Infographic: How to create a customer-centric marketing strategy

January 22, 2021 | By Heather Eng, Sr. Marketing Manager

Taking a customer-centric approach to marketing and advertising is key to any brand’s strategy. Focusing on customers’ needs and interests at each touchpoint helps ensure they have positive experiences every time they engage with your brand. By providing relevancy and consistency at each turn, brands can improve the overall omnichannel marketing experience, thus building long-term trust and loyalty.

Amazon Ads and Kantar surveyed more than 1,000 US consumers to learn what they value when engaging with brands. Their responses indicate that brands are most helpful when they deliver customers what they need, right when they need it. Here’s a look at the key findings:

Relevancy is key

Our survey found that the more relevant the messaging, the better. Eighty-eight percent of respondents report engaging with ads relevant to their interests, and 89% say they’ve interacted with ads that reflect their life stage. Consumers are also apt to engage with ads that meet a need they have. This is the strongest driver of ad interaction, surpassing whether the ad is funny, entertaining, or inspiring. In addition, 64% of respondents agree that ads play a role in keeping them informed. We dug in to these insights to learn more.

Reminders to buy or repurchase are helpful

The survey found that timely reminders to buy or repurchase are both helpful and effective. More than 4 out of 5 consumers have made a purchase based on a reminder. And 78% of consumers will engage with an ad for a recently viewed product. Parents are especially appreciative of reminders. Eighty-three percent of survey respondents who identified as parents say they “love when a brand delivers information when I might need it”—compared to 72% of non-parents. (Amazon Ads audience insights, for example, can help brands learn the average time between purchases, which they can then use to reach out to audiences at the right moments.)

Recommendations are effective

Consumers also appreciate product recommendations. Similar to reminders, 4 out of 5 consumers have made a purchase after receiving a recommendation based on past purchases (e.g., because you’ve purchased running shoes and socks, you may also be interested in a running belt). Certain groups are more receptive to recommendations than others. For example, 88% of Millennials and 83% of Gen Xers report making a purchase based on a recommendation, compared to 69% of Boomers and Matures. Similarly, 87% of parents have made a purchase thanks to a recommendation, compared to 75% of non-parents. And when it comes to respondents who identified as “tech savvy,” a whopping 94% have made a recommendation-based purchase, compared to 70% of low tech savvy shoppers.

Customer service and values drive loyalty

In thinking about customer-centricity, it’s important to consider what consumers are looking for at different stages of their journeys. We delved into the factors that made customers turn to certain brands again and again. We found that customer service is the top driver of loyalty. But consumers also report pledging their loyalty to brands that share their interests and values: 31% are loyal to brands they are proud to be associated with, 31% to brands that seem to understand their interests, 26% with brands that are responsible corporate citizens, and 24% with brands that demonstrate values that are aligned with their personal values. So when it comes to fostering long-term bonds, brands should seek to communicate their values to customers.

The infographic below sums up these findings. Use them to weave customer-centricity throughout your marketing strategy—so you can create a virtuous cycle of customer engagement.

Customer centricity infographic