Original text here from Patrice Bernard (LinkedIn)
With twelve million users and consistently topping customer satisfaction rankings, a specialized journalist wonders what drives the Apple Card's success. The answer is right in front of him, and he mentions it explicitly—but, like many industry veterans clinging to old habits, he struggles to fully acknowledge its reality.
When evaluated on traditional criteria—the ones that matter to both issuers and their marketing departments, as well as to online comparison tools, analysts, and other industry observers—the Apple Card doesn’t seem to stand out in any significant way in a highly competitive market. Beyond its lack of fees (which isn’t unique), its rewards program is fairly standard, the perks for cardholders (like sign-up bonuses) are limited, and its interest rates are in line with the industry norm.
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So why do its customers love it so much? If we momentarily set aside the die-hard Apple fans, who have remained loyal to the brand for the same reasons over the years, the main factor that sets the Apple Card apart is, as its marketing emphasizes (see the image below), the quality of its user experience: fast and frictionless onboarding, easy implementation, real-time information that is clear, intuitive, and transparent, and responsive customer support.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise in a world where everyone claims to put the customer first, particularly when it comes to digital experiences. Yet, despite these proclamations, most competitors stubbornly focus on the technical features of their offerings—in this case, flashy rewards (which are often difficult to redeem) and attractive interest rates (which are typically reserved for a select few).
In the background, these players console themselves by thinking their onboarding process isn’t that much more cumbersome or that their mobile app presents the same information, albeit in a slightly less polished way. What they fail to realize is that, in today’s market, end-to-end excellence makes all the difference, especially for consumers—whether young or old—who are used to the seamless standards set by tech giants and expect the same from all their providers.
The concept of user experience and the need for its optimization often feel like empty buzzwords, based on entirely subjective perceptions. Yet the Apple case—hardly a new phenomenon and one that applies across all its products—proves just how impactful it is on customers, especially in mature markets where the average consumer struggles to differentiate between competing offerings.
