The Hallmarks Of Customer Centricity

By Matt Pillar, chief editor

It’s a gross understatement to say I spend a lot of time talking with retailers, and almost without fail, every retailer I talk to stakes a claim in “customer centricity” as a differentiator. In fact, if taken at face value, there’s do differentiation at all in putting the customer at the center of tech and operations decision-making, because everyone alleges to be doing it.

But, how many so-called “customer centric” retailers are actually taking direct cues from the customer? Last quarter, PwC interviewed a whopping 19,068 consumers in preparation of its Total Retail V Survey. That makes it a must-read for the sincerely customer-centric retailer.

The survey is rich with consumer shopping preference data worthy of consideration in the development (or evolution) of the cross-channel customer centricity strategy. The broad-ranging report covers myriad topics, from mobile usage to social media engagement to payment preferences.  Within the report, there’s a trove of tactical decision-making value. But there’s one data point in particular that speaks volumes about the strategic content of cross-channel customer outreach.

“Thinking of your favorite retailer, why do you shop there?”

It’s a simple, pointed question, the answer to which is key to the construction of consumer-facing content delivered via any channel. Very few shoppers lauded loyalty programs and customer reviews. Even fewer “favorited” social media gimmicks and snazzy mobile applications. Instead, the overwhelming influences on customer favoritism are relative standbys, even in this shiny digital age. They are price, inventory availability, and brand experience, in that order.