Customer intimacy is about meeting the requirements, wants, and views of current and prospective consumers. It is emphasizing relationship marketing and the development of long-term client relationships and customer lifetime value. This strategy entails frequent customer communication and the development of resources to assist customers in getting the most out of the products or services. How close are you to your customers? Can you differentiate yourself by getting closer and offering a more personalized service?

When and how to apply Customer Intimacy:

Imagine that you manage a location of a large retail chain and are frequently tasked with implementing centrally-designed sales promotions. For instance, every store recently ran the same campaign, which included entertaining recipes for customers to try at home.

It was successful in some regions, but failed in others, primarily densely populated urban areas. According to customer feedback, customers in these regions prefer pre-packaged meals that are healthy and easy to prepare.

In response, the corporate office granted its marketing team complete access to the data collected at every point of customer contact with the store. It then permitted these team members to collaborate with individual store managers to personalize promotions, enabling them to offer goods or services that are most relevant to local customers.

In addition, the company implemented inventory management systems that use this information to automatically reroute or reorder the right products at the right time and place. The store's cash registers were then programmed to print relevant discount coupons alongside receipts, based on individual customers' purchasing patterns. Even entirely new products were introduced in regions with the highest demand.

As a result of this decentralization and the freedom it afforded local stores to tailor their offerings to their customers, customers are now significantly more engaged and satisfied, and they visit your stores more often.

Clearly, adopting customer intimacy requires considerable thought and effort. However, by understanding the desires and needs of your customers, you will be able to meet and even exceed their expectations. This also allows you to build strong, personal relationships with your customers, which increases their loyalty and encourages their retention.

Well-known companies that use this pattern are Patagonia and Outfitery.