One of the best parts of Customer Expo is listening to brand leaders from differing verticals come together to discuss the loyalty and CX topics that matter in all industries. Customer Expo 2019 will feature David Loflin, Manager of CX Loyalty for Ford, Emily Mikus, Director of Loyalty and Shopper Marketing for GIANT Food Stores, and Ivy Inniger, Senior Director CRM & Loyalty Marketing for Optical Brands for Luxottica, gathered to discuss the challenges and opportunities in adopting a customer-centric culture.
The need for customer-centricity, regardless of vertical, has been a focus of Loyalty360’s, and we’ve been in conversation with several industry leaders over the last year who have discussed the poignant topic.
Julie Tutkovics, CMO & CCO of Huntington Bank, noted that embracing customer centricity has led to increased loyalty and engagement with her brand. She said, “We’ve gone from being reactive to what customers needed to anticipating their needs. This effort was born out of great ideas that came proactively from customers saying, ‘We still need more help. We still need more information about money, and we believe that as a bank, you should provide that to us,’ but most aren’t.”
Patrick Walsh, Vice President of Marketing for Foot Locker, stated, that for his brand, customer centricity and workplace culture are inseparable. “Company culture is directly related to the customer experience and loyalty,” he said. “Every one of our employees is an extension of everything Foot Locker stands for as a company. Our ‘stripers’ are true sneakerheads and product experts that have love of the game, which shows in our stores every day.”
Walsh continued, “Similarly, our partners are a reflection of our values. Our ‘Evolution of the Swoosh’ campaign is a perfect example of Foot Locker working in tandem with another brand that operates with tremendous integrity and respect for the consumers we jointly serve.”
Tony Chivari, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Marketing and Customer Insights for 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, expressed a similar point of view. He told Loyalty360, “A key component of our company’s culture, across all our brands, is fostering innovation. We look for people who thrive in an atmosphere of doing—always moving forward, being intellectually curious, willing to experiment, taking risks, and not afraid of failing.”
He continued, “We believe that a culture of innovation is a culture of reinvention, and we are constantly reinventing ourselves as a company to better serve our customers. It directly reflects our customer loyalty efforts as we are laser focused on continuously enhancing our customer experience.”
As consumer behaviors and expectations change, the need for marketers to commit to customer centricity across verticals is very real. Fortunately, Customer Expo 2019 will feature thought leadership from innovators tackling this challenge. As such, the Expo shouldn’t be missed by those hoping to create customer-centric business cultures.