by Craig Bradley — President, Practical Experience at Ipsos
The push to digital first is going away customer experience (CX) behind. In the modern, digital marketplace, competitors are often just a click away. Brands that build loyalty are those that make interactions pleasant, easy and memorable.
According to the Ipsos + Medallia 2025 Report on the Changing Dynamics of Customer Loyalty80% of customers agree that their feelings are stronger towards brands that provide better experiences. Today, revenue growth often starts with customer experience, with 97% of professionals agreeing that customer loyalty plays a major role in business results.
To maximize revenue, every customer experience must be connected and consistent across all customer touchpoints. Everywhere a customer interacts with your brand – whether in-store, online, or even through sites you directly control (like Amazon, Instacart, or DoorDash) – shapes the customer experience and overall perception of your brand.
The keys to creating long-term value lie in seamlessly integrating these touchpoints to deliver a consistent customer experience every time.
How Customer Experience Drives Brand Growth and Influences Revenue
Many brands offer quality products or services that people need, but in most industries, that alone isn’t enough to build brand loyalty. Especially in a market where social media is king, customers can compare brands in an instant, switch brands without hassle or friction, and rely more on peer reviews and feedback than on brand marketing promises to make purchasing decisions.
CX is personal. Brands can see data that directly connects their investment in customer experience to increased revenue driven by customer loyalty. As the 2025 Customer Loyalty Report shows, high-growth companies are leading with greater loyalty investments. Of the companies surveyed, 92% reporting annual growth above 10% plan to increase investment in customer loyalty initiatives.
This change in results changes the revenue equation. When the customer experience is a fluid and strategic process, it’s easier to convert quality leads, retain current customers, and increase brand equity through repeat purchases.
CX directly influences revenue growth
CX not only directly influences revenue growth but also improves margins by reducing service friction. When employees, automations, and systems that create an experience can focus more on providing exemplary, consistent service, customers receive better resolutions and may not feel pressured to look elsewhere for the services or products they desire.
For businesses, this means they also need to take care of their employees, as employee experience can heavily influence the final customer experience. Recognized, well-trained and fairly compensated employees will pass on this job satisfaction and fair treatment to the customer.
Recognizing the importance of CX data to revenue, brands must prioritize their approach to collecting and analyzing these metrics. For CX metrics to have maximum impact, brands must approach customer experience from a business performance perspective.
Where many organizations fail is in measuring CX. They track the wrong metrics, are too narrow in scope, or are reactive rather than proactive.
But measurements are not interchangeable with information. For CX metrics to be truly meaningful, the entire customer experience journey must be measured, data must be connected across functions, and any issues must be resolved before the customer decides to look elsewhere.
Revenue through retention
One of the main ways customer experience contributes to revenue is through loyalty. In the 2025 Customer Retention Report, 80% of practitioners agree that it is generally less costly to retain an existing customer than to try to acquire a new one. Successful experiences keep customers coming back to a brand again and again.
When customers develop a sense of loyalty to a brand, the risk of choosing another brand begins to fade. Customers who feel understood and know their concerns will be addressed will be more tolerant of occasional mistakes (because no brand is perfect) and more likely to stay loyal to the brand that gave them such an exceptional experience.
CX data can help businesses anticipate customer needs, track the trajectory of the customer journey, and eliminate friction before it prevents customer retention.
CX messaging matters today
CX messaging for brands is more important today than ever. Customers have more choices and less patience with brands that don’t commit to the customer experience. One bad experience can drive a customer away for good and you may not get a second chance.
Brands must approach CX as a growth strategy.
Many businesses still struggle to turn customer data into actionable strategies. For executives who still view customer experience as a soft metric rather than a financial one, their failure to adapt to the current climate could end up costing them more than their customers, significantly impacting their revenue.
In today’s market, customer experience is no longer limited to what happens after a sale. It is a series of important touchpoints that enable sales, preserve customer connection, and increase the lifetime value of the customer relationship.
Businesses cannot afford to overlook the immense importance of customer experience in a market where prices can be matched, products can be copied and everyone is clamoring for customer attention online. Sustainable, compounded revenue comes from considering the customer experience, thoroughly measuring CX data, and then meeting customer expectations with every interaction.
Craig Bradley is president of Ipsos‘ Experience Practice, where he leads the integration of employee, channel and customer experience to drive sales growth and business performance improvement. A seasoned international business executive, he brings decades of experience in retail, finance, research and sales, with a proven track record of driving significant business growth through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions. At Ipsos, he oversees global client programs spanning more than 40 countries and more than 1,000 clients in industries including technology, telecommunications, retail, healthcare, automotive and financial services, helping organizations connect experience insights directly to revenue and operational performance.
