I’ll come right out and state that this week’s RemanU may have less insights than what you have come to exapect and little to no call to action.  Regardless, I’d like to share my experience summary on a recent purchase… 
It was time to give mom back the push mower I borrowed 8 years ago (don’t worry she has a rider and it was her spare). I usually will look for the tinkering old guy selling tuned up old machines out of his driveway but found myself checking out new machines while at the local Big Box Store.  I talked myself into spending a few hundred on a self-propelled 22″ Toro “Easy Stow.”  I had a mowing service in the past and paid $40 twenty-two times a year… the math works.  
At the core of this plan to upgrade the mowing situation is to have my 7 year old son take over this task in a couple seasons, and I’m banking on the self-propelled adding interest and making it easier for his scrawny frame to move around. 
The retail experience of this purchase isn’t very interesting, so let’s skip to back home and unboxing.  Outside of the leaf bag, other attachment, and manual, there are no parts. I didn’t even take it out of the box, just removed a piece of packing foam, flattened an edge of the box, and rolled the sucker out.  Zero assembly required.  Hmmm, that’s convenient.   
On to the manual straight away. (Curse the lot of you that do not start any process with the manual!)   
The manual is a little funky, mostly images, and small chunks of text in a bunch of languages.  Ok, there’s what I need…not much to it by the looks of it.  
Clear instructions on how to fill and measure.  Supplied quantity was the perfect amount.   

• Oil note: never needs changing, just add when low.  
• Oil warning: unit is shipped dry, running without oil will cause damage and void warranty.  
• Fuel goes in here… 
• Starting, unit has no choke, no prime, needs no warmup.  
• Pull handle and bam on the first try (and every single pull since).   

All the adjustments and settings are simple, the motor is strong and cuts wet grass at full speed, and it stows standing on edge in hardly any space.  I’m pretty impressed with this machine, and as a remanufacturer of a more complex contraption, I’m extremely envious of the quality and convenience a brand new product can deliver. 
I spent more than I expected to and had a beyond expectations experience.   
If you’re still reading, I’ll bet you consider a Toro lawnmower if you are in the market.  You just consumed my entire purchase and product experience story.  People relate to and remember stories.   
Your brand is defined by the stories your customers tell to a greater degree than ever.  In the digital world we live in, word of mouth, the best form of advertising for any business is at a tremendous scale.  Couldn’t you relate to my lawnmower story if you’d stumbled upon it in a Google review.

It’s authentic and believable.  We have an easier time than ever sharing our experiences with strangers and we are all conditioned to trust the information we share with each other on Yelp and Google, etc.   
Unless your product or service is commoditized, you better be looking for ways to make an impact.  Look for things that will inspire your customers to take 5 minutes and write about you.  Also consider sharing your positives—the guys like me tasked with reputation management will appreciate it and you never know when a good karma deposit will pay off.   
Thanks for reading and thanks for making a slick lawnmower, Toro.