July 2015

As it appeared in the daily nation of April 21st 2015 Lucy Kiruthu Remember the last time you walked into a hotel? How was your experience? How did it make you feel? Did the experience make you want to go back? I have spent quite some time in hotels as a guest. This is mainly because my work requires the use of conferencing facilities which are mainly provided by hotels. In addition, my work also involves some travel which means I get to use other hotel services.  Once in a while I also use hotel facilities for leisure. Every visit to a hotel is an experience. I have had both great experience and some that I wish to forget.  Given a choice I feel more at ease eating food made at home and using facilities at home than spending time in hotels. Should hotels be defined by the experience they provide or by the amenities they…

As it appeared in the daily nation of April 14th 2015 Lucy Kiruthu I was on my way to see a friend and I decided to stop over at one of the fruit vendors in Nairobi West. The lady seemed not interested in me or the money I needed to spend despite the fact that she had loads of fruits some of which were rotting at a corner. When I sought to know the price for the bananas she responded with no enthusiasm that they were going for fifteen shillings each. I was rather surprised and I mentioned that I often buy bananas for at most ten shillings a piece. She did not take my comment kindly and she therefore asked that I go buy wherever I often buy. I walked away rather distraught by her reaction.  Why did she not try to convince me that the bananas were worthy fifteen shillings a piece? Could her…

As it appeared in the daily nation of April 7th 2015 Lucy Kiruthu The first time I visited a shopping mall was in the 1990s. I visited Sarit Centre in the company of my nephews; our main attraction was the play area. I do not remember much about the experience though. Today, visiting a mall has become part of everyday living and to many it is an experience. Many Kenyans shop, dine, watch a movie, go to the bank and see a doctor at the various malls. Since all these services are under one roof, it makes it easier for the customers to shop and to get other service conveniently. Across Nairobi and in other major towns in Kenya several malls both small and large have come up in the last decade and many others are under construction.  This year Kenya will witness the opening of East Africa’s largest malls Garden City on Thika Road and…

As it appeared in the daily nation of March 31st 2015 Lucy Kiruthu How loyal are your customers? Do they believe that you are the best option? Do they only buy from you? Do they always come back for more? Do they bring others with them?  Do you notice when they do not come back? Customers who are loyal favour one brand over all others. Their choice of one brand over another may be due to several reasons. It could be because they are satisfied with the product or service experience. It could also be because of convenience or simply familiarity with the brand.  In the real world it is said that 100% loyal customers are rare. However every business must aim to make its customers as loyal as possible.  Customer loyalty goes beyond simply establishing a loyalty program from which customers earn points or get rewards. Several organizations such as malls, supermarkets, fast foods, car…

As it appeared in the daily nation of March 24th 2015 Lucy Kiruthu Like many customers the fact that I often have a choice gives me freedom. I am free to choose what supermarket to go to, which restaurant to go to, where to bank. There are a few times that we may have no choice. We may be invited to a certain restaurant or a certain item may only be available at a certain shop or only a particular airline goes to a certain destination. Such instances where customers have no choice are rare. The marketplace in Kenya has grown substantially in the last 2 decades. Industries providing either products or services or both have expanded with many players providing a choice to Kenyans. The banking sector for example is headed towards maturity. The competition is becoming stiffer with many players reaching out to the same pool of customers. Many Kenyans today have multiple bank…

As it appeared in the daily nation of March 17th 2015 Who has ever mystery shopped their business whether in person, on phone, on email or via a mystery customer? An article that appeared in the November 2011 Harvard Business Review outlined how office depot’s former president for North America Kevin Peters used mystery shopping to spark a turnaround in the company. In a faded pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and a baseball cap Peters visited 70 branches to experience Office Depot in the same way customers did. As an undercover customer, Peters is said to have had unbelievable observations. The article says that at one store he watched an employee argue with a customer. At another store he watched a manager smoke a cigar less bothered that customers walked out empty handed, at that point he could not remain undercover. The company which serves consumers and businesses in 57 countries across the globe has more…

As it appeared in the daily nation of March 10th 2015 As a customer, I often wish there was another competing organization that provides electricity. I would have a choice and possibly power supply would be 100% assured.  Other customers wish there was another pay TV showing super sport because they believe they might pay a little less than they currently pay. As customers we get devastated when we have no choice. Fortunately though, in most cases we have a choice. We have hotels, supermarkets, banks, petrol stations, hospitals, garages, saloons, schools etc next to each other. Some may or may not consider each other as competitors based on who their target market is.  Those that have the same target are without doubt in competition. They are competing for the customers’ attention and money. A customer’s purchase decision is influenced by so many different factors. Some customers look at product or service quality; others look at…