Pretty random, considering we’d never had any particularly personal conversations before, but he started telling me how the freshness of the roses, as well as the number of them, had caused some dissatisfaction among his daughters.
But he said it in a rather neutral tone, somehow.
I was fascinated by the fact that he chose to share something quite personal with me, of all people, but also by the story itself.
I thought it was beautiful and admirable that he had decided to give his daughters bouquets with lots of roses for their birthdays.
Then I started thinking about this dimension of more personal interactions between an employee and a customer.
And how this can indirectly build a sense of belonging to a brand.
Especially in today’s increasingly urbanized world, we all need these small, more personal interactions.
This can obviously be part of a brand strategy, as long as it’s not forced, because these micro-interactions need to feel meaningful too, rather than being manufactured.
Personally, I’ve always liked having places like these.
There are a few cafés I go to where I know I’m almost guaranteed to bump into at least one person I know.
And I can see how this adds another layer of loyalty to a business for me.
Sometimes, a more personal interaction is just the topping.
Other times, it’s the main reason I choose a particular service provider.
