This could've been a huge customer experience win. It was a huge fail instead.
I have been a massive Godzilla fan since I was a kid. If you saw Godzilla Minus One, you know what a crowning achievement it was for numerous reasons.
One of the coolest images of Big G that I've ever seen was featured in a press release by godzilla.com detailing the black-and-white theatrical release that followed the previous full-color release.
I immediately thought, "I need that as a poster!" But I couldn't find it anywhere.
As you'll see in the screenshot below, I reached out to the support team at godzilla.com and asked.
I was bummed. Not only did it feel like they made this poster based on my input (likely not true, but again: customer experience/perception), I never received any additional follow-up about it.
I might not have signed up for their newsletter, but who checks those often anyway?
When I emailed to ask if they had additional stock (screenshot below), I was basically met with, "Ya we made it, sold out, and doubt we'll make it again -- oh well!"
Second email to [email protected] This could've easily been a huge win for all:
Keep track of feedback like mine. Since they eventually printed that graphic as a poster, and because it sold out, it's likely I wasn't the only customer to inquire about it. It's not a huge task to keep up with this kind of feedback and do automated outreach to customers who've asked about it when said product goes live. Our team at Soundstripe does this really well.
If #1 above wasn't feasible or was missed somehow, simply figure out a way to get one made and send it. I was still willing to pay for it if they had extra stock, but offering a discount because of the fumble, or even sending one for free as a kind gesture would've gone a long way.
BONUS: If you want major surprise-and-delight points, do the discount/free poster as part of the proactive outreach above. Likely not be feasible in every scenario or as a standard process, but these kinds of gestures typically have outsized returns via word-of-mouth and long-term brand affinity.
This is likely a process failure rather than that of any individual's on godzilla.com's team, but it's a great case study in how intentional interactions with customers can surprise-and-delight or completely ruin their experience.
It felt crappy. But it could've easily resulted in a top-tier, marquee consumer experience. Not only did it put a sour taste in my mouth, I felt used as a fan. Not fun.
