When brands focus on customer-centricity and creating an excellent customer experience (CX), they develop loyal followers and grow over time. While jumping onto trends helps ensure you reach new users, knowing how to combine them with a buyer-first approach takes your marketing and customer relationships to the next level.
What exactly is customer-centricity? A customer-centered business considers the target audience, including why they make their decisions. The best way to make everything you do about your clients is to understand who they are. Placing the needs and desires of customers at the core of all you do requires dedication and consideration of which trends impact your audience.
1. Gather and Analyze Data
Before figuring out how to incorporate current trends into your customer-centric approach, you must know who your user is and what they want. Start by gathering information from sources such as your databases, customer surveys and general demographic data.
Once you understand your typical buyer’s preferences, create one or more buyer personas to represent your clients. The more detailed you can be, the easier it will be to figure out what your audience wants.
2. Study the Trends
The Small Business Administration estimates there are about 33.2 million small businesses in the United States. One way to stand out from a sea of competitors is to tap into current trends. However, as a customer-centric business, you must ensure those trends meet your customers' preferences.
See what topics are trending on social media. Do keyword research in your industry to discover what phrases people search for most frequently. Pay attention to the news and current events. You cannot know what is trending if you do not stay on top of social and technological changes.
3. Pay Attention to Big Societal Impacts
The pandemic taught the world people will change their buying habits in a crisis. In 2022, value was key — around 50% of U.S. shoppers said they would switch stores for a lower price. Approximately 56% also started their holiday shopping in October.
Be aware of the events happening around the world. How is society changing? What impact does technology have on how people buy?
Artificial intelligence (AI) impacts seemingly every industry. When people go through a self checkout at stores such as Walmart, smart cameras check their carts to ensure they ring up all items. When shopping online, they might interact with a chatbot to ask questions or solve problems.
The technology is still imperfect and makes errors. For example, the smart cameras might report a child in the shopping cart as an unpaid purchase. However, being aware of the impact of changes allows companies to lessen any frustrations and take advantage of the positives.
4. Empower Employees
Your employees implement your customer-centricity policies. Teach them how to apply policies to interactions with users. Give them enough freedom to make out-of-the-box decisions that satisfy clients’ needs and exceed their expectations.
Some ways you can fix company culture to put the customer first are through training programs, setting an example of customer-centricity and recognizing when employees offer a great CX. Reward them for making an additional effort that results in customer retention.
5. Maximize User Flow
With 73% of consumers stating they buy based on CX, perfecting user flow becomes crucial. Do not leave anything to chance when creating the buyer’s journey on your website. Small changes make a significant impact on the way people view the buying process.
Drill into the small details, such as the color of the call to action (CTA) button. Make sure the user goes where intended. For example, if a button says “Learn More,” does the action take them to a location where they gain valuable information? What details do they expect to see by clicking on the CTA?
Survey your customers and ask how you can improve user flow. What are the bottlenecks tripping up site visitors? Does anything keep them from completing the purchase?
6. Utilize New Technology
One of the biggest trends in business is tapping into the power of AI. Use tools such as ChatGPT to research trends in your industry. Brainstorm how customers might receive you adding a trend to your website, marketing or processes.
Some tools help brands save money and keep customers satisfied. Pay attention to the software competitors use. If something makes sense for your business model, give it a try. Most programs have a trial period so you can see how it works for you.
7. Seek Customer Feedback
Companies can gather internal data and make best guesses about what their customers want. However, the best source of information about your target audience's needs comes from them. Send out surveys and ask which changes they would like to see. Run new policies, products and services by them, and get their input.
A/B split testing can be your best friend when determining whether a particular design or CTA button placement works for your users. Scour customer service logs and see what people complain the most about. Take a proactive approach and fix issues occurring repeatedly. The best solution is to ensure customers have no problems in the first place.
A happy customer is one who feels seen and heard by your brand. Pay attention to reviews, emails, and comments to know what they love and hate. Repeat successes and fix issues for a growth mindset.
Gain a Competitive Advantage With Customer-Centricity
With a crowded business landscape, tapping into the power of customer-centricity differentiates your business and helps you deliver exceptional CX. Staying focused on your customers builds rapport and shows them you care. Follow the steps above and adopt new trends intelligently to keep the client at the core of all you do.
Eleanor Hecks is the managing editor at Designerly. She’s also a mobile app designer with a focus on UI. Connect with her about digital marketing, UX and/or tea on LinkedIn.
