According to the OED, a customer is “a person or organisation that [regularly] buys goods or services from a store or business [and is therefore known in said store or business]”. As many customers as there are out there, as varied are their needs and attitudes. ceo magazine interviewed four people about their own inclinations as customers.
Magazine: Customer focus – January 2019
![[Translate to English:] Irene Meyer](/fileadmin/user_upload/redakteure/bilder/ceo-magazine/2019-januar/spezial-irene-meyer-portrait.jpg)
Irene Meyer
How do you decide where to do your shopping?
I’m increasingly keeping an eye out for special deals and whether the shop is on my way.
Which method of payment do you prefer?
I prefer to use my PostFinance card. From time to time, I also pay with a credit card or, if the amount is very small, cash.
How important to you is data protection?
I have a great basic trust that everything will go well – be it my credit card payments on the Internet or the use of my Cumulus data, etc.
Cash register or self-checkout?
I prefer the self-checkout – I get out of the store faster this way, and can pack my things without anyone doing it for me.
![[Translate to English:] Mehmed Besic](/fileadmin/user_upload/redakteure/bilder/ceo-magazine/2019-januar/spezial-mehmed-besic-portrait.jpg)
Mehmed Besic
Which store is your favourite?
Clearly Jack & Jones, because in my opinion it’s the most attractive and qualitatively superior shop.
When you have in mind to buy something, do you first inform yourself online?
Usually not. I take the advice of my colleagues as to where the best deals and offerings are at the moment.
Do you prefer shopping online or physically in the store?
I myself prefer to shop online because the product range is considerably wider and prices are much easier to compare.
If you had a magic wand, what would you conjure up?
Personally, I’d like to have a money printing press so I could buy everything I want. But I could also help other people in poorer countries by providing them with medication, etc.
![[Translate to English:] Priska Willer](/fileadmin/user_upload/redakteure/bilder/ceo-magazine/2019-januar/spezial-priska-willer-portrait.jpg)
Priska Willer
What in your opinion constitutes good customer service?
I really appreciate it when a salesperson comes up to me when I enter the store and asks me what I’d like to have. If I only want to take a look around, I think it’s great if they just back off and let me do my thing.
Which product do you still appreciate today as much as you did years ago?
Back then as today, I appreciate high-quality bed linen, towelling, cashmere and wool. It’s important that the goods are of outstanding quality.
What was your most pleasant shopping experience?
The time I bought a new bed. Amongst other things, I was very competently advised about the softness and how to operate the motorised backrest. What’s more, I was able to have my old bed disposed of for free.
Today, many products are only still available online, not to mention that, sadly, many shops are closing down. What do you think of this development?
Catastrophic! It’s the worst thing that could happen. The small specialist shops with personalised advice are shuttering their doors due to large, anonymous online dealers.
![[Translate to English:] Yannic Aufdenblatten](/fileadmin/user_upload/redakteure/bilder/ceo-magazine/2019-januar/spezial-yannic-aufdenblatten-portrait.jpg)
Yannic Aufdenblatten
What was your last birthday present? And where do you get ideas for your own gifts?
I got AirPods (wireless headphones) for my last birthday. Most of the time, I find ideas on the Internet or I see things that my colleagues have.
Have you already shopped online?
Not alone yet, but I was allowed once to order shoes from Zalando with my mother beside me.
When you’re an adult, what would you like to be able to afford?
I want to be able to buy a house or flat and feed my family. And of course get a cool car.
What do you like to order most in a restaurant?
I prefer hamburgers or a good plateful of pasta like spaghetti.
