Catering to the customer’s individual needs

When I visit Bahrain, to spend time with my cousins, I see the place through their eyes – they sell me their version of their country. I see downtown Manama, right by the diplomatic area. I see City Centre mall. Sometimes I meet up with old friends, and end up having tea at elder family members’ homes.

If staying more than a couple of days, and I have time to spare, I shop for textiles at highly individual stores, catch a movie, or attend a national event.

My friend Fatima and I, on the other hand, have different ideas of where to go when we visit London.

It is like we see two different cities when we are only a couple of miles apart. She sticks to the Knightsbridge area, where Harrods department store and upmarket boutiques are located, spends time shopping, having coffee at fancy cafes, and strolling in Hyde Park at the end of the day. She does that every day, for a week or so.

My idea of where to go in Britain’s capital is quite different. I end up watching theatrical productions in the West End, go on a vintage books shopping spree, and visit galleries and museums.

Everyone’s version of “where” is different, depending on their background, occupation, and personal interest, and it is interesting to analyse.

For instance going to work every day in your car, could be a different experience than if you travelled with a colleague who took a different route, and who likes to stop to grab a cup of coffee before reaching the office.

Even in the same family, you can have a lot of differences. When we travel, my dad favours a room on the lower floors in case a fire breaks out, allowing him to escape quickly, while I prefer a room on the highest floor overlooking a busy street.

This notion of individual differences is crucial for businesses to analyse and build products around. Of course it is not an easy step. It will be very hard, if impossible for a business to tailor its product or sell a destination to each customer’s needs and interests.

Say that I want to travel to a new destination, for example, and I typed its name in the search engine, and I see a popular travel agency’s webpage that reads “the best places to see in Denmark”. Personally I will not buy into that, because the recommended places are based on the agency’s views, and probably a result of a mass vote of people of different backgrounds, who do not necessarily match my interest.

Nonetheless, if a blogger who I feel is similar to me in many ways because we have the same interests, and like the same things recommended certain locations in the country I plan to travel to, then I will take that into consideration.

That is similar to how many customers ask for their peers’ opinion, regarding a hairdresser, clinic or restaurant.

Some businesses realise the impact many influential people have on their social groups or “fans”, and so they try to sell their product/business through them.

When many small businesses launch in the UAE, their priority should be to reach popular bloggers and people who are influential on the social media sphere. They either present them with freebies in hopes of a mention, or invite them to try out their service and review it.

I believe that this is the right approach as I have personally seen it work. This form of PR nowadays is more effective than traditional media channels.

When my friends find out about a product, they say that they saw such and such a person talking about it on Instagram. Rarely do I hear them say that they saw it on television or mounted against a highway billboard.

When building a business, networking and who you know are just as important as the capital you inject into your venture.

Build on your connections with the people around you. Connect with the influential bunch, and give them a reason to recommend you and favour you every time over the countless options out there.

Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer and fashion designer. Follow her on Twitter: @manar_alhinai