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Understanding Customer Sentiment Through AI-Powered Journey Mapping
The Challenge
The largest pizza restaurant chain in the world faced a critical challenge: they needed deep insight into how consumers truly felt throughout their entire dining experience. From the moment customers discovered the brand to their final bite, the emotional landscape remained unclear. Without understanding these emotional friction points and sentiment drivers, their agency couldn't effectively guide promotional strategy, optimize UX design, or enhance experiential marketing efforts.The stakes were high. Customer experience had become the new battleground for QSR brands, and the global pizza brand needed actionable intelligence to compete effectively in an increasingly crowded market.
Emotional Volumes
We identified key emotional drivers around Orders, Purchases, Deliveries, Satisfaction, and Food quality. We found psychometric correlations with food and service interactions, while identifying key areas to center on experience improvements around orders, overall food experience. This resulted in a 25% increase in customer satisfaction after campaign launches that addressed these drivers.
Our Solution
Aion Labs in partnership with D&P deployed our proprietary Lyrical sentiment and journey-mapping AI engines to decode the emotional truth hidden in customer conversations. We analyzed over 35,000 real-world narratives sourced from public forums, social media platforms, review sites, and complaint boards.
Our AI system mapped consumer feelings across four critical stages—Discovery, Purchase, Consumption, and Aftermath—transforming raw emotional data into strategic business intelligence. By examining 24 distinct journey steps, from initial awareness through loyalty, we created a comprehensive Consumer Experience Friction Index (CxFi) that quantified negativity based on frequency, reach, and engagement.
The Results
We identified key emotional drivers around Orders, Purchases, Deliveries, Satisfaction, and Food quality. We found psychometric correlations with food and service interactions, while identifying key areas to center on experience improvements around orders, overall food experience. This resulted in a 25% increase in customer satisfaction after campaign launches that addressed these drivers.
Identified Major Friction Points
Emotional Hotspots Uncovered
We identified key emotional drivers around Orders, Purchases, Deliveries, Satisfaction, and Food quality. We found psychometric correlations with food and service interactions, while identifying key areas to center on experience improvements around orders, overall food experience.
Hidden Brand Equity Discovered
Despite overwhelming sentiment, "nostalgia" emerged as a rare but potent positive theme. This latent brand equity from The brand’s legacy in the 1990s and 2000s heyday represented untapped emotional capital. Customer verbatims revealed deep longing for the restaurant’s “nostalgic experience"—the retro decor, lunch buffets, arcade games, and distinctive atmosphere that once defined the brand.
Strategic Recommendations Delivered
Armed with these insights, we provided the agency with insights to design emotionally reparative promotions that acknowledged customer pain points while leveraging nostalgic brand equity. We advised the brand on journey simplification priorities, loyalty strategy enhancements, and operational improvements targeting the highest-friction touchpoints. This improved brand sentiment by 25% post campaign launch.
Why This Approach Works
Traditional customer research relies on surveys and focus groups that capture what people say they feel. Our AI-powered sentiment analysis reveals what customers actually feel when they're speaking candidly in natural environments. By analyzing 35,000+ unsolicited narratives, we uncover authentic emotional truths that guide meaningful strategic action.
Ready to understand what your customers really feel? Our Lyrical sentiment engines can map your customer journey, quantify friction points, and reveal hidden brand equity that transforms strategy. Contact us to discover the emotional intelligence your brand needs to compete.