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Being Customer-Centric: The Key to Company Agility & Innovation


As leaders, it’s our responsibility to cultivate a customer-centric ethos within our organizations. By grasping the nuances of customer preferences, market dynamics, and prevailing industry trends, businesses can pinpoint opportunities, mitigate risks, and forge potent growth strategies.

In today’s episode, our host Sofija Ostojic, Vice President at Sumeru, sits down with Ryan Barry, President at Zappi, which is a leading software provider for agile consumer insights. Together, they navigate the domains of innovation, customer-centricity, and the rapidly evolving software landscape. Ryan imparts invaluable insights regarding the profound impact of dedicating meaningful time to customer engagement, the importance of adapting strategies to contextual nuances, and the transformative potential of shedding outdated behaviors to embrace new paradigms.

They also explore the delicate balance between being customer-centric and driving disruptive change, as well as the significance of agile consumer research in making data-driven decisions. Ryan offers a wealth of knowledge on building strong relationships with employees and customers, finding the right balance between growth and scale, as well as the impact of data and artificial intelligence on innovation.

Join us as we discuss:

  • Strategies for customer-centricity
  • Market research for pre-launch innovation
  • Balancing growth and scale in a business
  • Driving behavior change and navigating complex networks
  • Unlearning, relearning, and the importance of staying agile for sustainable business growth
  • Data, artificial intelligence, and innovation

Market Research for Pre-Launch Innovation:

“Market research is an essential component of any business’s growth journey, and various types of market research are conducted and used by different constituents,” Sofija Ostojic, Vice President at Sumeru Equity Partners says in this episode.

“This podcast’s focus is specific to what we refer to as pre-launch. This covers the early stages of the innovation lifecycle. This includes idea screening, concept development, and testing for both ads and new product development, consumer research projects, and form many enterprise use cases.

“By leveraging market research software, companies can gain valuable insights into their target audience, refine their marketing strategies and optimize the product offerings. This ultimately leads to strategic growth and scalability.”