Customer Experience

Over the last year, nearly every FMCG executive I’ve spoken to whether sitting in Chicago, Paris, or São Paulo has echoed the same challenge: “We need to get closer to the consumer, faster.” Global brand, local nuance the future of FMCG growth depends on how well your leadership understands the street, not just the spreadsheet. It’s no longer enough to run a global playbook and hope for local resonance. Why? Because the center of gravity in FMCG has shifted. 84% of FMCG companies are now increasing local decision autonomy in key growth markets. (Bain FMCG Operating Model Report, 2023) → That means your CMO can’t be the only one with a finger on the pulse. → Your regional GM can’t just execute HQ strategy. → And your global leaders can’t lead with assumptions they need cultural fluency and operational humility. In other words: local-for-local is not just a supply chain shift. It’s a leadership shift. The most successful candidates weren’t those who had rotated through five global hubs. They were the ones who could… → Read the cultural nuances of consumer behavior in that specific region → Navigate the regulatory quirks that could derail a product launch → Influence global teams while building trust with local retailers → Speak the language literally and commercially They understood the street not just the spreadsheet. And they had the rare ability to connect what’s happening on the ground with what needs to be shifted at the center. These are the leaders FMCG needs now. → Strategists who don’t just adapt to the market, they anticipate it. → Operators who don’t wait for HQ they build and test in-market. → Connectors who know when to push back and when to align. Because in today’s world, speed and relevance win. And that doesn’t come from waiting for global sign-off. It comes from empowering the right local leaders. Here’s where I see many companies trip up: They treat “local” as junior. As operational. As reactive. The truth? Your next competitive edge may be a GM in Manila, a Marketing Director in Lagos, or a Commercial Lead in Warsaw who’s trusted enough to build strategy from the ground up. That’s what global FMCG companies are starting to understand and what we’re helping them solve for in every executive search we run. Not just global leaders who can work across regions…but local leaders who can lead across functions, cultures, and expectations while driving growth with urgency and empathy. This is the new face of global FMCG. Not centralized, but coordinated. Not rigid, but responsive. Not top-down, but built from the middle out. #ExecutiveSearch #FMCGLeadership #GlobalGrowth #ConsumerGoods #TalentStrategy #LeadershipHiring

On this fine Friday, allow this VC to pitch you a business idea born out of personal frustration. I’m a dedicated DAU (only because we don’t yet track Hourly Active Users), and yet these models barely know me. At this point, I feel like a traveling salesman from the 1800s, lugging a little suitcase of context from one AI to the next: “Here are my preferences. My priorities. My professional history. Please remember me.” And I do it. Because when you feed these tools the right context, they’re remarkable. But that potential - so close you can practically taste it - remains just out of reach. Instead, we’re stuck in a Groundhog Day loop of contextless first dates with memoryless machines. The intelligence is there. It’s the memory that fails you. What we need is a Personal Memory Vault: 🔐 Secure, encrypted, private by default 🔄 Portable across models - plug-and-play with any LLM, agent, or assistant 🧩 Composable and modular - you choose what to share, with whom, and for how long 📜 Versioned and auditable - full transparency into how and when your data is used We can build: 🔑 APIs that give developers secure, permissioned access to memory bundles - like professional context, health profiles, or travel preferences 📈 A user dashboard to track which apps have access, what they know, and when they’ve used it 💵 A freemium model for consumers - and licensing options for apps or agents that want to deliver memory-powered experiences Think: a personal OS that updates passively through your interactions. Plaid, but for context - storing a growing, contextual understanding of your life. Yes, it’s about making AI more useful. But it’s more about control. We need the memory layer to be model agnostic and platform independent, because Big Tech’s next move is obvious: offer “personalized memory” - and use it to lock you in tighter than ever. Sam Altman has already said he wants ChatGPT to remember your whole life. Look, I’m an OpenAI fan. But I reserve the right to change my mind the moment Google DeepMind, Anthropic, or xAI drops something better. What I don’t want is to spend my weekends migrating my digital soul like it’s an IBM mainframe in 1986. I don’t want a hundred context engines. I don’t want to be platform-loyal out of sunk-cost guilt. I just want to stop going on first dates with my own data. I’m just a girl, standing in front of an AI, asking it to remember her. 💔

Loyalty is failing. Gen Z & long-term commitment. 22% of Gen Z consumers consider themselves loyal to one brand is a clear warning for legacy loyalty strategies. Unlike previous generations, Gen Z doesn’t see brand loyalty as a long-term commitment, they’re loyal to moments, not just names. +43% increase in engagement and sales conversions among Gen Z Beauty brands offering "limited-edition drops" and collaborative experiences. +71% Gen Z say they would rather spend money on an experience than a product. >>Loyalty is FAILING, but why<< +Transactional systems feel outdated: Point-based rewards for repeat purchases don’t excite this audience. They expect more than discounts or free samples. +They’re brand-agnostic but experience-driven: Gen Z freely switches between brands if the experience, aesthetic, or values feel fresher or more aligned with their identity. +They buy into stories, not just products: They want to align with brands that represent something, social causes, cultural movements, or communities they relate to. >>DYNAMIC LOYALTY<< What’s this? as it name indicates its a system that rewards interaction, aligns with their values, and constantly evolves. And that is what your brand needs. → Create experience-driven loyalty programs: Offer early access to limited drops, invite-only events, or backstage content. Think like a fan club, not a punch card. +Example: A loyalty tier that unlocks tickets to a pop-up experience or an exclusive AR filter. →Let them co-create: Invite Gen Z customers to co-develop product ideas, designs, or campaign themes. Give them ownership in your brand’s creative journey. +Example: Voting on packaging designs or joining beta tester groups. →Align with their values: Sustainability, inclusivity, and social good aren’t nice-to-haves. they’re expectations. Use loyalty programs to reward actions too, like recycling, sharing causes, or supporting small creators. +Example: “Earn loyalty points by returning empties or attending a sustainability workshop.” →Deliver constant novelty: Rotate limited editions regularly. Use scarcity and surprise to create FOMO and buzz. +Gen Z doesn’t commit to a single brand, but they’ll keep returning if each visit feels fresh and share-worthy. →Go omnichannel but social-first. Should live across TikTok, Instagram, pop-ups, and web. Let them earn or unlock rewards through social engagement, not just purchases. +Example: A user gets exclusive content or perks for creating UGC with your brand. Bottom Line. Loyalty must be earned over and over through experience, relevance, and emotional connection. Think dynamic loyalty: a system that rewards interaction and go for it. Find my curated search of examples and get ready for your next HIT. Featured Brands: Balmain Benefit Chanel Charlotte tilbury Cerave Fennty L’Oreal OGX YSL #beautypackaging #beautybusiness #beautyprofessionals #experienceretail #luxuryexperiences #genz

AI handled 75% of customer chats at Klarna… and they still brought humans back. Why? Because speed isn’t the same as quality! Because customers noticed the difference. And it wasn’t good. Speed? Great. Empathy? Missing. Trust? Slipping. After a year of leaning heavily on AI, they’re rehiring human support agents. Real people. Not because AI failed—but because it wasn’t enough. AI can answer your question. But only a human can make you feel heard. Klarna is now hiring in rural areas and among student communities—betting on empathy, not just efficiency. This should be a wake-up call. You can automate tasks. But relationships? They still need people! This is why the future isn’t human vs AI. It’s human with AI. And the companies who get that balance right? They’ll win customer loyalty, and talent, faster than any chatbot ever could.

🗺️ AirBnB Customer Journey Blueprint, a wonderful practical example of how to visualize the entire customer experience for 2 personas, across 8 touch points, with user policies, UI screens and all interactions with the customer service — all on one single page. AirBnB Customer Journey (Google Drive): https://lnkd.in/eKsTjrp4 Spotify Customer Journey (High-res): https://lnkd.in/eX3NBWbJ Now, unlike AirBnB, your product might not need a mapping against user policies. However, it might need other lanes that would be more relevant for your team. E.g. include relevant findings and recommendations from UX research. List key actions needed for next stage. Add relevant UX metrics and unsuccessful touchpoints. That last bit is often missing. Yet customer journeys are often non-linear, with unpredictable entry points, and integrations way beyond the final stage of a customer journey map. It’s in those moments when things leave a perfect path that a product’s UX is actually stress tested. So consider mapping unsuccessful touchpoints as well — failures, error messages, conflicts, incompatibilities, warnings, connectivity issues, eventual lock-outs and frequent log-outs, authentication issues, outages and urgent support inquiries. Even further than that: each team could be able to zoom into specific touch points and attach links to quotes, photos, videos, prototypes, design system docs and Figma files. Perhaps even highlight the desired future state. Technical challenges and pain points. Those unsuccessful states. Now, that would be a remarkable reference to use in the beginning of every design sprint. Such mappings are often overlooked, but they can be very impactful. Not only is it a very tangible way to visualize UX, but it’s also easy to understand, remember and relate to daily — potentially for all teams in the entire organization. And that's something only few artefacts can do. Useful resources: Free Template: Customer Journey Mapping, by Taras Bakusevych https://lnkd.in/e-emkh5A Free Template: End-To-End User Experience Map (Figma), by Justin Tan https://lnkd.in/eir9jg7J Customer Journey Map Template (Figma), by Ed Biden https://lnkd.in/evaUP4kz Free Figma/Miro User Journey Maps Templates https://lnkd.in/etSB7VqB User Journey Maps vs. Service Blueprints (+ Templates) https://lnkd.in/e-JSYtwW UX Mapping Methods (+ Miro/Figma Templates) https://lnkd.in/en3Vje4t #ux #design

The digital bank is an outdated concept. Fast being replaced by the intelligent bank. The only question is how soon banks can manage the transition. Let’s take a look. I have broken down the main elements that make up the transition to the intelligent bank: 1. From transactional to predictive banking: digital banking enabled 24/7 self-service, but intelligent banking takes it further by predicting customer needs. AI-driven models analyse real-time data to offer personalised financial insights, proactive credit offerings, and automated investment recommendations. 2. AI-powered risk & fraud management: traditional risk assessment relied heavily on historical data. Intelligent banks use AI and machine learning to detect fraud in real time, identify suspicious patterns and prevent threats before they occur. 3. Hyper-personalisation: instead of generic offers, intelligent banks use AI to tailor financial products to individual customers (mass personalisation). 4. Seamless omni-channel experience: customers no longer interact with banks through a single channel. Intelligent banking ensures that a user can start a transaction on a mobile app, continue it via a chatbot, and complete it with a human advisor. All while maintaining a seamless, connected experience. 5. Autonomous banking operations: intelligent banks optimise back-office processes using cloud and AI automation, reducing human errors and significantly improving efficiency. Functions such as loan approvals, compliance checks, and reconciliation are increasingly self-regulated by AI-driven workflows.   Banks are in a time race. They not only need to move from digital to intelligent but also do it fast.   In doing so technology is the biggest dependency. One of the most interesting approaches I have seen on how to best support banks in this transition is Huawei's 4-Zero model, which is based on 4 main pillars:   1. Zero Downtime → Instant Readiness AI-powered predictive maintenance and cloud resilience ensure 24/7 availability, allowing banks to deploy and scale AI solutions without service disruptions. 2. Zero Wait → Faster Customer Experiences AI-driven real-time processing eliminates delays in transactions, approvals, and customer interactions, making banking services ultra-responsive. 3. Zero Touch → Reduced Operational Burden End-to-end automation using AI and machine learning removes manual intervention in processes like KYC, loan approvals, and compliance, freeing up resources for AI innovation. 4. Zero Trust → Seamless AI Integration AI-driven security frameworks continuously validate access, ensuring trust and compliance while enabling banks to integrate AI-powered services without increasing risk. The era of intelligent banking isn’t a distant future - it’s happening now. Banks will not be able to transform in months but getting a head start can make a difference. Opinions and graphics: Panagiotis Kriaris  #HuaweiMWC  #RAAS  #IntelligentFinance

7 out of 10 of my projects start with fixing what most people ignore. This includes: - making copy easier to read - making images informational - making product name impactful Simple, but yet forgotten. In this post, using URturms example, I'll be sharing 11 underestimated changes that can increase your website sales. 1. Adding breadcrumbs. Important if you drive ad traffic to the PDP directly. They take shopper to the parent category page. Reducing bounce rate. 2. Adding a badge. Like "Bestseller", "Most Loved", "Few Left". This reassures the shopper that they're making the right decision. 3. Making images easier to swipe. Add a sneak peek of the next image along with navigation dots that show the count. Cap them at 8. 4. Making the product name impactful. Add key USPs. Show your current product name to 10 people. Do they understand what it is? 5. Add a short description below product name. Keep it in 1 line. Highlight it's most important feature here. 6. Consider adding an offer close to price. This motivates the shopper as they see some potential savings or benefit. 7. Highlight key product strengths in bullets or with icons. Avoid sentences. Keep this before the add to cart CTA. 8. Keep your add to cart CTA full width. Don't combine it with quantity or another CTA next to it. Make sure it's readable and prominent. 9. Highlighting shipping time or return policy below the CTA. This solves for common questions - when will I get it? can I return it? 10. Cross-selling complementary products. Like bottoms with tops. Earrings with necklace. Do this close to the add to cart CTA. 11. Adding 'Benefits' to your accordion. This gets a higher click through rate, while helping shoppers understand why they should buy this. Other UX/UI changes I did: - Removed quantity button - Made the information bar non-moving - Removed log-in, moving search next to cart - Changed the font for product name and CTA - Increased font size in places for better readability Found this useful? Let me know in the comments! P.S. If you want to maximize your PDP’s potential, start by understanding your visitor's behavior and the gaps. Get heat maps for your site (Microsoft Clarity is free). Observe what they like to (and don't like to) interact with.

My biggest takeaways from Jason Cohen: 1. “Too expensive” is never the real reason customers cancel. They already saw your pricing and decided to buy, so something else changed. When customers cite price, dig deeper—the actual reason might be changing needs, integration issues, or feature gaps. 2. Ask “What made you cancel?” instead of “Why did you cancel?” Jason tested both phrasings and saw response quality double with the “what made you” version. The first version directs attention to the product or situation and invites one-word deflections like “budget.” 3. Most companies undercharge because they just guessed at pricing and never revisited it. One founder selling to enterprise charged $300 per year, and Jason advised switching to $300 per month. Signups stayed exactly the same. When you 12x your price and conversion doesn’t budge, you’re not even close to finding the right number yet. 4. Pricing selects your market more than it signals value. When your product costs too little, larger companies assume it can’t be serious: not mature enough, no governance policies, inadequate support. Raise prices and you don’t necessarily lose customers; you enter a different market segment where your price signals credibility. The founder who went from $300 per year to $300 per month and saw no change in signups—he just shifted who was buying. 5. Your churn rate sets a ceiling on your business that most founders underestimate. The math is simple: divide your monthly new customers by your monthly cancellation rate, and that’s the maximum number of customers you will ever have. This is why logo churn is the first metric to examine when growth stalls. 6. Onboarding is the highest-leverage lever to reduce churn. Small improvements in the first 30 days compound into retention gains over the customer lifetime. When you don’t know where to start on retention, start with onboarding. 7. Positioning can allow you to charge an order of magnitude more without changing your product. The same exact product can command higher prices depending on how you frame it. “Cut your ad costs in half” caps what customers will pay—they’ll only give you a fraction of the savings you drive them. While “double your leads” aligns with what executives actually want and opens a much higher budget. CEOs reward growth; they merely acknowledge cost savings. 8. Sometimes the right answer is accepting that not growing is OK. If you’ve optimized churn, pricing, NRR, and channels, maybe growth has natural limits. Bootstrap founders reach a point where healthy annual dividends make further scaling optional. The question “Do you need to grow?” deserves honest examination—not because stasis is fine but because growth at all costs can destroy what made the company good.

Only 10% of our revenue is online. The other 90%? Physical stores where customers can touch products and trust us. The reason will surprise most D2C founders. Every D2C founder obsesses over storytelling. Brand narratives. Instagram aesthetics. They're solving the wrong problem for India. We have 200k+ reviews. Great engagement. Beautiful content. But here's what actually drives sales: 170 experience centers where people can touch our mattresses. In India, trust matters more. A customer in Indore doesn't care about your founder's journey. She cares if her neighbor bought from you. If she can touch the product. If there's a physical address to complain. We learned this the hard way. Initially, we pushed digital-first. Perfect websites. Compelling stories. Conversion rates stayed flat in Tier-2/3 cities. Then we opened physical stores. Same cities, 5x conversion overnight. The formula for India:  → Regional language sales staff over English-trained executives → Physical store addresses over perfect brand stories → Multi-channel presence over digital-only strategy → Festival-driven sales planning over year-round campaigns → Experience centers for product trials over online-only catalogs Our Surat store outsells many metro locations. Why? The sales associate speaks Gujarati, knows the customer's families, and lets them bring their entire joint family for demos. That's trust mechanics. Not VC-friendly. But it works. Today only 10% revenue is online. But those online sales happen because customers tried products offline first, or their cousin did. Stop building for the India in pitch decks. Build for the India that exists. India doesn't need better storytelling. It needs reasons to trust you. What assumption about your market proved completely wrong?

From the department-of-mythbusting: our Just Walk Out technology is not going anywhere but to even more locations worldwide. Let's walk through what's really going on here... If you want to optimize any experience, a great place to start is with the biggest, most egregious, inefficient part of that experience. For physical shopping - you don't have to look much further than waiting in line for a checkout. It's boring, and it's a waste of time for both the shopper, and the store. So when we started to look at how to improve physical shopping - we started with the question: how do we take out the line? This is a hard problem - but it led to inventions like Just Walk Out (an AI and sensor fusion system for checkout-free shopping), Amazon Dash Cart (where you scan items as you place them into your cart), and Amazon One (our palm-based payments and identity). These technologies are complementary, and serve a very different purpose depending on these store and shopping task: 🚶 Just Walk Out is great for really quick, "mission driven" shopping - like small-format convenience stores for snacks, drinks, and so on. You know what you want, and you don't want a lot. Enter. Grab. Just walk out. Even with relatively few items sold per visit, we have already sold over 18 million items in Just Walk Out stores, and there are now more than 140 third-party locations with Just Walk Out technology in the U.S., UK, Australia, and Canada. The response from shoppers to Just Walk Out in small-format stores has been so strong that we will launch more small-format third-party Just Walk Out stores in 2024 than any year prior, more than doubling the number of third-party stores with the technology this year. 🛒 In larger grocery stores, where customers are making a big weekly trip and buy a greater number of items, customers so far prefer Amazon Dash Cart. Dash Cart serves as a shopping companion that travels through the store with a customer, helping them locate items with an on-cart screen featuring maps and navigation, and receive personalized shopping experiences, all while tracking their savings and spending in real time. ✋ Regardless of the size or format of the store, shoppers tell us they like the security and convenience of Amazon One. Amazon One is in 500+ Whole Foods stores, other Amazon stores, and 150 third-party locations like stadiums, airports, fitness centers, and more. Just Walk Out, Dash Cart, and Amazon One - together - let us remove these pesky lines in more places than we could in isolation. They are complements to one another - like The Beatles. Stronger than the sum of their parts. So don't believe the headlines. Just Walk Out isn't going anywhere, except into more locations, in more countries, to help more shoppers, and more businesses. Now back to your regular scheduled programming... :)