Customer-Centric Marketing : Insight from Intregrate 2024 by MGDverse
Attending marketing events as a UX agency provides us with a unique perspective on the landscape of marketing strategies and customer engagement. Recently, our team (Bayu, Arif & Novian) had the privilege of participating in Integrate 2024 a marketing event held by MGDverse.
As a UX agency, we are familiar with the importance of putting users at the center of design process. However, the principles that guide successful UX design are just as critical in driving successful marketing campaigns. The event brought together a diverse melting pot of industry experts, innovative strategies, and groundbreaking technologies, but the recurring theme was clear — customer-centricity is the key to marketing success.
In this article, we share key insights that underscore how a customer-first approach is pivotal to marketing success, drawing parallels to our work in UI/UX design.
Featured Topics
Integrate 2024 focused on six essential themes for modern businesses: business sustainability, community engagement, affiliate marketing, viral marketing, talent management, and customer relationship management. Each of these areas was intricately linked to the core concept of customer-centricity, underscoring that truly understanding and serving customers is fundamental to achieving sustainable growth.
- Recalibrating Digital Commerce Landscape by Marsya Rebecca, Center of Excellence Manager at MGDverse
- Fast-Track to Market Fit Mastery by Budi Isman, Fouder Biznis.id
- Navigating AI-Driven Talent Solution by Eka Kurniawan, Head of Partnership & Services of Jobstreet by SEEK
- Companies Got Talent: Attract and Retain by Fikri Gusitn, CEO of MGDverse and Haykal Kamil, CEO of Kals Corpora
- Marketing Now: Key Opinion Consumers by Vivian Tania, Project Manager Community (Ex-Mad For Makeup) & Zidni Kadir, Head of Subscription Growth at Harian Kompas — Founder Remarketing.id
- Say What’s Up with WhatsApp by Muhammad Naufal Luthfy, Enterprise Sales Lead of Qiscus and Kezia Gusmawan, Agency Partner Manager of Meta APAC
- Power of CRM : Connecting, Retaining, Maintaining by Gleneagles Putri, Asst CRM & Performance Marketing Manager at Blu by BCA Digital
- Viral Marketing by Renaldi Perdana Kesuma, Founder of Tenue de Attire
The Shift Towards Customer-Centric Marketing
Customer-centric marketing is understanding that customers are not just numbers or data points; they are individuals with unique needs, preferences, and behaviors.
This paradigm shift was evident in every session we attended and every conversation we had. Marketing today is no longer about broadcasting a message to a broad audience. It’s about engaging with customers on a personal level, creating experiences that resonate with them, and building lasting relationships.
Some interesting data shows shift in consumer behavior at the event,
- There’s a noticeable decline in brand loyalty, with 62% of customers indicating they don’t seek out specific brands when shopping for clothing, as per Populix data.
- Millennials are 30% open to influence, whereas Gen Z is significantly more open at 57%, particularly from influencers they trust. (Highest number than family, professional review, other customers, and self decision)
- It’s becoming increasingly crucial for brands to built stronger connections by being more relatable and personalizing their approach to consumers.
Insight 1: Customer Experience in Marketing
Understanding the customer’s journey, pain points, and desires allows brands to create more meaningful interactions. The event highlighted numerous case studies where customer-centric marketing led to significant boosts in customer satisfaction and retention. This reinforced our belief that empathy should be at the forefront of any customer-focused strategy.
Enhancing customer experience is not only on digital interactions. Especially for brands with physical products (eg. clothing and skincare items). The initial opportunity to elevate the customer experience lies in the packaging, as it represents the first physical interaction a customer has with the product. Additionally, recognizing the invaluable nature of each transaction can be expressed through the thoughtful gesture of including a personalized thank-you note.
By delivering consistent and positive experiences enhances the brand’s reputation over time. In short prioritizing customer experience can lead to
- Customer loyalty, satisfied customers are more likely to make repeat purchases.
- Encourages positive word-of-mouth, which can attract new customers.
- Customers may be willing to pay a premium for a superior experience, leading to higher revenue.
- Winning from other competitors
Insight 2: Personalized Marketing
One of the most compelling insights was the emphasis on personalization. The traditional approach of broad, generic campaigns (one-size fits all) is becoming obsolete as customers’ behaviour change.
Brands should leverage data and AI to create highly personalized campaigns and content. This shift enables brands to craft content that resonates on a personal level with each consumer, building deeper connections.
Personalized engagement is proving to be a key factor in nurturing long-term loyalty, as consumers feel understood and valued by the brands they interact with. As this trend continues to evolve, it’s clear that the future of brand-consumer relationships will be defined by a mutual understanding and a customized approach to marketing.
Insight 3: Leveraging Customer Feedback
Another key takeaway was the importance of listening to and acting on customer feedback. Successful brands are those that not only gather feedback but also integrate it into their marketing strategies.
For examples brand like HMNS, madformakeup, biobeautylab, tenue de attire (Mas2 sorry ya tipe aku….) use customers feedback and comment to create content that speaks to their audience.
This iterative process ensures that marketing efforts are always aligned with customer expectations and needs. As UX practitioners, we constantly iterate based on user feedback, and it was insightful to see this practice mirrored in marketing.
Insight 4: Omni Channel Engagement
In today’s digital age, customers interact with brands across multiple touchpoints. The event underscored the necessity of a seamless omni-channel experience. There are tools like Qisqus and Whatsapp from Meta achieve this.
Consistency in messaging and experience across all platforms — whether it’s social media, email, or in-store — helps build a cohesive brand image and enhances customer trust.
Bridging UX and Marketing
Our experience at the event solidified the intersection between UX and marketing. Both disciplines aim to create user-centric experiences that delight and engage. Here are a few ways we believe UI/UX principles can enhance marketing efforts:
User Research: Just as we conduct user research to inform our designs, marketers can use similar techniques to understand their audience better and craft more effective campaigns.
Prototyping and Testing: Before launching a full-scale marketing campaign, creating prototypes and testing them with a small audience can provide valuable insights and reduce the risk of failure.
Iterative Improvement: Both UX and marketing benefit from an iterative approach. Continuous testing, feedback, and refinement lead to better results and a more satisfied customer base.
Conclusion
Attending the marketing event was an eye-opener for us as a UX agency. It reinforced the idea that whether you’re designing a product or crafting a marketing strategy, the customer should always be at the center. This is the future of marketing, and we’re excited to integrate these insights into our work, bridging the gap between design and marketing to deliver value to our clients.
If you’re interested in learning more about how a customer-centric approach can transform your marketing efforts, let’s connect. We’re happy to discuss and gain new perspectives.
— -
*Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. Let’s continue the conversation on the importance of customer-centric marketing.*
