Once, at a Ritz Carlton resort, a server noticed a family searching for a coquí frog hidden in the vegetation. 1 Inspired to create a memorable experience, he orchestrated a surprise: when the family returned to their room after dinner, they found a chocolate lily pad with two chocolate coquí frogs perched on it and a note from “Coquí” himself waiting on the bed. The family was delighted by this thoughtful, fun gesture. This story raises questions about the potential of delight in customer engagement. Can delight be measured, managed, and institutionally delivered? What is the economic payoff for businesses? But, to start with delight itself: delight occurs at the intersection of customer joy and surprise. In the past, customer delight was restricted to elite brands due to perceived high costs. However, thanks to technological advancements and a shift toward customer-centric practices, companies now have smarter and more effective methods to deliver delightful experiences that yield long-term returns. Our Growth, Marketing & Sales Practice has done extensive research to uncover the profound impact of customer delight on business success. Surveying 25,000 customers across diverse industries such as tourism, insurance, and banking, we have discovered compelling evidence: delight not only cultivates loyalty and repurchase but also fuels revenue growth through cross-selling and up-selling opportunities. In this article, we cover the key findings of the survey, which reveal a clear advantage for companies that prioritize delight. Our research revealed that they outperform their competitors in key metrics such as net promoter score (NPS), revenue, and total return to shareholders (TRS). By prioritizing customer delight and implementing smart, sustainable strategies, companies can unlock new frontiers of service and drive lasting returns without incurring prohibitive expenses. 1 A small frog endemic to Puerto Rico. 2 Robert Plutchik, Theory of Emotion, Academic Press, New York, 1980. 3 Vanessa van Edwards, “The ultimate list of emotions and how to control your emotions,” Science of the People, August 2023. To have a successful customer interaction, however, both the rational and emotional aspects of customer experience must be addressed. For example, if you are taking a ride in a cab, you expect to reach your destination. If you arrive before the anticipated time, chances are that you will be satisfied with the experience. Meeting customer expectations and satisfaction continues to be mission-critical—they are both vital elements in customer experience before delight can happen—but to elevate the experience, delight is needed; delight has the power to amplify retention, referrals, and revenue of satisfied customers. Delight: The sweet nexus between joy and surprise Before exploring the impact of delight, it is important to understand the science behind it. Delight is a deep, emotional reaction characterized by joy and surprise, stemming from an experience that provides something unexpected and extraordinary, transcending daily life. 2 Delight occurs only at the intersection of joy and surprise (Exhibit 1). Surprise unfolds in four stages. First, we freeze, stunned by the unexpected, and we pause. Second, we try to comprehend the reason for the surprise. Third, we shift; the surprise alters our perspective as we uncover something new. Fourth, we experience joy and are so delighted that we feel compelled to tell others about our encounter. Although surprise tends to be short-lived, it has a disproportionate impact on how well we remember it—the hippocampus, the part of the brain that stores information, is activated when people experience surprise. As a result, our brains retain more details about this event than in an average moment. 3 Joy, conversely, is the more intuitive, happy, emotional reaction. Combine it with surprise and the magical moment of delight emerges. 2 Fueling growth through moments of customer delight