Customer Experience Insights: What Makes Consumers Feel Close to Brands

At Angelfish Fieldwork, our Pulse Surveys are all about listening to real people. This time, we explored a topic that’s becoming increasingly critical for brands, agencies, and insight teams alike: customer experience insights – and what truly makes customers feel close to the brands they interact with.

Through our latest survey with the Angelfish Opinions community, we asked people to tell us – in their own words – which brand feels closest to them right now, why that is, and how well they feel that brand listens. We also dug deeper, asking participants to share the specific things brands do (or don’t do) that make them feel heard or overlooked.

And as the results clearly show, strong customer experience insights come from understanding the moments that matter most. The themes that emerged highlight just how much customers value responsiveness, personalised communication, and shared values – and how these factors create a powerful sense of trust and connection.

Here’s what we found – and what it means for brands looking to build stronger, more human relationships with their customers.

Who We Asked

We spoke to members of our Angelfish Opinions community – a mix of people from across the UK who regularly share their experiences with us.

We heard from a broad range of ages and regions, with a particularly strong response from those aged 55–70, giving us helpful insight into how this influential group thinks about brand communication and customer service. To explore this audience’s behaviours in more depth, you can also read our over 60s pulse study.

We also gathered extensive views from younger consumers, allowing us to explore how expectations shift across generations.

Together, these perspectives give us a more rounded view of how customers experience brand closeness in their everyday lives.

Key Findings: What Customer Experience Insights Tell Us About Brand Closeness

When we asked people which brands they feel closest to, the answers were surprisingly consistent.

Different sectors. Different audiences. But the same brands kept coming up – and more importantly, the same reasons.

That’s where the most valuable customer experience insights started to emerge.

The Brands People Feel Closest To

A handful of brands were mentioned time and again:

• Amazon – for fast responses, quick refunds, and making things easy when something goes wrong. Many people also rely on Amazon for day-to-day accessibility or rural living.
• Apple – for reliability, helpful support, and products that genuinely fit people’s lifestyles.
• John Lewis – for friendly, human customer service and strong shared values that make people feel respected.
• Samsung – for dependable tech people use every day, combined with quick responses when needed.
• Octopus Energy – for warm, personal communication and a sense of continuity (often speaking to the same person). Values like fairness and sustainability were also mentioned a lot.

These brands might seem very different, but they all have one thing in common: they make customers feel listened to.

Why These Brands Stand Out

When we looked at the reasons people gave, three themes came up time and again:

Fast replies and quick resolutions

People don’t just value speed – they value ease. When something goes wrong, they want it sorted quickly, without having to chase, repeat themselves, or jump through hoops.

Human, personal interactions

Whether it’s a friendly tone, continuity with the same person, or simply feeling understood, these small moments make a lasting impression.

Values that show in the experience

Sustainability, fairness and inclusivity were frequently mentioned – but not in a theoretical sense. People notice when these values are reflected in how they’re treated.

We take a deeper look at these drivers, and what brands can do with them in our article Brand Closeness: 3 Things That Make Customers Feel Close.

What Customers Said About Feeling Listened To

When people described the brands they feel closest to, their words were simple – but revealing:

• “Quick refunds and a person who actually listens.”
• “They believe me when I explain I have an issue.”
• “The same person always replies — feels like they know me.”
• “They ask for feedback and check how satisfied I am.”
  

All of these point towards something simple but powerful: customers want to feel heard.

A Note on Demographic Trends

One thing that stood out in these customer experience insights was how expectations shift across age groups.

Those aged 55–70 tended to place more value on:

• Speaking to a real person
• Politeness and reassurance
• Feeling taken seriously

In contrast, younger consumers talked more about:

• App usability
• Speed and convenience
• Personalisation through technology

What this tells us is important.

Different audiences don’t just use different channels – they define a “good experience” differently.

For some, it’s about efficiency, while for others, it’s about reassurance.

The brands that get closest to their customers are the ones that recognise – and respond to – both.

What This Means for Brands

These customer experience insights point to something simple – but often overlooked.

Closeness isn’t built through big campaigns or bold messaging.

It’s built in the small, everyday interactions where customers either feel heard… or don’t.

For brands looking to build stronger, more meaningful relationships, here are three areas to focus on.

1. Make responsiveness feel human — not just fast

Speed matters. But on its own, it’s not enough.

What people really respond to is how they’re treated in those moments. A quick reply that feels scripted or dismissive can do more harm than good. On the other hand, a slightly slower response that feels thoughtful and human can build trust instantly.

The most effective customer experience insights show that responsiveness isn’t just operational – it’s emotional.

2. Pay attention to the micro-moments

Customers don’t need grand gestures to feel close to a brand.

They notice:

• Not having to repeat themselves
• Speaking to the same person more than once
• A tone that feels natural, not automated

These are small details. But they carry weight.

Over time, these micro-moments shape how a brand is remembered – and whether someone chooses to come back.

3. Let your values show up in the experience

Sustainability, fairness, inclusivity – these matter to people.

But what these customer experience insights make clear is that values only resonate when they’re experienced, not just communicated.

It’s not what brands say that builds connection. It’s how those values show up when something goes wrong, when a decision is made, or when a customer needs help.

That’s where trust is built – or lost.

Bringing It Together

If there’s one thread running through all of this, it’s this:

Customers don’t expect perfection. They expect to be listened to.

And in a landscape where products and pricing are increasingly similar, that feeling of being understood becomes one of the strongest differentiators a brand can have.

Want to Turn Customer Experience Insights Into Action?

The results from this pulse survey reinforce something we see time and again: the most valuable customer experience insights come directly from real people – in their own words, grounded in real interactions.

But understanding those insights is only the first step.

The real impact comes from building them into your customer experience – shaping how your brand listens, responds, and connects in the moments that matter most.

If you’re looking to:

• Explore how your customers really experience your brand
• Test and refine your customer journey
• Or build a more human, insight-led approach to customer experience

Take a closer look at our participant recruitment services to see how we help brands connect with the right people for meaningful research.

Or, if you want to go deeper into how brands can stand out, explore our latest article on Brand Closeness: 3 Things That Make Customers Feel Close. 

Appendix: Who We Asked – Respondent Breakdown (%)

Gender: Female 41.5% · Male 57.9% · Non-binary 0.3% · Prefer not to say 0.3%

Country: England 85.6% · Scotland 6.0% · Wales 6.0% · Northern Ireland 2.3%

Region (England only): London 25.8% · West Midlands 15.5% · North West 12.3% · South East 10.7% · East Midlands 8.7% · Yorkshire & Humber 8.3% · South West 7.9% · East of England 6.0% · North East 4.8%

Ethnicity: White 81.3% · Asian 11.4% · Black 4.7% · Mixed 1.7% · Prefer not to say 0.7% · Other 0.3%

Age Groups: 55–70 41.1% · 40–55 24.7% · 25–40 21.7% · 70+ 10.7% · Under 25 1.7%