The customer rules. These three words seem simple enough at first glance. Yet look a little deeper, and they reflect the recent enormous changes in consumer behavior and technology that are forcing leading companies to bring their products, services and brands to market in a very different manner. They also underscore the tremendous burden placed on organizations and marketers as they embrace customer-centricity—the new paradigm in which the customer, not the product or brand, is the focus.
“The customer rules” also suggests a list of guiding ideas toward understanding just what customer-centricity truly means to a business and its customers, and how an organization might optimize all the necessary components—strategy, people, processes, technology and marketing—to achieve it.
There are (at least) 10 rules that indicate what today’s customers demand from the brands they buy and the stores they visit. And with them come 10 examples of companies and industries that already are embracing the new rules and reaping the rewards.
Rule #1: I want it my way. Not surprisingly, consumers everywhere have embraced Burger King’s famous tagline, “Have it your way,” and they increasingly expect the products and services they buy to meet their specifications—no pickles; make it in blue or green, not red; change the knobs. To build truly strong customer relationships, companies must consider how to enable and empower customization. For example, Scion lets consumers design their own cars straight from the company’s Web site. They can customize the interior, transmission, lights, spoiler, steering wheel, sound system, shifter, engine, clutch, mirrors and paint job—and pick up the vehicle at the dealer location of their choice. Scion even allows consumers to arrange for financing online.
Rule #2: I want the same service regardless of channel. Online, on the phone or in the store, customers expect equally high service and quality in every channel. And they expect communications that begin in one channel to flow seamlessly to another, such as Web to store, or catalog to Web. JCPenney is a high performer in this respect. It is one of a handful of retailers to make Internet access available across its 35,000 checkout registers, and it was one of the first companies to allow online shoppers to pick up and return their catalog and online orders in the store. Now customers can check which clothes are in stock at their local stores, a feature few, if any, apparel retailers offer. Not surprisingly, the Internet now accounts for 6 percent of the company’s sales, well exceeding its primary competitors.
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