New Delhi: Marketeers have realized that in an economic downturn, it is important to listen harder to consumers, said Frances Li, executive director and head of customer experience, Asia, at Synovate, market research arm of global marketing communications firm Aegis Group Plc.
The firm has found its clients in India are investing an additional 5-10% in managing customer experience, a trend that Li said is likely to pick up. Li and her Indian counterpart, Meeta Luthra, associate director and head of customer experience for Synovate India Pvt. Ltd, spoke in an interview about key trends in consumer experience management and pointed to factors influencing consumer behaviour in India and the world. Edited excerpts:
Trend experience: Synovate’s Frances Li (left) and Meeta Luthra. Li says consumers in India now have better access to information and are more involved in decision making, so firms can’t fool them any more. Ramesh Pathania / Mint
How can research help in making a customer’s experience better?Li: Most marketeers are under the impression that they need to innovate only in good times when consumers are ready to buy. But they need to know that it is more important to innovate when times are bad because by doing so, it helps customers become more efficient and research helps marketeers learn how to go about it.
There are some pain points, a term we use to describe facts that consumers can’t articulate in words for what they want, or what they are looking for.
Consumer research helps marketeers read between the lines and address these pain points. It helps marketeers deliver their brand promise with methodologies that are designed to ask consumers the right questions and listen to them in the right way.
Store managers have an idea about how customers are behaving, but research makes it more scientific because the insight derived pinpoints specific areas where customers spend more time, what influences their decision at the point of sale, whether in-store promotions are helpful in that particular environment, etc.
What are some key trends in the consumer research and management?
Li: Earlier, managing customer experience was more operational for companies and it was kept quite separate from the brand. But today it can’t work that way.
Customer experience management and the brand have to be in alignment. Marketeers have begun to translate their business strategy in what they want their customer experience to look like.