3 Things To Learn From Nespresso About Customer Relationships
Nespresso built a cult around their brand by designing one of the best customer experiences in the world.
I had never been much of a coffee enthusiast until I tried the Nespresso experience. For a lot of people coffee is an integral part of their morning routines and even a highlight of their day but for me it was never something more than an occasional compliment to my breakfast… until I bought the Essenza Mini.
Today, Nespresso is one of the most successful companies in the world, their business model is commonly brought up as a case study for all things related to innovation and product design so I was not surprised when I was fascinated by the experience of preparing one of their coffee cups.
As a marketer and product designer I’m always interested in products that have the power of creating communities around them.
Nespresso has managed to build a a whole lifestyle out of their coffee capsules.
How did they do it?
1) Focus on building long term relationships with your customers.
Due to their high prices and sleek design, you might think that Nespresso’s machines are their main product but in reality their machines are just their entry product.
Nespresso’s value proposition is to sell coffee of the best quality, the rest is just part of the strategy to create a whole ecosystem to keep their clients engaged.
You get a machine > you buy coffee capsules > you need a capsules dispenser > you drink coffee everyday > you return for more coffee capsules… and maybe a new set of Nespresso cups.
The genius of Nespresso lies in that they have designed a whole lifestyle around coffee with excellent machines, capsules and accessories paired with a memorable buying experience and a great customer service.
Don’t focus on just trying to make the sell, think of ways that you can make your customer want to return, create infrastructure, design complementary products but above all, treat your clients as you would like to be treated.
2) Understand where your product fits in your customers’ lives.
Steve Jobs had the vision to see computers as more than just a tool, he knew that in order to sell his product they needed to look just as good as it felt to work on them.
In a world were a lot of people are working from their houses, Steve Jobs’ design vision couldn’t be more relevant.
Nespresso knows that their machines sit in people’s homes, the most intimate space of human existence. More specifically, they inhabit people’s kitchens, a a place one goes for replenishment and wellness. A kitchen must evoke confort not just through the smell of food and coffee but through harmony in its visual elements.
Nespresso has done with coffee machines what Steve Jobs did with computers.
Any product in their lineup looks elegant and sleek, you can display them next to any piece of art without creating visual dissonance.
Coffee might be the main reason we all go to Nespresso but the beauty of their products and the value they add to any home is a big plus that makes their customers feel proud of owning their products.
3) Design a personalized experience for each of your customers.
Everybody likes to feel special even if deep down they know that they are part of a larger group.
Nespresso has managed to create a personalized experience in many ways, from their product line to their e-commerce site, each interaction with their brand is a memorable one.
Starting with their coffee capsule, there is literally one for everyone. They have more than thirty different variations and the list keeps growing every year with some special editions coming out on certain times of the year.
This wide range of options might feel overwhelming to someone new to the brand but this leads me to their latest addition to their business model.
Concept stores.
Who would have thought that a coffee store could sit besides the most expensive luxury brands in the world?
That is exactly how Nespresso wants you to feel when you enter one of their stores by assigning you a personal shopper that takes you through their whole line of products and gives you samples of the different coffee combinations.
The experience is no different from buying a Mercedes Benz but the worst thing that could happen is you walk out with a couple hundred dollars less and overstocked with coffee.
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