New research from tech firm Glovo has shown that customer centricity will prove vital to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the 12 months ahead.

Surveying 3,200 small and medium sized enterprises across nine markets encompassing Europe, the UK and Africa, almost half said they now listen to their customers more following the pandemic.

This period of greater customer centricity has continued to what is now a period of equally challenging circumstances for many SMEs.

With over half (58%) of businesses across all markets saying better customer outreach could help them prepare for the future. The need to listen more to customers and reach them in more innovative ways will therefore be central to SMEs navigating what is set to be a challenging year.

The answer for many will therefore be to keep a period of accelerated consumer learning forged during the pandemic going, as they look to become increasingly innovative and agile to meet a changing consumer demographic – over a third (34%) of businesses say reaching consumers is a major challenge, as is evident in just under half (45%) of SMEs saying consumer spending remains low.

Glovo’s research showed how customer behaviour has been on a constant evolution since the first lockdowns countries experienced.

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Firstly, with consumers becoming used to goods and services being immediately and locally available, creating an “economy of now.” While secondly, the digital experience also became more important for shoppers—with 48% of businesses saying it is now more important than the in-person one. While sustainability continues to be a priority for the consumer, and (according to 36% of businesses) a business opportunity for SMEs.

The report also reveals that 82% of SMEs in the UK say they put more technology in place to become more agile, with 77% believing that consumers want more choice and personalization in the future—rising to 91% in Kenya and 84% in the UK.

Finally, the research revealed that 74% of UK businesses say that they need help to become technologically innovative in the food and delivery sector.

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