Thinking

Focusing on employees and focusing on customers are not mutually exclusive—they’re highly synergistic. As we shift from responding to crisis to embracing this unprecedented era of change, we must also embrace moves to engage and empower our employees.

While there are many things we can’t control about this crisis, we can control how we respond. It’s a matter of choosing whether you want to be in survival mode or reinvention mode.

As retailers and etailers struggle to keep products stocked, many of us can attest to forgoing our favorite brands for any available brand on the shelf.

As organizations strive to connect with consumers in meaningful ways, it is time for brand storytellers to go back to basics and swiftly yet strategically reassess the characters and heroes of today’s storylines.

As many organizations struggle to navigate the uncertainty of the here and now, let alone the long term, understanding what matters most to this generation can help paint a clearer picture of tomorrow and fuel strategic future planning.

Mobile ethnography—whether asynchronously uploaded by a subject or synchronously guided by a moderator—are in vogue right now. See consumer behavior through their eyes…and their smartphones.

Long before a mysterious virus entered our lives, we were in the midst of a more hidden, but still ominous epidemic of loneliness. Companies that put people before profits and form reciprocal relationships are the ones that will come out of this critical moment ahead.

Now, more than ever, what the “new normal” will look like for all of us—as human beings and as consumers—is largely unknown.

With stay-at-home orders, people are looking for ways to connect to others—and brands have a unique opportunity to be that connector. Those that invest in deeply understanding the changes in consumer behavior as well as their mindsets and needs will be able to differentiate and create lasting lifetime value.

A well-thought-out approach to information hygiene today can play an important role in shaping perceptions and establishing loyalty that lasts beyond our current crisis.

With the rise of human-centered design, design thinking, and similar frameworks that preach a focus on user needs to guide innovation and solutions, many organizations are struggling to truly operationalize it as a day-to-day practice.

In this time of overwhelming uncertainty, how do we go beyond crisis management and connect with individuals in a way that exceeds textbook customer centricity?

Humanistic design is about creating for all people. Whether you're creating a product, a public space, a survey or a website or working in client services, you have the opportunity to ask, “How can what I’m creating be accessible to more people and cast a wider net that embraces all humans?”

Consumers increasing openness to sharing sensitive information speaks volumes about the desirability of personalization, but it is not to be taken for granted. Brands must prioritize gaining and maintaining consumer empathy and trust for this comfort level to continue.

Convenience is a ruling theme today as technology comes to the rescue of people getting busier; but at what cost? Brands must now explore the balance of creating a frictionless transaction while also maintaining meaningful human contact and shopper fulfillment.

Millennial consumers are becoming more and more willing to provide brands with personal data in exchange for convenient, customized and timely treatment. But success--or failure--hinges on retailers’ ability to develop a “fair value exchange” with consumers.

Customization does more than offer bragging rights and give a reason to impress friends and social media followers; it's a way to make people feel more emotionally invested in products and experiences.

Our hardwired ability to stereotype makes us efficient at processing information but can hold businesses back from understanding consumer thinking.