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Introduction 3

Research methodology

The research was global in its nature. It crossed numerous
industries including but not limited to: financial services,
telco’s, retailers, travel, manufacturing, and consumer goods.
Both small businesses and Fortune 100 companies were
tracked. To that mix we added insights from consumers,
business leaders, and economic forecasters.

Key findings

The research showed that there are three areas where suc-
cessful and disappearing businesses differ:

● The first is in understanding the science of their cus-
tomers’ buying behaviors. This includes knowing who
their customers are and how they’re feeling. It also
includes how the drivers of a buying decision changes
as economic factors change.

● Second is leveraging loyalty within their consumer base.
This requires a thorough understanding of the different
kinds of loyalty and the financial benefits of each.

● And third is maximizing the core business competencies
to not only proactively adapt but to use the changes that
occur within the economy.

Beyond these three key areas of difference, the research also
illustrated how “community” is playing an ever-increasing
role in the success of businesses. This includes the physical
communities. It also includes the virtual community. It’s the
latter that is having significant impact on how customers and
businesses interact, particularly during these changing eco-
nomic times.