Customer Intimacy as Competitive Advantage

Retailers can create competitive advantage through the unique customer insight gained online and the seamless application of this insight across multiple digital channels.

Have you ever received recommendations for copywriting, photography, short stories, travel and hill-walking books as well as guitar strings in one email? Probably not, I doubt anyone else has, but that is exactly what I got from Amazon UK a couple of months ago. Amazon has built up a unique picture of my shopping and spending habits and they use this insight to engage with me online.

I’ve been shopping with Amazon for over 10 years. Amazon have built up a strong relationship with me, they understand what interests me and are consistent across their website, their mobile site, their mobile app and in email. In all cases Amazon’s communications are specific to me and the products/content I most engage with. Amazon understands that it’s not the channel that matters, it’s the consistent customer experience across all channels. The medium may change by my preferences don’t.

Amazon have created a competitive advantage based on:

• Applying insight gained by tracking customer online behaviour to deliver a real sense of customer understanding and intimacy
• A consistent multi channel experience

Tracking behaviour across multiple digital channels and understanding the content that engages each customer as well as their spending habits provides a unique customer insight. Applying this knowledge in a consistent way across all digital channels provides customers with a seamless experience that increases customer loyalty, retention and ultimately your share of the customer’s wallet.