Understanding your customer’s customers is crucial to delivering great outcomes in business. Often referred to as the “double sell”, it involves leveraging a retailer’s customer-serving position to create a competitive advantage.
For the record, customers are different from consumers, customers to retailers are the ones who actually buy from the retailer. Consumers are the tire kickers, they love to look, love to tease, love to make retailers they will purchase, but walk away just when you think you’ve got them.
By understanding your customer’s customer, you can identify opportunities to create a “double sell”. A recent example of this is whilst on a store visit with a producer of high-quality delicatessen items, I noticed the supplier’s product was packed in glass, driving a real cost problem. When observing the retailer’s statement of embracing a plastic-bag free environment, (which of course is a great initiative good) it became incredibly apparent that the glass packaging, even though whilst more expensive, created was a direct competitive advantage. The retailer had very few plastic packaging-free options and specifically in the category of view… there were none. A double sell play back opportunity!
Here the consumer or customer’s customer responding to waste had demanded that governments ban plastic bags. Some retailers responded to a government’s ban on plastic bags by proactively initiating the removal of the plastic bags before the bans took effect.… they wanted to take kudos for being proactive. The problem in the case of the delicatessen was of course that this approach to a plastic-free retail environment had has not been applied across the store in general. By linking the trend of a desire for waste reduction by customers and a retailer’s desire to serve their customers, a double sell opportunity emerged. the opportunity for double sell appears.
As one begins to dig deep and understand the retailer’s customer as distinct from the consumer, many opportunities playing back come to the fore. Pleasingly most of these conversations with retailers are accepted positively particularly when agendas a maintained at neutral….retailers love nothing more than talking about their customers and are relentlessly focussed of finding new and innovative way to serve them, retailers are always looking to re inforce loyalty. After all it costs less to sell more to the customer that you already have!
So do it….get to know your customers customer, you just never know what you may find!
As you gain an understanding your customer’s customer, as distinct from the consumer, you’ll discover more opportunities to create a competitive edge. Retailers are always looking for innovative ways to serve their customers and reinforce loyalty. By keeping a neutral agenda, you can have positive conversations with retailers and unlock new opportunities to grow your business. So don’t wait – get to know your customers’ customers.
