[[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/09\/27\/sustainability-in-business-key-to-brand-survival\/#Article","articleBody":"More than ever, shoppers want brands they can trust and that share their values. For brands, this means sustainability in business is vital. For small and midsize businesses \u2013 which have no margin for error \u2013 it\u2019s especially critical.\nAll the economic and operational disruption going on today underscore the importance of engaging with customers in a meaningful way.\nThe ability to shift customer experiences as people\u2019s values and preferences evolve separates businesses that are agile from those that are at risk of failing.\nThe United Nation\u2019s Sustainable Development Goals reflect today\u2019s consumer values. The UN adopted these goals in 2015, recognizing that ending poverty and other forms of human deprivation go hand in hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth.\nBusinesses can establish these value-based strategies with technology and contactless engagement to build resilient customer experiences.\nSustainability in business fuels brand resiliency\nWhile the pandemic has impacted businesses of all sizes, small and midsize companies have been hit hard. They\u2019re overburdened in every aspect of their business right now.\nThey\u2019re scrambling to address supply chain shortfalls with new sources of capital, raw materials, and logistics. They need more digital channels to attract and engage customers. And there are compliance challenges with ever-evolving mandates for everything from employee and customer safety to financial reporting.\nFocusing on values-based customer experience will help them weather the storm and position themselves for future growth.\nIn its report, \u201cDigital, Resilient, and Experience-Driven,\u201d Oxford Economics found that 53% of top performers \u2013 companies with the strongest revenue growth and profit-margin change \u2013 consider the quality of their customer experience as their top strategic priority for the next three years.\nThe rationale behind this finding is 100% clear among surveyed participants: deep, personalized connections support the resilience and agility needed to weather volatility and plan for growth in better times. The study was based on a survey of more than 2,000 small and midsize businesses.\nThe quality of a customer experience can be measured in many ways. But for top performers surveyed in the Oxford Economics study, three attributes rank at the top of their list:\nHigh-quality products and services (88%)\nCompetitive pricing (82%)\nFast, convenient delivery of products and services (80%)\nAlso high on the list for top performers: Sustainable practices (73%) and ethical and socially conscious operations (also 73%).\nIndividually, these elements of the customer experience are essential. But when combined, they can fuel powerful customer engagement that helps small and medium-sized business survive and thrive in today\u2019s uncertain environment.\nTake, for example, electronics manufacturing.\nTraditionally, this function is commonly relegated to the supply chain. Yet, it still plays a distinct role in the customer experience because product reliability and ease of use influence brand perception and sentiment. Every component must be designed, fabricated, and installed in ways that ensure continuous, high-performance operation, affordable and profitable pricing, and on-time delivery \u2013 all through environmentally sustainable means.\nKnowing \u2013 and delivering on \u2013 what matters most to customers\nTo achieve the level of customer centricity throughout the business, decision-makers require a better understanding of what shoppers value. They need to conduct a preliminary analysis of the \u201cpast norms\u201d customers are buying, talking about, and abandoning altogether and \u201cnext norms\u201d that are shoppers are embracing.\nReviewing the insights based on categories (for example, demographics, geography, and psychographics) helps flesh out precise details for each persona, such as age, location, income, family status, interests, and goals.\nWith this insight, businesses can determine which sustainability development goals are most relevant and meaningful to different customer segments. Then, they can create individual campaigns with the assistance of digital marketing tools to target each of those personas and later test, observe, and track results to refine segment-based messaging and conversion.\nThe current crisis will continue to threaten every company\u2019s success, potentially even their survival. But if they transform customer experience around new sustainability values with the right insights and technologies, small and midsize businesses can fuel growth to compete in the years ahead.\nChase zero: Zero waste. Zero emissions. Giants don\u2019t need a footprint to make their mark. Run sustainably with the best.","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/09\/27\/sustainability-in-business-key-to-brand-survival\/#Article_Person","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/09\/27\/sustainability-in-business-key-to-brand-survival\/#Article_Person_ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Maria_Morais-150x150.jpg"},"name":"Maria Morais","sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/CeuMorais","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/ceumorais\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/maria-morais\/"},"dateModified":"2021-11-05T02:28:34+00:00","datePublished":"2020-09-28T00:16:06+00:00","description":"Sustainability in business is critical for brand survival as consumers want brands who share their values. That alignment fuels resilience.","headline":"Sustainability in business: Key to brand survival, large and small alike","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/09\/27\/sustainability-in-business-key-to-brand-survival\/#Article_ImageObject","height":"630","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/sustainability-in-business-ftr-1-1200x630.jpg","width":"1200"},"mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/09\/27\/sustainability-in-business-key-to-brand-survival\/","name":"Sustainability in business: Key to brand survival, large and small alike","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/","additionalType":"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q1193236","description":"Relevant, timely information & analysis on commerce trends, both consumer-facing and B2B.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","height":"96","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","width":"500"},"name":"The Future of Customer Engagement and Experience","sameAs":["https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/a-call-for-a-better-experience\/id1479742201","https:\/\/twitter.com\/FutureOfCEC","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/groups\/4844282","https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/feed\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/"},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/09\/27\/sustainability-in-business-key-to-brand-survival\/#Article"},{"@type":["Article"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/09\/27\/sustainability-in-business-key-to-brand-survival\/#Article","@context":{"@vocab":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","kg":"http:\/\/g.co\/kg"},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/09\/27\/sustainability-in-business-key-to-brand-survival\/","publisher":[{"@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/"}],"author":[{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/09\/27\/sustainability-in-business-key-to-brand-survival\/#Article_author_Person","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/09\/27\/sustainability-in-business-key-to-brand-survival\/#Article_author_Person_image_ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/cdn-bijap.nitrocdn.com\/AuMaQmessFRMSicXmZsEecJFLEquAyoT\/assets\/static\/optimized\/rev-b3d386d\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Maria_Morais-150x150.jpg"}],"sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/CeuMorais","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/ceumorais\/\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/CeuMorais\nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mariamorais\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/maria-morais\/\nhttps:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/maria-morais\/","name":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/maria-morais\/\nhttps:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/maria-morais\/"}],"subjectOf":[{"@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/09\/27\/sustainability-in-business-key-to-brand-survival\/#Article_subjectOf_FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/09\/27\/sustainability-in-business-key-to-brand-survival\/#subjectOf_FAQPage_mainEntity0","name":"Sustainability in business fuels brand resiliency","acceptedAnswer":[{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/09\/27\/sustainability-in-business-key-to-brand-survival\/#subjectOf_FAQPage_mainEntity0_acceptedAnswer_Answer","text":"While the pandemic has impacted businesses of all sizes, small and midsize companies have been hit hard. They\u2019re overburdened in every aspect of their business right now.They\u2019re scrambling to address supply chain shortfalls with new sources of capital, raw materials, and logistics. They need more digital channels to attract and engage customers. And there are compliance challenges with ever-evolving mandates for everything from employee and customer safety to financial reporting.In its report, \u201cDigital, Resilient, and Experience-Driven<\/a>,\u201d Oxford Economics found that 53% of top performers \u2013 companies with the strongest revenue growth and profit-margin change \u2013 consider the quality of their customer experience as their top strategic priority for the next three years.The rationale behind this finding is 100% clear among surveyed participants: deep, personalized connections support the resilience and agility needed to weather volatility and plan for growth in better times. The study was based on a survey of more than 2,000 small and midsize businesses.The quality of a customer experience can be measured in many ways. But for top performers surveyed in the Oxford Economics study, three attributes rank at the top of their list:<\/strong>
  • High-quality products and services (88%)<\/strong><\/li>
  • Competitive pricing (82%)<\/strong><\/li>
  • Fast, convenient delivery of products and services (80%)<\/strong><\/li> Also high on the list for top performers: Sustainable practices (73%) and ethical and socially conscious operations (also 73%).<\/strong>Individually, these elements of the customer experience are essential. But when combined, they can fuel powerful customer engagement that helps small and medium-sized business survive and thrive in today\u2019s uncertain environment.Take, for example, electronics manufacturing.Traditionally, this function is commonly relegated to the supply chain. Yet, it still plays a distinct role in the customer experience because product reliability and ease of use influence brand perception and sentiment. Every component must be designed, fabricated, and installed in ways that ensure continuous, high-performance operation, affordable and profitable pricing, and on-time delivery \u2013 all through environmentally sustainable means."}]},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/09\/27\/sustainability-in-business-key-to-brand-survival\/#subjectOf_FAQPage_mainEntity1","name":"Knowing \u2013 and delivering on \u2013 what matters most to customers","acceptedAnswer":[{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/09\/27\/sustainability-in-business-key-to-brand-survival\/#subjectOf_FAQPage_mainEntity1_acceptedAnswer_Answer","text":"To achieve the level of customer centricity throughout the business, decision-makers require a better understanding of what shoppers value. They need to conduct a preliminary analysis of the \u201cpast norms\u201d customers are buying, talking about, and abandoning altogether and \u201cnext norms\u201d that are shoppers are embracing.Reviewing the insights based on categories (for example, demographics, geography, and psychographics) helps flesh out precise details for each persona, such as age, location, income, family status, interests, and goals.With this insight, businesses can determine which sustainability development goals are most relevant and meaningful to different customer segments. Then, they can create individual campaigns with the assistance of digital marketing tools to target each of those personas and later test, observe, and track results to refine segment-based messaging and conversion.The current crisis will continue to threaten every company\u2019s success, potentially even their survival. But if they transform customer experience around new sustainability values with the right insights and technologies, small and midsize businesses can fuel growth to compete in the years ahead."}]}]}],"image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/09\/27\/sustainability-in-business-key-to-brand-survival\/#Article_image_ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/sustainability-in-business-ftr-1-1200x630.jpg","width":"1200","height":"630"}],"mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/09\/27\/sustainability-in-business-key-to-brand-survival\/","articleBody":" More than ever, shoppers want brands they can trust and that share their values. For brands, this means sustainability in business is vital. For small and midsize businesses \u2013 which have no margin for error \u2013 it\u2019s especially critical. All the economic and operational disruption going on today underscore the importance of engaging with customers in a meaningful way. The ability to shift customer experiences as people\u2019s values and preferences evolve separates businesses that are agile from those that are at risk of failing. The United Nation\u2019s Sustainable Development Goals reflect today\u2019s consumer values. The UN adopted these goals in 2015, recognizing that ending poverty and other forms of human deprivation go hand in hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth. Businesses can establish these value-based strategies with technology and contactless engagement to build resilient customer experiences. Sustainability in business fuels brand resiliency While the pandemic has impacted businesses of all sizes, small and midsize companies have been hit hard. They\u2019re overburdened in every aspect of their business right now. They\u2019re scrambling to address supply chain shortfalls with new sources of capital, raw materials, and logistics. They need more digital channels to attract and engage customers. And there are compliance challenges with ever-evolving mandates for everything from employee and customer safety to financial reporting. Focusing on values-based customer experience will help them weather the storm and position themselves for future growth. In its report, \u201cDigital, Resilient, and Experience-Driven,\u201d Oxford Economics found that 53% of top performers \u2013 companies with the strongest revenue growth and profit-margin change \u2013 consider the quality of their customer experience as their top strategic priority for the next three years. The rationale behind this finding is 100% clear among surveyed participants: deep, personalized connections support the resilience and agility needed to weather volatility and plan for growth in better times. The study was based on a survey of more than 2,000 small and midsize businesses. The quality of a customer experience can be measured in many ways. But for top performers surveyed in the Oxford Economics study, three attributes rank at the top of their list: High-quality products and services (88%) Competitive pricing (82%) Fast, convenient delivery of products and services (80%) Also high on the list for top performers: Sustainable practices (73%) and ethical and socially conscious operations (also 73%). Individually, these elements of the customer experience are essential. But when combined, they can fuel powerful customer engagement that helps small and medium-sized business survive and thrive in today\u2019s uncertain environment. Take, for example, electronics manufacturing. Traditionally, this function is commonly relegated to the supply chain. Yet, it still plays a distinct role in the customer experience because product reliability and ease of use influence brand perception and sentiment. Every component must be designed, fabricated, and installed in ways that ensure continuous, high-performance operation, affordable and profitable pricing, and on-time delivery \u2013 all through environmentally sustainable means. Knowing \u2013 and delivering on \u2013 what matters most to customers To achieve the level of customer centricity throughout the business, decision-makers require a better understanding of what shoppers value. They need to conduct a preliminary analysis of the \u201cpast norms\u201d customers are buying, talking about, and abandoning altogether and \u201cnext norms\u201d that are shoppers are embracing. Reviewing the insights based on categories (for example, demographics, geography, and psychographics) helps flesh out precise details for each persona, such as age, location, income, family status, interests, and goals. With this insight, businesses can determine which sustainability development goals are most relevant and meaningful to different customer segments. Then, they can create individual campaigns with the assistance of digital marketing tools to target each of those personas and later test, observe, and track results to refine segment-based messaging and conversion. The current crisis will continue to threaten every company\u2019s success, potentially even their survival. But if they transform customer experience around new sustainability values with the right insights and technologies, small and midsize businesses can fuel growth to compete in the years ahead. Zero waste. Zero emissions. Giants don\u2019t need a footprint to make their mark. Run sustainably with the best.   ","name":"Sustainability in business: Key to brand survival, large and small alike","dateModified":"2021-11-05T02:28:34+00:00","datePublished":"2020-09-28T00:16:06+00:00","headline":"Sustainability in business: Key to brand survival, large and small alike","description":"Sustainability in business is critical for brand survival as consumers want brands who share their values. That alignment fuels resilience."},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Organization","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","height":"96","width":"500","@id":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1"},"name":"The Future of Customer Engagement and Experience","sameAs":["https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/a-call-for-a-better-experience\/id1479742201","https:\/\/twitter.com\/FutureOfCEC","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/groups\/4844282","https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/feed\/"],"additionalType":"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q1193236","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/","description":"Relevant, timely information & analysis on commerce trends, both consumer-facing and B2B.","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/"}],{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2020","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"09","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/\/09\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"27","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/\/09\/\/27\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Sustainability in business: Key to brand survival, large and small alike","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/09\/27\/sustainability-in-business-key-to-brand-survival\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]