Foundation to a customer-centric strategy.

Ongoing customer feedback is the foundation for the success of any marketing team or organization. In all of my roles, I have participated or led numerous forms of customer feedback including:

  • Focus groups

  • Sales Rep and End-User Round Tables

  • 1:1 Customer Interviews

  • Ethnographic Interviews

  • Secret Shopping

  • Product Feedback

  • Feature Requests

  • Complaints & Questions

  • Praise & Appreciation Posts

  • Customer Surveys

  • Net Promoter Score (NPS) Surveys

At Starbucks, we used a Design Thinking sprint to conceive and ideate on a digital customer gift giving concept which we then tested, validated and refined through 1:1 customer interviews. We invited customers to the Starbucks Headquarters in two rounds. The first was designed to receive feedback and validate if the concept was of interest to customers. The second round was more user experience focused where customers engaged with a low fidelity version of the concept to provide feedback on the experience flow, preferences, and expectations. A benefit of the Design Thinking sprint was the ability to very quickly capture customer feedback and incorporate it in the early concept phase with minimal investment. The concept was shared and positively received across the organization but due to other priorities at the time, was shelved for later review.

At Nordstrom, we leveraged focus groups in the Los Angeles area as part of the scoping phase of a beauty store and service concept. We specifically selected the LA market for its high interest in beauty and since the demographic leans towards early adopters. The focus was on Millennial female customers and trying to gage their interest in such a concept as well as what components of the experience were most meaningful to them. A major takeaway from the focus groups was that younger Millennials had more available time but less financial resources while older Millennials had less available time but more financial resources. This insight was really valuable in understanding how different customer groups would likely engage with the experience and provided insight on how to focus on time-savings for older Millennials who had more disposable income to spend on beauty. The concept and research were eventually passed along to the Beauty purchasing department that manages the portfolio and customer experience for Nordstrom’s beauty customers.