Respect for Customers

Although there is a growing interest in ethical products, as seen in the rise of brands such as Fairtrade, they are nothing without the customer’s trust. To earn and keep this trust, the company needs to respect its customers not only as consumers, but as citizens who expect the company to 'do the right thing'.  

This means providing accessible information, to offering a choice of products or services, selling appropriate products with integrity, and ensuring customer safety.

The issues here are very sector specific. They include:

• Issues of trust among parents about how their children are directly targeted by marketing
• The demand by consumers for genuine choice over controversial elements that may be present in food and other consumables, eg genetically modified foods
• The growing expectation by high-profile consumer brands that their business-to-business transactions will not undermine their own social and environmental commitments.

But it is not enough to know what your customers think today; you need to look ahead and anticipate change. Companies that have proactively gone beyond their customers’ current demands to meet future needs and concerns include:

• Marks & Spencer, which introduced alternatives to certain chemicals in clothing in anticipation of growing concerns and legislation in this area
• Kingfisher, which is seeking to replicate its position as a UK leader on the sustainable sourcing of timber in the very different business environment of China.