by Dennis Ramdeen
Winning in 2025
As we head into 2025, I have been reflecting on what businesses can do to improve their performance, especially as it relates to attracting customers. We all want our cash registers to ring, but the competition for buyers’ attention and loyalty is fierce. It reminds me of primary school: the teacher asks a question, and we, a boisterous class of eight-year-olds, all shout, “Miss, miss, pick me, miss!” Yet often, it was the quiet child who was not shouting that got picked.
In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is King
If you only do one thing in 2025, focus on improving your customer’s experience (CX). Why? Because it is the top factor people consider when deciding whether to do business with you—and if they will come back. Their digital experience with your company is now an integral part of their assessment of your service and so now there are more opportunities to delight or disappoint.
Here is what a handful of studies say about the impact of CX:
- Super Office CRM (2024): 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for great customer experience.
- Zendesk (2024): Over 50% of customers will switch to a competitor after a single unpleasant experience.
- Watermark Consulting (2024): Companies with superior CX outperformed the S&P 500 by 129%, while those with poor CX underperformed by 54%.
- Emplifi (2024): Brands leading in CX have customers who are seven times more likely to purchase again and eight times more likely to try other products.
- Lightico (2024): 73% of consumers say CX directly impacts their brand loyalty.
To me the evidence is clear. CX impacts a customer’s decision to return more than anything else. Products are mostly similar. Prices are comparable. The last tool available, Promotions has been disrupted and as digital rules, brands are still trying to figure out how to use it, with its constant changes.
I believe that some businesses expect advertising to be a fix all. Advertising cannot help a bad product. In fact, the more customers we attract to an unpleasant experience, the worse off we are. People tell their friends next door and online. Therefore, T&T businesses have a real opportunity in 2025: improve your CX and get better financial results.
Jeff Bezos who understands the power of CX well, said, “We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts.” Trinis love entertaining—we are a hospitable people. Let us bring that mindset to work. For SMEs, this means getting the basics right: keep promises, be responsive, and add personal touches. A handwritten thank-you note, or a follow-up call may seem small, but these details turn customers into advocates.
The Role of Technology in CX
Chatbots can answer questions at 2 a.m., and automated systems make reordering seamless. But businesses need both the bot and the Betty or Ben. The best CX happens when technology enhances human connection, not replaces it. The 36-minute wait for a bot instruction at the bank, to another bot? Nah! Companies that get this CX thing right will lead their category.
Customer Centric vs Product Centric
In 2025 focus more on solving your customers problems, not selling them products. This is a message we are taking on board ourselves by paying more attention to customer insights when we set out to develop an ad campaign. I have seen what happens when you have an idea in your head of what a campaign should say, instead of listening to consumers and understanding their pain points. It is the same thing when it comes to new product development. Listen, develop, test and repeat, is better than this is what I think we should do.
An insight is the glue that makes whatever you are doing resonate and stick with the target. We are playing back their truth to them, so people say: “these guys understand me.” Listen more as we arrive to 2025.
Start small:
- Use social media polls, short surveys, or casual chats for feedback.
- Dive into online reviews to uncover what is working and what is not.
- Act on feedback. Customers want to feel heard.
An often-overlooked source of insights is frontline staff. They interact with customers daily and hear unfiltered feedback that rarely reaches the people making decisions. Regular debriefs with your team can reveal insights—sometimes a small detail sparks a big change.
For larger businesses, analytics tools are invaluable. They help identify patterns, but do not let data overwhelm you. Focus on actionable insights and use intuition to add depth.
Differentiation and Distinctiveness
My final suggestion is that brands should start paying more attention to their distinctiveness. Differentiation makes you stand out. Distinctiveness gets you remembered. Here are a few local brands that gotten it right, in my view:
- Sauce Doubles: The elevated server, like a conductor in a symphony
- Moo Milk: Minimalist and artful packaging, breaking category norms.
- Chubby: Packaging and a persona that speaks to kids
- KFC: Bucket integral to their strong iconography
- Machel’s signature sign-off ….”Eeeee Hah”
Distinctiveness does not require big budgets. Even small brands can stand out by leaning into their unique identity.
Pulling It All Together
Customer experience, insights, and distinctiveness, three areas to consider when your team gets together on your plan to conquer 2025. Whether you are running corner shop or conglomerate, these ideas work across industries, business sizes, and life stages of business.
- Improve your CX.
- Listen to your customer to find insights.
- Be distinctive—being different is no longer enough.
2024 was tough, and 2025 may be no easier. But if you make your customers’ lives better with every interaction, they might just return the favour. Hope you thrive in 2025.
Dennis Ramdeen is the founder of Pepper Advertising, celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025. The only things he loves more than marketing are pan music, and goat roti from Dopson’s.
