The consumer in 2020
In order to develop the marketing philosophy of the future, it is necessary to better understand the consumer of the future . Three developments will further influence the behavior of the consumer:
Full adoption of new technology : by 2020, there will be around 2.5 billion smartphones in the world. Internet and digitalisation will be, even more than today, the most normal thing in the world.
Transparency : The further adoption of technology will make the world even more transparent. Consumers will know exactly which company is doing well and which is not. Consumers will therefore become more demanding in terms of service. They will not compare companies with their competitors but with the best performing companies. The bar will be raised.
Selectivity : Technology will further shield consumers from commercial messages. Through new media, consumers will list to data become very selective about which companies they are or are not linked to. Reaching the 2020 consumer will be extremely difficult.
The video below describes the consumer 2020:
A 7.3 out of 10 will not be enough to win the heart of the 2020 consumer. Only by being extreme in customer focus, there is a guarantee of success. Extremism is not good in politics or religion, but in marketing 2020 it is a necessity .
Being extreme involves several challenges:
Extreme in the basics : extreme customer focus is often associated with exotic ideas. Exotic ideas only work if the basics are right. Step one is to list all the small frustrations that customers face and solve them step by step. The basic experience must be top, that is the foundation of extreme customer focus.
It's about 'influence', not 'influencers' : Every customer has influence. The illusion that just a few influencers determine the perception of an entire industry is classic thinking. By doing the same for every customer, structural positive conversations arise. Focusing only on 'influencers' can even have the opposite effect. Think back to the story of Yoep Van 't Hek and T-Mobile.
Symbols of extremism : When a company exceeds expectations in basic service delivery, symbols of extremism are needed. Symbols of extremism are perfect conversation starters. They give satisfied customers something very concrete to use in their recommendations. Zappos' '365 day return policy', KLM's 30 minute response to tweets and e-tailer Coolblue's offline stores are examples of such symbols.
3 steps to extreme customer experience