Namaste. The temps are cooling, and school’s back in sesh. And we’ve got a full slate this week:

• Editorial: Why The Human Touch Matters More Than Ever

• The Latest: Good news—expect more spending this holiday season for eCommerce brands

• BX: How Nectar Drives Real Business Growth With Community

• MX: Credible vs. Sketchy Marketing

• UX: How a simple button tweak added six-figures to a luxury brand's revenue

• CX: If ‘experience’ isn’t your strategy, you’re doing it wrong

• EX: To be a bold company, you need bold employees

• DX: Chatbot Benchmarking—How do you know if it works?

Let us begin.

Why the human touch still matters

So, the other day, I was looking at Rep’s reviews on Shopify. 5 stars on all 25 reviews so far. Great.

And as I went through them, I noticed a pattern. Most, if not all of them, referred to the amazing Merchant Success Team at Rep.

Again, humans ftw.

But one review in particular stood out to me. It was from Snow, the teeth whitening solution that’s been featured on Ellen and probably recommended by every dentist. Here’s the unvarnished review, and I highlighted the reason they decided to go with Rep, rather than any of the alternatives:

Rep’s “people-centric approach to doing business.” That was it.

Of course, if you read the entire review, their actual business results are just phenomenal—but they got to that point because of that human touch, or as they put it, the “people-centric” approach to doing business.

“This is the way,” as the Mandalorians say.

And this made me think about the things we all do, in every interaction we have with people, and the impact the smallest gesture can have—not just on your business, or on your relationships, but your life.

Today, I want to break down and atomize that single, meaningful interaction, so that you can replicate it more.

The Human Touch

What’s the purpose of AI and other technology? It’s simply trying to replicate that human touch, at scale. Passing the Touring Test is technology’s attempt to fool another human by mimicking one.

This means that we, humans, are the apex of what all great technology should strive for (this brings me pause as I write it).

We marvel at technology, but we’re no slouches either. The amount of things that a single human can process in a millisecond is staggering, and even harder for us to comprehend.

We really don’t know how amazing we really are—not in the egotistical sense, but in the human sense, because we’re so ignorant of the staggering precision and computational power of our own minds.

Even when we interact with other people, we are gathering and processing millions of bits of data in any given moment.

We rely on this dance to determine whether to work with someone, or not. And it’s the consistency of this dance, not just that strong first impression, that keeps people around.

How do we get the most out of our interactions? The foundation for this comes natural to us, though it’s hardly optimal. It takes work, and deliberate, purposeful action. And knowledge.

The Human Touch Matrix

Here’s a breakdown of a single, meaningful interaction into its four components.

Let’s make it practical. Pretend you’re meeting someone for the first time at a conference.

Personal (The “Who”)

You walk up to someone at an event and introduce yourself, asking for their name in return. This isn't just social decorum; it's the first step in personalizing the interaction.

By sharing names, you're not just acknowledging each other's humanity—you're laying the groundwork for a relationship built on trust and mutual respect. This is where you collect the "Identity Data" in a human-to-human interaction. I’ll explain this later.

Contextual (The “Where” & “How”)

You're at the same event, and you notice the person you're talking to is holding a program guide for a specific panel discussion. You could say, "I see you're interested in the sustainability panel. Are you involved in environmental causes?"

This is more than just small talk; it's an observation that adds context to the interaction. You're using environmental & situational cues (data) to make the conversation more relevant, thereby enriching the interaction.

The “where” of context is obvious. The “how” not so much. But think of it as “how” you’ll approach someone, within the larger context of that relationship.

For example, if someone is a close friend, you approach them differently, given the context of your relationship. You might hug them, or kiss them on both cheeks, if that’s your thing.

If someone’s a stranger, you’re likely to be a bit more cautious. You probably communicate with current customers differently than you do with a prospect who just learned about you. And so on.

Relevant (The “What” & “Why”)

Building on the personal and contextual data you've gathered, you steer the conversation toward topics that are immediately relevant.

For instance, if you've learned that the person is interested in sustainability, you might share a recent article you read on renewable energy.

This isn't just idle chatter—it's meant to deepen the connection (relationship) for both of you by aligning your conversation with shared interests or needs. This is how "Personalized Recommendations" work, keeping interactions more meaningful and engaging.

For Relevant, the “what” is the substance you bring to the interaction—be it a product, a service, or information. It's what you have to offer. The “why” is what makes that offer matter to someone. It's the reason they should care, the value you add to their life. When 'what' aligns with 'why,' you're not just relevant; you're indispensable.

Beautiful (The “X” Factor)

Finally, you add a touch of beauty to the interaction. Maybe you share a poignant quote about sustainability that resonates, or perhaps you offer to introduce them to a speaker on the panel who you know personally.

This is the "Surprise and Delight" element, the unexpected extra that elevates the interaction from ordinary to memorable to unforgettable. It's the emotional resonance that turns a good experience into a great one.

In this way, "Personal" and "Contextual" serve as the data points that inform "Beautiful" and "Relevant", creating a holistic, meaningful interaction.

It's a symphony of elements contributing to the overall experience, making it richer and more impactful.

In next week’s issue, I’ll break each component of the matrix down, so you can see how you can bring this to life in your business.

Let’s get into some news.

The Latest

Expects robust eCommerce sales this holiday season

Retail sales are expected to jump anywhere from 3.5% to 4.6% compared to 2022, according to Deloitte’s annual holiday forecast.

Why?

“We expect healthy employment and income growth to keep the volume of sales growing for the 2023 holiday season,” according to Deloitte’s US economic forecaster, Daniel Bachman.

With inflation tapering down a bit, it would be a great way to finish the year. Maybe that’s why Amazon is asking retailers to stock their inventory for Black Friday early this year.

Google Bard: Now available in Gmail, Docs, and Drive

Bard can now go through your Gmail, Docs, and Drive to help you locate specific information. This new feature, termed "extensions" by Google, allows Bard to summarize emails, highlight key points in documents, and more.

The aim is to save you time and effort in searching through your digital clutter. For now, this feature is available exclusively in English.

More from The Verge here.

Final thoughts

Meet the brands reinventing experiences with AR

This is a nice interactive piece from Google. As people come to expect more experiences that blend both digital and physical, there will always be early adopters you can model your experiments after.

Until next week. Enjoy your weekend.

Paul