Understanding customer-centric business strategy : case study and practical guide
Kuhn, Elisa (2024)
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024060420858
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024060420858
Tiivistelmä
This research-based master’s thesis focused on customer-centricity. The goal was to create a practical information package for Finnish small-scale business owners, who want to learn how to build a customer-centric business strategy and understand more about the customer value topic. An additional goal was to create a practical guidebook based on the main themes of the thesis, which small-scale business owners can easily use in their daily strategy work.
The theory framework in this thesis was based on previous research, publications, and literature, in addition to the Elements of Value model. The thesis was built in two separate parts where part one focused on customer-centric business strategy, and part two researched the most important value elements for two purchase methods of cosmetics, online and physical stores, among Finnish consumers.
The outcome and results of this thesis indicated that customer-centric business strategy brings many benefits to business owners. Furthermore, the conducted case study was able to identify the most important value elements for both purchase methods of cosmetics and detect some generational differences among the survey respondents. The case study also indicated that both purchase methods are used by Finnish consumers to buy cosmetics and that the purchase methods do not exclude each other. Additionally, the case study revealed that both good and bad customer experiences are often related to situations where customers are interacting with the salespeople.
Based on the outcome of the thesis, customer-centricity and customer value are highly important topics for today’s business owners. Building a customer-centric business strategy involves five main steps with many tools to use, which were successfully summarized into the practical guidebook. The guidebook, with many print-ready templates, is a useful document for business owners who are interested in building a customer-centric business strategy.
The theory framework in this thesis was based on previous research, publications, and literature, in addition to the Elements of Value model. The thesis was built in two separate parts where part one focused on customer-centric business strategy, and part two researched the most important value elements for two purchase methods of cosmetics, online and physical stores, among Finnish consumers.
The outcome and results of this thesis indicated that customer-centric business strategy brings many benefits to business owners. Furthermore, the conducted case study was able to identify the most important value elements for both purchase methods of cosmetics and detect some generational differences among the survey respondents. The case study also indicated that both purchase methods are used by Finnish consumers to buy cosmetics and that the purchase methods do not exclude each other. Additionally, the case study revealed that both good and bad customer experiences are often related to situations where customers are interacting with the salespeople.
Based on the outcome of the thesis, customer-centricity and customer value are highly important topics for today’s business owners. Building a customer-centric business strategy involves five main steps with many tools to use, which were successfully summarized into the practical guidebook. The guidebook, with many print-ready templates, is a useful document for business owners who are interested in building a customer-centric business strategy.