Marketing Management, 16th Edition

Building a Customer-Oriented Organization

Creating a superior customer experience has become a priority for companies in nearly every industry.43 The proliferation of products, services, and brands; increased consumer knowledge about market offerings; and consumers’ ability to influence public opinion about companies and their offerings—all have underscored the importance of building a customer-oriented organization. Most companies now realize that the path to creating stakeholder value begins with re-envisioning the organization as focused on creating long-term customer value.44 In his letter to shareholders, Jeff Bezos defines Amazon’s customer-centricity as follows.

One advantage—perhaps a somewhat subtle one—of a customer-driven focus is ...