In shifting and uncertain market conditions, the only source of truth that you can count on is the voice of your consumer (VOC). From early design concepts to line adoption, investment review, and sell-in meetings, leaning in to your customers’ wants and needs arms your teams with the insights needed to garner organizational support and move the needle on your gross margin and line efficiency goals.

But where to begin? How do you align the entire organization around VOC, and what kinds of analytics should serve as the foundation for this consumer-centric strategy? Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to take your current VOC program to the next level, our team of retail veterans have created a four-step guide to help you:

• Assemble the perfect VOC tiger team and assign responsibilities by department
• Calibrate to the right customer listening channels and establish consistent reporting cadences
• Set goals and track progress with clear metrics
• Alchemize consumer insights into decisive action