Now that the holidays have come and gone, what have we learned? If we didn’t know it already, we’ve learned that the customer is quirky, unpredictable, demanding, and…more than ever, the customer is king. We’ve also learned that many businesses haven’t figured this out. They feel the customer is an intrusion into their workday, and businesses are still woefully unprepared to deal with the challenging customer.
But just to clarify: this is not going to be a business-bashing blog. On the contrary. It’s a wake-up call for both the business and the customer, neither of whom understands their new role in a very different marketplace. For businesses, it’s time to learn how to see around corners, to shine a spotlight in to the dark corners of the consumer’s psyche, and most of all to be prepared.
The marketplace is a psychological place, not just a physical and financial one. It’s filled with mind-games, strange behaviors, and psychopathology.
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