Braze, the leading global customer engagement platform, today debuted findings from the second annual Brand Humanity Index, a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Braze. At the fifth annual Braze LTR (Long-Term Relationships) Conference, special guest Dipanjan Chatterjee, VP and Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, will unveil research, a follow-up to 2018's inaugural report, which focuses primarily on how customers perceive brand experiences, and what it takes to deliver them.

In a session titled "How Empathy At Scale Drives Humanity At Scale," Chatterjee will reveal that customer expectations for how brands can deliver a human experience have modestly increased and why preferences have shifted toward brands that are understanding and comforting (versus responsive and social, which peaked as the top emotional drivers last year). When brands effectively demonstrate human communication in their interactions, consumers are 54 percent more likely to engage with a brand, 57 percent more likely to purchase from a brand, and 57 percent more likely to remain loyal to that brand.

For marketing executives surveyed, nearly all respondents agree with the organizational importance of being able to communicate with customers in a personal, relevant, and authentic way across channels and touchpoints. And more than half said that improving customer trust, as well as satisfaction, and winning new customers were significant marketing objectives across the organization. However, 78 percent of brands admit to struggling with human communication.

"We're all yearning for human connection, and it's clear that when brands are willing to invest in their own humanity to communicate with consumers, the business sees a lasting impact," said Sara Spivey, Chief Marketing Officer at Braze. "As we move into 2020, we will see even more organizations make a concerted effort to better communicate, and that's going to emanate from a deeper investment in tools and technology that make human communication more possible."

For more information on the Brand Humanity Index and to download the thought leadership paper "Build Brand Humanity by Mastering Empathy at Scale," visit: braze.com/humanity

SURVEY METHODOLOGY
Base: 3,336 smartphone owners, who shop online at least once a month, made an online purchase, or used a digital service in the last month; 1,617 global marketing decision makers responsible for or influencing their organization's brand strategy.
Source: A commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Braze, July 2019.

ABOUT BRAZE
Braze delivers customer experiences across email, mobile, SMS, and web. Customers, including Citi, Urban Outfitters, and Venmo, use the Braze platform to facilitate real-time experiences between brands and customers in a more authentic and human way. The company was named a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Mobile Marketing Platforms in 2019. Braze is headquartered in New York with offices in London, San Francisco, and Singapore. Learn more at braze.com.