FAQs, providing accurate and consistent responses is proving a degree of reliability right to your customers, which again builds trust.
Another portion of the trust model, the ‘U’ here stands for user-centered design.
Some examples, if we're thinking about e-commerce or digital experiences. Again, there's this move towards personalization and so moving towards personalization is about understanding users needs and trying to meet them where they are.
One of the things that we need to be mindful of is that we need to get into this “Goldilocks” zone of providing personalized experiences without being too intrusive. We want to provide contextually relevant recommendations. But the challenge is, can we do it without excessively tracking or coming across as creepy? There's sort of a fine zone in there.
Another example of user center design is designing with accessibility in mind. I'm going to talk about that in the next slide or so. But again, understanding people's needs creating that bridge goes a long way into building that rapport, building that trust that creates that customer loyalty.
There are a number of things that fall into this category, but user-centered design is not like a sticker that you slap on something. It is about continuous iteration. So, you're continuously collecting and applying customer feedback to improve things like usability. That's how you are adding to the to the trust bucket.
The fourth one is about security and privacy.
I'm sure all of us agree, security and privacy are increasingly important with all the different scams and stuff going on there. So we each, however difficult it might be, we have to play our role, brains have to play their role in there. So, things like multi-factor authentication, encrypting user data are ways to secure these experiences, but even things as simple as security badges and SSL Certificates, visual reminders and customer testimonials are ways to communicate and to show that you know security is top of mind. Again it builds trust.
Then the last one that I'll talk about here is timeliness, timeliness in support and feedback loops. We're talking about things like a real time chat support which is in growing in terms of its prevalence. Quick, turnaround times in terms of responding to customer concerns.
AI is going to play a role. Automation is ultimately going to play a role in terms of speeding up resolution times again. AI is not just speed. It's not just convenience. Remember especially Gen. Z and some of the newer generations are still looking for meaningful interactions. You can't sacrifice the human touch. That's not what consumers are looking for. And this, user-centered design I mentioned before, is also iterative. So, it's the space where you can regularly engage with customers, whether it's through follow-ups, whether it's through surveys.
Ultimately, though, it's about iterating and improving the experiences that our customers are interacting with. That is the proof that you are constantly looking to be adaptable and sort of evolve with what their needs are.
So, I've talked about the importance of trust, and we just quickly reviewed a framework that you can use to measure how well your brand experiences are doing in that regard.
Now, I'd like to talk about the importance of meeting people where they are at.
Let's think about the last time that you struggled with a digital experience. Maybe it was a website that was hard to navigate, maybe the text on the app was too small for you to read, or you were interacting with the chat bot, and you were frustrated because it didn't understand what you were asking for. Right. I know that when I encounter things like this and it's pretty frustrating.
Now, let's imagine, if you were facing these challenges every day because of a disability, because of a language barrier, because there's a lack of personalization. These are examples why inclusivity in digital experiences are no longer optional, but essential. Businesses today must ensure that their digital experiences are accessible, adaptive and user friendly for everyone, because when users feel excluded, they disengage. But when they feel understood, they become loyal advocates.
I'm going to talk about how to build experiences that are both inclusive and adaptable. And I'm going to break it down into three key aspects of inclusive digital journeys.
So, the first one is accessibility for all users. True digital inclusivity starts with accessibility. For instance, how many of you know that over one billion people worldwide have some form of disability, yet many digital platforms remain difficult for them to navigate.
In this particular instance, accessibility includes things like voice navigation, color and contrast adjustments, alternative text or images. Could you include things like screen readers?
Why is this important? Aside from being ethically and legally important, it also has the ability to expand our potential customer base. So, from a business standpoint, that sounds really important to me. So, that's the first thing I want to talk about accessibility for all users.
The second is what I was talking about a few minutes ago in terms of personalization, without overreach. Consumers want personalized experiences, but they also want to feel respected and secure when it comes to their data. I talked about this before the challenge that we have to combat is over personalization, because that can feel invasive, and that may lead to distrust rather than engagement, which we're looking for.
The solution there is to be thinking about how you go about personalizing. Are you doing it in an ethical way, whether that includes AI or not? You need to respect user preferences, and you need to lean much more towards providing transparency in how data is used.
Then the third aspect that I want to talk about for me is really important, and goes a long way into hitting the mark in terms of frictionless and seamless experiences. And that's consistency across all the different channels.
Users are interacting with brands across multiple touch points, digital touchpoints like mobile apps, computers, phones, voice assistants and even analog, in person, on the phone with someone. It is critically important that the experience is as seamless as it can be, regardless of any of the platforms that they're engaging with you on, and if not, frustration builds.
What does consistency look like? I'll give you an example.
Let's imagine you're booking a trip or you're exploring a cruise. You're online. You're looking for some information. Maybe you get about 75 to 80% of the way there, but there are some questions that come up. So, maybe you start on your phone. But then you sort of pick it up when you get home on the computer as a user. The expectation is that you can continue where you left off and it doesn't end right from digital to digital. What if you need to pick up the phone and finish the transaction with someone on the phone.
Experiences that are really good are the ones where it feels like the baton is being passed right from one to the other. Some companies that are really good, or industries that are really good at this are streaming providers.
Think about it. We log into Netflix. We could be on a phone, a computer or a television. And it doesn't really matter where you where you log back in they have made it such that it remembers where you left off right.
That's the kind of adaptability that keeps users engaged. It feels very normal nowadays, for Netflix or streaming providers, but this is where things are going. That's the trend in terms of you know our expectations, consumers expectations of what a smooth customer experience looks like.
So, I was talking about accessibility and inclusiveness in design, and some of you might say, ‘Hey, look, this is great, but it's not really a priority for us, or it's just too specific.’ What I'd like to do is help you make the business case for inclusive digital journeys.
I've been on this kick lately about the importance of not just talking about customer experience and UX in terms of improving the experience for consumers and users, but also about how we must translate the message into a language that captures the attention of business executives and product. And so, I'm going to do the same here by translating that message about accessibility into how it can impact important business KPIs. Because beyond it being the right thing to do, inclusivity and adaptability are good for business.
And so here are some examples.
When experiences are inclusive, ultimately more people can engage with your brand. That means you've got potentially a larger customer base. Good for business.
Users are more likely to return when they feel their needs are understood. That can positively influence customer retention rates.
Inclusive brands are seen as more ethical, forward-thinking and socially responsible. Building, stronger brand trust and reputation. With Gen Z in particular, this is an important part of how they are making decisions.
I read in a study by Accenture that companies with inclusive digital experiences saw an increase of 1.6 times in their customer engagement rate and up to 30% higher retention. This data proves that inclusive design isn't just a nice to have, but it's also a competitive advantage.
Then the last thing I want to leave you with is, remember that example I mentioned about someone with a visual impairment having a difficult time using an app. One of the major things that we've learned when researching these types of scenarios here at Key Lime is that while some people live with these challenges all the time, many of us will encounter very similar challenges often.
I personally do not have a permanent visual impairment, but I can still find myself in an environment where the lighting might be poor or some other environmental condition impairs my vision, and therefore my ability to interact with an app is now occurring in a less than ideal manner. The takeaway here is that many times when we address accessibility issues they result in improvements for everyone.
I'm running short on time. So, let's recap with a simple checklist that you can use to assess your digital inclusivity.
I want you to be thinking about five questions that you can ask yourself so that you can assess how well your digital inclusivity is.
The first one is around accessibility. Can all users, including those with disabilities, navigate your platform.
Two. Ethical personalization. Are you customizing experiences without overstepping privacy?
Three. Consistency is king. Is your experience seamless across multiple devices, multiple channels.
Number four. Are you designing for diverse audiences?
Number five. Are you regularly refining your inclusivity efforts?
If you address these questions, then the businesses you work for can ensure that they aren't just meeting today's consumer expectations, but they are also future proofing their digital experience strategies.
And remember, inclusivity is not a one-time thing like user-centered design. It's an ongoing commitment to creating digital experiences that work for everyone.
To wrap up, these were three of the main things that I wanted to leave you with in terms of how consumers are sort of resetting their expectations; trust is critical, security, transparency, human-centered design drives loyalty and inclusive and adaptable experiences are the future.
We believe brands that prioritize trust and inclusivity will be the ones that thrive in this new landscape.
Thank you for your time. I hope we have some time for some additional questions. Again, thank you.