There are only two types of convenience stores in the world: 7-Eleven and other convenience stores.
There are various innovations in convenience stores that we are familiar with, most of which were first introduced by 7-Eleven:
24-hour operation (1975), terminal ordering (1978), milk co-distribution (1980), introduction of POS machines (1982), water and electricity collection (1987), use of open refrigerators (1994), launch Virtual shopping fee collection (1995), installation of ATM machines (2001), installation of multi-function photocopies (2004), release of own brand (2007), 24-hour prescription drugs (2009), launch of home delivery (2012) )…….
The root of these endless innovations comes from the core concept of Toshifumi Suzuki, the founder of 7-Eleven: "Standing in the customer's point of view, not for the sake of the customer", which has formed the retail philosophy of 7-Eleven for decades and penetrated into the blood—— "Think from the customer's point of view".
A more in-depth study of 7-Eleven's retail philosophy will realize: first, such a retail philosophy is not limited by the times, and has extraordinary value even in the present; second, this retail philosophy is essentially an innovation Logic, to study 7-Eleven's retail philosophy is to study the brand's innovation logic.
1. The underlying logic of "thinking from the perspective of customers" innovation
"For the sake of customers" - is to find out what customers need and do your best to meet customer needs. If you can't meet them, there must be competitors who can meet them. The essence of this kind of thinking is from the perspective of the enterprise. People say, "There is a kind of cold that makes my mother feel cold."
"Thinking from the customer's point of view" - the default is that customers do not know what they need, they need to stand in the customer's situation and scene to gain insight, find possible needs, and improve their ability to realize and create through unremitting actions. From this point of view, the starting point is the user's point of view, and the purpose is to create value for the user.
Although "thinking about the customer" and "thinking from the customer's point of view" may seem similar, "thinking about the customer" is ultimately self-centered and serving the moment; while "thinking from the customer's point of view" jumps out of the "self" limitations, create new value for users and serve the future.
Let's dismantle the underlying logic of "thinking from the customer's point of view" innovation one by one:
1. The underlying logic 1 - customers don't know what they want
"For the sake of customers" defaults that customers know what they need, open the window for user expression (quantitative and qualitative telemarketing list research), and naturally find needs or unmet needs.
"Thinking from the customer's point of view" defaults that users don't know what they need. They need to create ideas and drive actions through scenario substitution, in-depth interviews, observation and research, and insight. There are three hidden assumptions here:
In real life, there is no "rational economic man" (that is, purchasing products based on their own rational analysis).
Consumers are often "discordant", they can't describe the products they want in their hearts.
Most consumers do not know their own needs. Only by seeing concrete products with their own eyes can they perceive their own potential needs.
"Consumers don't know what they want until we come up with our product and they realize that this is what I want" - Steve Jobs
These are the times when customers themselves have no clear needs. The POS system provides the data of "customers yesterday", and cannot automatically summarize the data of "customers tomorrow" - Toshibu Suzuki
Innovation Example 1: The "Convenience" of Continuous Evolution
7-Eleven is constantly redefining itself: taking "a store close to customers' lives" as the core, first of all, "close-range convenience", and extending "living infrastructure" on the basis; ” and the new role of “Life Support Base”; until now “Life Solutions”.
From ATM machines to financial services - in the 1990s, many customer survey questionnaires talked about "hoping to add ATMs in convenience stores". The conventional practice is to put ATMs. But 7-Eleven gets to the bottom of what customers expect from an ATM? Deposits and withdrawals? payment? transfer? Financial Services? ...In 1987, 7-Eleven pioneered the service of collecting utility fees such as water and electricity in the industry. Because Japanese at that time had to go to financial institutions to pay for various public utilities every month, and these institutions usually closed on weekends.
Selected food - After entering 2000, the number of single people, senior citizens, and full-time women has been increasing, and they are reluctant to go to the supermarket to buy daily necessities. To this end, 7-Eleven selects food categories and provides side dishes, so that you