Back to basics for Twenty Ten !
A NEW CONSUMER is rising.
LeShop.ch the leading Swiss online supermarket announced this week that 39’300 households bought online for the 1st time in their shop in 2009. This is a major evolution for the Swiss retail market. In America a recent study showed that a growing percentage of smartphone owners made mobile purchases when products weren’t available in store in 2009. Things are moving !
A Post Crisis Consumer as described by John Gerzema is emerging. Connected via social media & the web, this customer has new cultural values (relation to credit, ethics driven, quality seeking, community conscious) & consuming strategies (durable living, cooperative consumerism).
New consumers equal new challenges for the companies intending to rebuild sound business relationships and loyalty.
Image by Pink Sherbet Photography (Flickr)
Customer feedback will be crucial in developing effective loyalty building programs for your customer communities.
- What drives your consumer ?
- What does he or she like in your product, brand, point of sale or event.
- How satisfied are they ? What can managers improve to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty ?
As my study showed companies with loyal customers stay close to them, keep in touch and integrate surveys in the consumption process to avoid customers feeling annoyed or under surveillance.
Happy TWENTY TEN to everybody !
Has your customer changed too ? How ?
I’d be glad to have your comments !
Eugène Schoen 
Eugen – I enjoyed this article. My customers are in the commercial realm (manufacturers, packing and crating people, and so on). They have changed in that many are understaffed, trying to do the job of more than one person.
They all seem to be positive that things will ultimately turn around in the economy. They are careful as ever about spending and the smart ones are willing to look at a change in process, with their goal being to increase the productivity and bottom line of their company. Because business has been a bit slow, we’ve found more people willing to brainstorm about doing things differently, as that relates to the innovative packaging that we sell.
That’s how it looks from where I sit.
Best regards,
Elaine
Hi Elaine,
Many thanks for your comment.
The situation in Switzerland is pretty much the same. Industries related to export had to rethink the way they worked for the same reasons you mentioned.
This situation led also companies to revise the way they marketed their products and used traditional media.
Let’s hope now that all this brainstorming and efforts can help bring customer confidence back soon !
Best regards
Eugen