Customer empathy: Trywell’s take on what it means for your brand

Kathy and her son, Tashon Thompson, started trywell in 2020 after seeing how disproportionately African Americans were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, customer empathy is a main pillar for the brand. In our interview with Kathy, she explains why customer empathy is so important and how brands can leverage it in their own way to build community and trust with their customers.  

TA: How do you approach customer empathy? 

trywell: For trywell, customer empathy is critical. We built the brand to cater to the needs of people of color and those often overlooked in the health and wellness space. We think about it in everything we do. It’s our north star. 

TA: Why is it important?  

trywell: Customer empathy is important because it guides all our decision making, from the products we offer to our imagery and the casting. An example is the importance of showing individuals of color [in our marketing] who are happy, vibrant and focused on building a better health regimen. That’s just one way we can better connect with our customers. 

TA: How do you incorporate customer empathy in your brands’ products and the experience you offer? 

trywell: When we started the brand, Vitamin D was the first vitamin gummy we formulated because 93% of African Americans are deficient in it. That decision was driven because of customer empathy.   

TA: What are a few effective pathways that you pursue or use to create and build customer empathy?  

trywell: The best pathway is listening to the customer. We read every comment about us on social media, send surveys to our email list and engage with customers at trade shows. Having that dialogue with our customer along with trust is key to building customer empathy.  

TA: What are a few lessons learned on this topic as you’ve built your business? 

trywell: We’ve learned there’s a balance in listening and catering to the customer and listening to our own business goals and vision. Sometimes they don’t always align, but we still need to be aware, listen and make the best decisions for the business with our customer in mind. 

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