Sharp eye on the market
Startups are popping up like mushrooms. These young, fast companies have a pace, a customer focus and a drive for innovation that many large, sluggish companies shy away from. They throw stones in the pond. They change the world as we know it. People share their cars via SnappCar, they cook for the neighbours with Thuisafgehaald.nl and rent their homes to tourists via Airbnb. Commercial directors must keep a sharp eye on the market like never before. If they doze off, it could be too late.
Let in competitor
Bol.com managed to intervene in time by developing a new business model. In 2011, 'Bol.com Plaza' saw the light of day, a platform on which other web shops offer their merchandise, while they leave the logistical hassle to the largest web shop in the Netherlands.
Machiel Tiddens of Bol.com Plaza admits that it took some getting used to: “It was quite a step for us: giving a competitor access to something you have built yourself.” Nevertheless, the business model turned out to be a bull's eye: growth is going well and a quarter of sales now go through 'Plaza'.
Rival Coolblue has managed to distinguish itself mainly in the area of customer value. Pieter Zwart, CEO of the popular webshop, summarizes the essence of his business model as follows: greek phone number answering customer questions, collecting feedback, measuring the results and based on that making things better for the customers. “Customers tell you all day long how you can be even more successful,” says Zwart.
Customers tell you all day long how to be even more successful. – Pieter Zwart
Zwart's poignant quote kicks off the book Put your customer first! (aff.). In it, management consultancy Kirkman Company lets 25 commercial directors talk about customer value. The three authors outline the trends and developments that these CCOs have to deal with and provide tips for a sound strategy.
Also read: More loyal customers? Make it as easy as possible for them [3 ways]
Outspoken and demanding
Customers have become more assertive and demanding over the years. In the business market, it is no longer just about a good price, customers want to see hard evidence that their suppliers deliver added value. “Obediently doing what was agreed in the contracts six years ago, that is no longer going to make them happy,” says Jacqueline Bakker of Gom Schoonhouden. Relieving the customer of their worries and yes, even surprising them, those are increasingly important factors within the customer experience.