Trend reports, market predictions and the latest technology are important when you’re trying to generate new ideas. In fact, most innovation teams feast on these inputs, as they offer inspiration at the highest level. Unfortunately, these same teams often overlook the more tangible, virtually bottomless well of inspiration standing in front of them: their customers.

The promise of Net Promoter Score (NPS) is great: A single metric that can both evaluate the success of your brand AND predict growth! It's no wonder that so many brands use it.

Have you heard of Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology? Customers simply “login” (via phone scan in this case) when they enter the store, then grab what they want and digitally “checkout” by simply leaving the store.

It’s been the utopian dream of big box retail since the early aughts: No more cash registers. No more angry customers standing in line. The true definition of frictionless retail. Plus think of all the data!

The principle of finding out what people need in order to design the right solution seems simple enough. Yet, we see examples everyday of this principle being discarded in favor of “solutions” that lean a lot farther toward the needs of those designing them rather than those they are supposed to serve.

What does “value” mean to you as a consumer? Does it mean something different when you’re staying at a hotel vs. shopping in the grocery store?

Even if your definition centers on price, there are non-monetary variables at play as well. Consistency, reliability, accessibility, convenience. These are just a few of the common ways a consumer might define value. But there are also all of the emotional benefits that come with these experiences.

If you make just ONE resolution for your brand this year, let it be this: Talk to your customers more.

Now is the time to invest in staying relevant with your customers …