Design Thinking, which is used by top brands such as Apple, Google and Samsung, focuses on the human aspect of the user when ideating, creating and applying technology. It’s an approach to innovation that any consumer-related industry Chief Marketing Officer would embrace.
With Design Thinking, smart digital-led technologies are just the starting point. Human emotions and conduct are priorities. The Design Thinking process is highly iterative, with experiments and continuous revisions to challenge assumptions and redefine problems. It’s about discovering innovative solutions to better the customer experience.
Success stories from Design Thinking include smart user interfaces that give customers the power to personalize their experience as per their preferences. Or automated chatbots/voice agents that can understand voice or text and respond humanly.
A good example close to you would be Google Assistant, it actively provides contextual notifications about flight status, traffic, product deliveries and more all without being asked.
Creating optimal customer experiences not only makes people feel good but also has true business benefits.
Customer Satisfaction should be seen as a Profit Center
When technology decisions flow from a human-centered Design Thinking approach, consumers will always have a superior experience. An experience in which the technology is an enabler rather than a distraction. The information about customers that flows naturally from their interactions with the products and services will provide valuable data insights. These insights can make marketing leaders learn quickly from changing consumer habits and respond faster. Or even to anticipate consumer needs and drive innovations to meet them.
As businesses and brands are rethinking how they offer value beyond product benefits, design thinking methods continue to help bring fresh perspectives and new ways of doing things. It allows them to consider innovation not just for the sake of creating a new product, but to solve real problems or open new avenues of engagement:
- Serving greater needs (that could be social or environmental)
- Enabling individual involvement & participation, not just consumption
- Building experiences and communities
Colgate-Palmolive: Human-Centered Commerce Hub
The Insight
The new generation of professionals and family heads are increasingly conscious consumers interested in “do-good” enterprises. They are also tech-savvy multitaskers using a wide variety of digital platforms.
The Opportunity
Colgate-Palmolive (CP) is strategically positioned to leverage these behaviors:
- Industry leader with a caring reputation
- Social responsibility trajectory in place
- Well-established online presence supported by e-commerce partnerships
The Solution
A human-centered commerce hub bringing together e-commerce, social responsibility, and brand loyalty translates into a digital service that invites consumers to be a part of something bigger, bringing to life Colgate’s caring mission.
How It Works
Consumers purchasing products via this commerce hub, a digital retail partner, or in-store will have the option to donate to one of the 3 featured social initiatives they care about. The customer journey will be one of convenience and social responsibility, allowing them more engagement with the Colgate-Palmolive brand while also actively involving them as conscious consumers.
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