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    Business Strategy with Hirav Shah                                         MAY 08, 2026     |  The Indian Eye 48

             2026 Is All About How You Make your Clients

                     Feel Special — It’s All About Experience

                        2026 will not reward the loudest brands, but the most thoughtful ones.

              When customers feel special, trust replaces comparison and loyalty follows naturally

                                                                                                                    follow-ups, and service tone can
                                                                                                                    create visible results within weeks
                                                                                                                    by improving trust and repeat
                                                                                                                    engagement.
                                                                                                                  4. Can experience influence pricing pow-
                                                                                                                    er? Yes. When customers feel val-
                                                                                                                    ued and understood, they are less
                                                                                                                    price-sensitive and more willing to
                                                                                                                    pay  for  confidence  and  comfort.

                                                                                                                  Exercise: The “Feel Special” Expe-
                       HIRAV SHAH                                                                                     rience Audit (10 Minutes)
                                               Experience is everyone’s responsibility, but it starts with leadership mindset. Culture drives   Ask yourself these five questions honestly:
             Why will “feeling special” matter             behaviour, and behaviour shapes experience (File photo)   1. How does a customer feel during
                                                                                                                    the first interaction with our brand?
              more than the product itself in                                                                     2. Where do customers feel confused,
                         2026?                and culture. Customers in 2026 will   In the end, people don’t buy products   ignored, or rushed?
                In 2026, quality and pricing will   quickly sense whether care is genuine   or services—they buy how a brand   3. What part of the journey feels most
            be expected, not celebrated. What will   or superficial, and trust will disappear   makes them feel.    impersonal or transactional?
            truly differentiate brands is how cus-  just as fast.                                                 4. When was the last time a customer
            tomers feel during their journey. Peo-                              What experience shifts must every   felt genuinely appreciated?
            ple may forget features, but they will   Why will discounts and aggressive   business make before 2026?  5. If I were the customer, would I re-
            always remember whether a brand     marketing lose impact in 2026?  To stay relevant, businesses must shift:  turn based on the experience alone?
            made them feel valued, respected, and   Discounts attract attention but   • From selling products → to creating   Write one improvement action for each
            important. When choices multiply,   do not build attachment. Marketing   moments                      answer. Start with the easiest one. Mo-
            emotion becomes the deciding factor.  creates awareness, not belonging.   • From  mass  communication  →  to   mentum will follow.
                                              Customers will increasingly choose   personal connection
              What has changed in customer    brands that feel right emotionally,   • From  speed  obsession  →  to   Practical Tips to Build Experience
                    behaviour today?          even if they cost more. Feeling safe   thoughtful delivery                 Advantage in 2026
                Customers are more informed   and valued will matter more than sav-  • From  customer  service  →  to  cus-  • Respect the customer’s time more
            and less patient than ever before. They   ing money.                  tomer respect                     than your internal convenience
            silently evaluate every interaction and                             • From  short-term  sales  →  to  long-  • Personalise communication instead
            quickly move away from brands that   Is experience driven by systems or   term relationships            of automating emotion
            feel transactional. In 2026, loyalty will   leadership mindset?         These shifts do not require large   • Follow up with intent, not just re-
            be earned not through repetition, but   Experience is a reflection of lead-  budgets — they require clear intent.  minders
            through relevance and personal atten-  ership values. Tools and teams can                             • Simplify  processes wherever cus-
            tion that makes customers feel under-  support it, but only leadership intent   FAQs: Experience-Led Business in   tomers hesitate or feel lost
            stood.                            can create it. As  Hirav Shah often            2026                 • Design every touchpoint to reduce
                                              emphasizes, experience must be lived   1. Is experience important only for   stress and increase comfort
            What does experience really mean   inside the organisation, not delegated.  premium or luxury brands?
                  in a business context?                                          No. Experience matters most in           Final Thought:
                Experience is the sum of ev-     Which businesses will win in     crowded and price-sensitive mar-    2026 will not reward the loudest
            ery interaction a customer has with            2026?                  kets. When products look similar,   brands, but the most thoughtful ones.
            a  brand—from  first  contact  to  af-  The  winners  will  be  brands   experience becomes the strongest   When customers feel special,
            ter-sales support. It is about ease,   that  listen  deeply,  personalise  differentiator.            trust replaces comparison and loyalty
            clarity, and care. A good experience   thoughtfully, and care genuine-  2. Does improving experience require   follows naturally.
            removes friction and stress, replacing   ly. When customers feel seen and   high investment?              Experience is no longer an ad-
            effort with comfort and confidence.  important, loyalty follows natural-  Not necessarily. Many powerful   vantage — it is the strategy.
                                              ly—and price becomes secondary.     experience improvements come
            Where do most businesses misun-                                       from clarity, respect for time,    Hirav Shah is the Global Business
                  derstand experience?         What is the core business truth of   and genuine attention—not from   Strategist, Game Changer, and Author
                Many businesses mistake expe-              2026?                  expensive tools.                  of 19+ books—trusted worldwide for
            rience for polite service or attractive   2026 is not about louder selling   3. How quickly can experience improve-  validating big decisions of entrepreneurs,
            packaging.  Real  experience  is  deep-  or faster scaling. It is about emotion-  ments impact business results?   sportsmen, and entertainers.
            er—it is built into systems, decisions,   al intelligence and experience design.   Small changes in communication,   Email : Business@hiravshah.com

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