A few years ago, some Amazon customers complained directly to CEO Jeff Bezos about marketing emails they received that were promoting some, um, intimate products. The Amazon system is constantly using algorithms to make recommendations to customers based on the pages they visit, and it pays particular attention to pages that customers visited but did not purchase from.
While customers generally appreciate these targeted recommendations, that did not seem to be the case with these personal products. When the customers are unhappy, Bezos is unhappy. The complaints prompted a tense meeting between Bezos and senior executives at the company. His initial position was to shut down 100 percent of Amazon’s marketing until the problem was solved. This was a nuclear option given that such emails generate millions of dollars in sales each year. Bezos, however, felt no amount of revenue could justify jeopardizing the customers’ trust in the company. In the end, they reached a compromise.
That story shows just how far Bezos (and others) are willing to go to keep customers happy in 2017. In the latest issue of Floral Management magazine, Jamie Notter and Maggie Grant discuss what it means to think like Bezos and truly embrace the digital mindset, keeping customers engaged, happy and buying. Read more.
Like what you read? Notter is a speaker at SAF Palm Beach 2017 this fall. Find out more about the Society of American Florists’ annual convention and reserve your spot today.
