Understanding Consumer Expectations: The Crucial Component to Circular Business Success
Consumer expectations are driving business transformation. The demand for sustainable products is stronger than ever, pushing businesses to embrace circular approaches. This isn’t merely a trend, it’s a strategic necessity. Aligning your offerings with current and future consumer sustainability expectations is no longer optional to stay relevant.
Consumer behavior isn’t just about preferences. It’s about informed decisions influenced by societal awareness. Educated consumers are pivotal to implement a circular economy. Businesses can guide decisions by providing knowledge about environmental impacts and sustainable choices. This knowledge narrows the gap between intention and action, turning consumers into advocates of circularity.
Humans are at the heart of the transition, and we must reframe the system.
Michael Leitl
Companies and consumers often have different perspectives on product needs. It is, therefore, necessary to systematically incorporate the user’s perspective into processes and projects.
How We Do It
Circular success requires tailored approaches. Understanding consumer expectations informs the product design. Durable, repairable, and recyclable products aren’t just green but are also consumer-friendly. Seamless sustainable practices integrated into user experiences encourage active involvement.
As illustrated in the example above, before reaching the concept phase, we follow a vision process that starts with gaining insights into consumer needs.
Indeed Innovation approach involves studying consumer behavior, preferences, and societal consciousness. These insights serve as the compass guiding our concept development. By aligning our strategies with consumer expectations, we ensure that our circular business models resonate with the conscious consumer, leading to success in the marketplace.
Keep reading to discover how we systematically incorporated this theme into Jungheinrich’s success story, taking our attention to various aspects of the customer’s perspective
Customer-Centric Excellence: An In-Depth Case Study
Jungheinrich is a B2B company that manufactures intralogistics solutions, including material handling equipment, high-bay warehouses and software solutions for goods management. The company attaches great importance to longevity and sustainability and has focused its 2025+ strategy on digitalization, sustainability and customer centricity.
This case study’s entire and original version (in German) was published in the Planung&Analyse journal. Click here to read it.
1. Understand the customers: Together with Jungheinrich’s Customer Experience (CX) team, we conducted and evaluated around 50 interviews with specifically selected employees at customer companies. The results of these interviews were summarized in customer journey maps, CX guardrails and other tools to better understand the needs of customers – and to be able to access them again and again in projects.
2. Moments of Truth – Where Customer Satisfaction is Decisive: As we progressed, we focused on the “Moments of Truth” in the Customer Journey, the key moments where customer satisfaction is decisive. We developed a clear definition of these moments and the associated actions to shape the customer experience.
3. Developing the Customer Journey: The findings were visualized to represent the complex user landscape and the different needs along the Customer Journey. This involved assembling personas, persona stories and moments of truth to create the target Customer Journey.
“Thanks to this process, we already
Christian Erlach, Jungheinrich Sales Director
achieve a deep understanding of our users
in the research phase of projects.
This is the key to successful
product and service development.”
4. Implement Customer Orientation as a Process: Finally, an internal process was developed to ensure that project teams understand what users’ expectations are from the beginning. This should help save time and increase the likelihood of success.
In the graphic below, it’s possible to check the schematic representation of the CX consulting process. The graphic shows which information the project teams receive in the run-up to development regarding user needs and which tools are available to them for this purpose.
The Outcome
One year after the start of the consulting process at Jungheinrich, the company is on the verge of a transition to routine in terms of customer-oriented development.
In conclusion,
the paradigm shift towards circular business models requires a deep understanding and study of consumer expectations. It’s not just about what consumers buy, but why they buy it. By understanding consumer motivation, businesses can tailor their approaches, fostering a sustainable relationship between consumers and the circular economy.
Let’s not forget, the industry’s future also depends on informed consumers.
By acknowledging this fact, companies can contribute to a circular economy where conscious choices shape commerce.
Larissa Scherrer
Marketing Strategy
Brand Positioning
Social Media Strategy
