People increasingly expect the brands they buy from to treat diverse customer groups with sensitivity. Almost two-thirds (64%) believe it’s important for brands to demonstrate inclusivity through their products and services, according to Acxiom’s 2025 CX Trends Report, A Human-Centered Approach to Customer Experience.
Is inclusivity just for the young?
It won’t surprise you to know that the desire for inclusivity is especially strong among younger age groups. The report reveals:
- 53% of 16-34-year-olds have specifically purchased a product or service from a brand due to its inclusivity commitments, compared with just 22% of those 55 and older.
- 25% of 16-34-year-olds have actively avoided purchasing from a brand due to concerns over inclusivity, compared with just 13% of those 55 and older.
But this doesn’t mean brands only need to consider inclusivity when catering to younger demographics, as different age groups may have different concerns. While younger people may be more interested in inclusive products and services that cater to people of different genders, abilities, and cultural backgrounds, older groups might be more interested in things like age-related inclusivity and catering to different levels of technological fluency.
There are considerable benefits for brands that get inclusivity right. Among those that have taken steps toward inclusive product and service design, 53% report increased revenue, 45% report enhanced brand reputation, and 42% report improved customer satisfaction.
As the Director of Digital Marketing at a retail bank in the U.K. explains, “We developed a product for a set of our customers that are historically underserved by banks. This was a result of us really listening to our customers – we have amazing software that flagged this from recorded calls and other customer service interactions. It was a risky product for us to build, but it was worth it to help people out. Not only has it made a huge difference to our customers, but it led to a lot of buzz and ultimately changed perceptions around our brand.”
There are gaps in brand inclusivity strategies
Brands are picking up on the fact that people care about this issue a great deal, with 80% of those who took part in the report recognizing that a commitment to inclusivity is important to their customers. However, there is a gap between understanding and action, as only 55% have taken steps to ensure products or services are inclusive.
It’s important to acknowledge that consumers don’t just want brands hand-waving at the issue of inclusivity. They want brands to be making real, tangible steps toward fostering a more inclusive culture for the one in five people with special requirements. And there is a difference between what people are prioritizing and the actions brands are taking. For instance:
- 53% of people want brands to make customer support more inclusive, but only 25% of brands are actively trying to make this happen.
- 36% of people want brands to design more inclusive products, but just 18% of brands are prioritizing this.
Finally, there’s a gap between the categories of diversity people think brands should be focusing on and the groups they’re actually considering. While people want brands to ensure they’re being more inclusive of disabilities and diverse cultural backgrounds, the brands that are paying attention to inclusivity are focused on people with disparate levels of financial literacy and tech fluency.
What should brands be doing about inclusivity?
Inclusivity shouldn’t be a tick-box exercise. Brands must make a long-term commitment to catering to diversity if they want to build deeper customer relationships and enjoy the rewards of getting it right, such as differentiating their offering in the market.
To embrace inclusivity, brands need to really understand their customers, and that means using their first-party data – enriched with other trusted data sources – to create a unified view. AI will inevitably be used to identify patterns and preferences and inform brand strategies, although care must be taken with training data to ensure AI promotes rather than inhibits inclusivity.
By using data and technology to gain a deeper understanding of diverse customer needs and preferences, brands can provide truly inclusive products, services, and experiences. They will be able to weave inclusivity through the entire customer journey, from initial awareness to product and service design to post-purchase engagement.
Read Acxiom’s 2025 CX Trends Report, A Human-Centered Approach to Customer Experience, to discover how 200 senior marketing professionals and more than 2,000 people in the U.S. and U.K. see five trends we predict will shape CX this year. You’ll also benefit from expert guidance on how you can use these insights – which focus on finding the right balance between technology and human interaction – to grow your business.
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