Customer Closeness in an increasingly Digital World
We’re hearing time and time again that reimagining the way we work is what’s on the minds of most leaders right now. So, we designed a virtual festival in partnership with some of our expert friends to help businesses and individuals set up for success in the new hybrid world of work.
Introducing Work: Reimagined; each day we’ll explore one of the five key themes; Customer, Rituals, Wellbeing, Skills and Environment. Each topic emerged from ear to the ground insight on the needs of businesses navigating change. We kicked off Day 1 with an expert panel of speakers. The thought provoking session was all about meeting Customer needs in a rapidly changing world. Here are our key takeaways:
Take customer reviews seriously. As the UK’s fastest growing digital business, Cazoo is transforming the way we buy used cars. In record time, they’ve joined the exclusive list of companies with Unicorn status. Product Director Louis Badcock says their success is down to living and breathing the company value of being customer obsessed; each customer Trustpilot review is emailed to every single member of the Cazoo business. If something hasn’t gone to plan, the team is on it — working through what went wrong and what can make the customer experience better.
The future consumer cares about what matters. The Pandemic reminded us all how fragile the world can be. Consumers care more about building relationships with purposeful brands and sustainability. This will rapidly change consumer behaviours and how they buy — there’s a real shift towards the relationship businesses build with clients, feeling part of something and it’s changed business focus to prioritising building a more sustainable future.
Community builds connection with customers. The pandemic has forced businesses to reassess how they connect with their customers and brands that invest in their community will inevitably come out on top. The cycling shop Rapha is a great example of this. Their brick stores are hubs where passionate cyclists meet and enjoy a coffee after a ride, secondary to that is their retail space. Adding services to bring the community offers an opportunity to work with local customers, personalising specific stores to the offerings required by that community or area and building strong, loyal relationships with customers.
Brand will jostle to fit more seamlessly into customers lives. 83% of consumers say convenience is more important when shopping than it was five years ago, according to 2020 research from NRF. Startups like NextSt are trying to bridge that gap between high street stores and the online world - if someone googles a product, they will be able to see it’s available in a store close by, as opposed to just buying on Amazon. This is called ‘disruptive convenience’.
Review how you segment your customers. If the pandemic taught us one thing, it’s that personal situations change, and fast. Severn Trent had to rapidly re-assess their ‘vulnerable’ category to cater for a large influx of people who fell into hardship; be that financial or health-related. Identifying and supporting these customers is fundamental to serving the changing needs of their customers as we move into the next stages of the pandemic.
Thanks to everyone who joined the Customer day of the Work Reimagined Festival.
Join us for Day 2 as we chat to Financial pioneer Cardano’s Marketing Director Emma Hill, Telefonica’s Corporate Affairs Director Sarah Mullins and NED Catherine May about reimagining the employee experience for hybrid working.
You might also like to sign up to our fireside chat from wellbeing experts, business leaders and change makers; #Twentyin2020 author and change agent Lisa Bent, Mark Allan, Commercial Director of global healthcare provider Bupa, and bestselling author Dr Anastasia Debyukhina for a discussion on whether good mental fitness is an important business asset in its own right.
Gemma Slater is a Comms Manager at Fluxx. Stay tuned with all that’s Fluxx by following us on LinkedIn or signing up for our WTF Newsletter. Get in touch at Gemma.Slater@Fluxx.uk.com.
