Aligning Market Insights & Trends to Customer Strategies & Priorities

Customer Strategy Best Practices, Tools, Techniques, Examples

  1. What is the size of the potential pool of new customers and which are the best customers to acquire?

  2. Which customers are your most profitable and how do you get other customers to grow and become part of your top ( and most profitable) customer segment group?

  3. What is your current customer share of wallet (SOW) as compared to your competitors and what does driving small incremental increases in your customer SOW do to your overall revenue?

  4. What are the shifting attitudinal and behavior patterns of your customer market and how do you develop a strategy that ‘gets in front of’ these trends?

  5. What are the shifting customer demographics of your marketplace as well as the underlying shift in spending habits

  6. What are the changes in customer preferred marketing channels as well as trends that might impact customer loyalty strategy


Customer Strategy: Market Insights and Trends Drive Customer Strategy, Programs
Market Insights and Trends Drive Customer Strategy, Programs

 

The above charts illustrate why it is critically important to have clear and accurate insights into your new customer market potential/pool as well as the current customer base and their share of wallet.

The chart above (right side) illustrates which customers drive the current percentage of revenue in order to understand how customer priorities and strategy should be defined.

Customer Strategy: Critical Insights: Top Customer, Top Profitable Customers and Customer Share of Wallet vs. Competitors
Critical Insights: Top Customer, Top Profitable Customers and Customer Share of Wallet vs. Competitors

Market Spend Insights Can Be Transformational in term of goal setting

The above graphic illustrates how share of wallet changes drive bottom line revenue as well as converting customers into more loyal top customers.

Customer Strategy: Customer Attitudinal Trends Insights Are Critical to Customer Strategy
Customer Attitudinal Trends Insights Are Critical to Customer Strategy

Understanding your market & customer behavior insights is crucial to your company’s survival

The above graphic demonstrates a deep understanding in the shifting attitudinal and behavior patterns of the customer market

Customer Strategy: Customer Market Buying Power Insights are Crucial For Developing a Coherent Customer Strategy
Customer Market Buying Power Insights are Crucial For Developing a Coherent Customer Strategy

The above chart illustrates a company capability to understand shifting demographics as well as the underlining shift in spending habits per demographic group

Customer Strategy: Understanding Key Customer Behavior & Preferences is a Customer Strategy Imperrative
Understanding Key Customer Behavior & Preferences is a Customer Strategy Imperrative
Customer Strategy: An Alignment of All Customer & Market Insights to Maximize Market Dominance & Profitability
Customer Strategy: An Alignment of All Customer & Market Insights to Maximize Market Dominance & Profitability

Once Customer and Market Insights are fully embraced, an Effective Customer Strategy can be developed that includes optimizing market channel selection, as well as contact and loyalty strategy program components

Blog Summary: In order to achieve the above insights, your company must develop and deploy the following strategic capabilities and delivery programs:

  1. Market sizing & trend insights

  2. Customer revenue and profitability insights analysis

  3. Customer share of wallet and competitor spend insights delivery capability

  4. Market trend & consumer attitudinal and behavior change longitudinal analysis

  5. 360° customer needs and preference cultivation that enables a personalized customer experience strategy and delivery (i.e. preference portal customer selection of preferred channels, content types, offer types, frequency of content delivery by content type.)

Below is a list of companies where I have helped develop these programs and are considered world-class in Customer Strategy practices:

  • Johnson & Johnson

  • Capital One

  • Amazon

  • American Express

  • Kelloggs


For Additional Information on This Topic

Organizations that successfully align market insights with customer strategies are often better positioned to anticipate changing customer needs, identify emerging opportunities, and develop more effective business strategies. Market trends, customer behaviors, competitive activities, and industry developments can provide valuable information for refining customer priorities and improving decision-making across the organization.

The most successful organizations continuously monitor their markets and use customer insights to guide strategic planning, product development, service delivery, and customer experience initiatives. By combining market intelligence with a deep understanding of customer expectations, organizations can create more relevant value propositions, strengthen customer relationships, and improve long-term business performance.

For additional information on market research, customer insights, and strategic decision-making, review these resources:

Organizations that consistently align market insights, customer priorities, and business strategies are often better equipped to improve customer satisfaction, strengthen competitive positioning, and achieve sustainable growth.

Customer Emotions that Drive Buying Behavior

Consumer Behavior Sales Best Practices – Tools, Techniques, Examples

Find out why most companies miss the mark in terms of focusing on generating positive consumer behavior

Consumer Behavior - Conditions
Solutions to Problems AND Good Customer Emotions Need to Exist for Long-Term Loyalty

Good products and services are only part of the equation in terms of generating customer repeat business, loyalty, long-term retention

Consumer Behavior - Customer Emotions
Some Customers Will Work to Destroy Your Business While Others Are Willing Partners in Helping You Grow, Be More Successful

Some customers will actually work to kill your company and brand(s), namely dissenters and defectors, while others will work tirelessly to bolster your sales, reputation, customer acquisition efforts, etc.

Consumer Behavior - Emotions That Drive Buying
Guidelines for Generating Positive Customer Emotions and Relations

It is essential that all of your customer facing team members are representing the company and brand well, and that they adhere to your stated customer principles

Consumer Behavior - Selling Environments
Sample Steps to Developing an Environment Where Customers Are Motivated to Buy from Your Company

Your customer facing team members need to develop a customer interaction playbook that is consistent with your brand and customer mantra

Consumer Behavior - Win-Win Triad
Alignment of the customer delivery ‘value chain’ is Crucial

Every aspect of your customer delivery ‘value chain’ needs to be synchronized to deliver a highly consistent and high quality (emotional) experience as rated by your customers

Consumer Behavior - Chief Customer Officer
A Chief Customer Officer’s (CCO) role is to Advocate for the Customer within the CxO suite

** Refer to previous blog article on the 5 R’s of customer loyalty – https://goo.gl/L4IA3q

If you rate customer satisfaction and loyalty as a high company priority, then they must be represented by a Chief Customer Officer (CCO) that will truly advocate for customers and set the customer standards that drive positive consumer behavior

Consumer Behavior Summary:  The following points summarize the content of this blog as follows:

  • In order to develop customer loyalty you must have both great products and services as well as the ability to generate positive customer emotions (customer delight, feeling connected to the company)

  • Segments of your customer base will work to destroy your attempt at market success while others are your partners in helping your company become even more successful.

  • In order to drive positive consumer behavor and convert your customers into advocates and super-advocates, you must develop an internal customer relations playbook (develop customer vision, code of customer interaction conduct, etc.)

  • Every aspect of your customer delivery ‘value chain’ needs to be in-synch in order to deliver an end-to-end superb and fulfilling customer experience

  • Every company should have the equivalent of a Chief Customer Officer (CCO) in order to set the customer vision and standards and be the ultimate advocate for all of your customers.


For Additional Information on The Topic of Consumer Bahavior

Customer emotions play a significant role in influencing buying behavior and purchase decisions. While product features, pricing, and convenience remain important factors, emotional connections often determine which brands customers trust, recommend, and remain loyal to over time. Organizations that understand the emotional drivers behind customer behavior are often better positioned to create meaningful customer experiences, strengthen brand loyalty, and improve long-term business performance.

Research continues to demonstrate that purchasing decisions are influenced by both rational and emotional factors. Successful organizations seek to understand customer motivations, reduce purchasing barriers, build trust, and create positive experiences throughout the customer journey. By aligning products, services, messaging, and customer experiences with customer needs and emotions, companies can improve engagement, increase customer satisfaction, and strengthen competitive differentiation.

For additional information on customer emotions and buying behavior, review these resources:

Organizations that better understand the emotional factors that influence customer decisions are often better equipped to improve customer experiences, strengthen customer loyalty, and drive sustainable business growth.