Not too long ago, I had a minor outpatient procedure at a hospital. When I checked my email the next morning, there was a survey from the hospital. “What did you think of your anesthesiologist?”

My first thought was that I didn’t die during the procedure, so he must have done a fine job. I can’t say much more, since I only spoke to the guy for about 30 seconds.

James Carville, political commentator and media personality coined the phrase, “The economy, Stupid,” for Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign. Carville was talking to the team at the time to help them focus on the key messages for Clinton’s campaign. The slogan resurfaced in the 2008 campaign as “It’s the economy, stupid.”

I decided that for people working in Customer Experience, we needed a way to stay on message, too. So, I am going to share with you some vital statistics about Customer Experience and how they deliver ROI because let’s face it, it’s about the ROI, Stupid.

I don’t go to a store looking for a product these days. What’s more, it occurred to me a couple of years ago that I no longer Google products that I want to buy; I “Amazon” them. I suspect many of you do the same.

In many ways, Amazon-ing products is a result of the digital transformation. We have stores where we can purchase things, and then we have their online channels where we are buying things also. However, the experiences are entirely different and have different Customer Experiences. Moreover, I have different expectations from these experiences. I suspect many of you do, too.

My local diner has a menu that looks like a spiral-bound book. “Breakfast served all day!” it says, before presenting me with four pages of breakfast fare, then another six that seem to span the globe. Fried chicken and waffles. Burritos. Spaghetti and meatballs.

On a recent visit, I planned on having a sandwich, but the menu gave me pause. Maybe I really wanted breakfast. Pot roast seemed tempting. My server had to come back twice before I was able to choose. And then I sat there wondering if I’d made the right decision.

I have a rule with large purchases; I always sleep on it. I do it to ensure I want to make the purchase and not merely susceptible to a sales technique. Plus, it’s a significant expenditure, and I don’t want to make a mistake. This rule works well for me.

I just bought a new Mont Blanc pen. I like writing with it. I have a couple more, too; one is a pencil, and the other is a rollerball-type. However, the reality is, I sometimes look at my fancy pen and think, “It’s writing; I could write this stuff with a Bic or a regular pencil.”

It occurs to me that what I am really saying to people when writing with my swanky pen is that I am the type of bloke that can afford an expensive pen. It’s called Conspicuous Consumption, and we all do it all the time.