Network Magazine Autumn 2021 | Page 37

THE

AMAZON EFFECT

ON THE FITNESS INDUSTRY

Amazon has upped the game when it comes to customer experience . Thought leader Annette Franz looks at how the fitness industry can meet the heightened expectations that members and clients now have .

C ustomer experience is the only true competitive advantage

for businesses today . After all , business is all about the customer – without them , you have no business ! Customer experience leaders – those brands that excel at both employee experience and customer experience – are growing five times faster than the competition . Customers are increasingly choosing to do business with companies that provide an easier , more convenient , faster , personalised and seamless experience .
Meeting heightened expectations
Many of the expectations that customers have about experiences today – regardless of industry – stem from their experiences with Amazon . The disruption that Amazon has created in the retail space has bled into other industries and has become the frame of reference for customers ’ expectations and experiences across verticals . Even if a customer rarely or never purchases from Amazon itself , some of the sites and services they do use will have adopted customer experience processes from the online retail giant . This has become known as the Amazon Effect .
How can the fitness industry adapt ? How can you meet the heightened expectations that customers have about their experiences ? Let ’ s take a look at some of the ways you can do this .
1 Customer-centric culture
Jeff Bezos ’ goal was to be customer obsessed , and he continues to be that and do that every day . He even has an empty chair in his executive meetings that represents the customer . Customer obsession is a tough goal to achieve , but it really starts with having the right culture in place . Culture = core values plus behaviour . You ’ ve got to identify your values , then define acceptable behaviours for each one .
Amazon has 14 leadership principles that are essentially their core values . You don ’ t need 14 core values ; five to seven is a good number . The key , though , is to socialise and operationalise them , not just have them as posters on a wall . Live them . Hire , fire and promote based on the values . Make decisions and develop policies and processes that are in alignment with your core values . And do everything with the best interest of your members or clients in mind .
2 Customer understanding
It ’ s great to talk generalities , because we know that Amazon has had this impact on customers globally , but the most important thing remains to listen to and get to know your customers and their needs and expectations . There are three ways to achieve customer understanding :
• listen ( feedback plus data that you capture about your members )
• characterise ( create personas that you keep in mind at all times )
• empathise ( create journey maps to identify customer pain points ). Customer understanding is really the root of all else you will do to design a better experience for your members . For Amazon , understanding customer needs is an innovation driver .
3 Be frictionless
Make things easy and effortless for your members and clients , whether it ’ s signing up for a membership , adding family members , checking in , buying and scheduling personal training sessions , reserving a spot in the 6pm PUMP class , and , yes , even ( and especially ) cancelling their memberships .
4 Don ’ t focus on the competition
Stop chasing your competitors . Your competition isn ’ t the same as it used to be . Think Amazon Effect ! Futurist Daniel Burrus said , " Focus on competition ’ has always been a formula for mediocrity ." Nobody wins when you imitate . When there are clear , differentiated choices of
NETWORK AUTUMN 2021 | 37