With its Quick Wins app, Staples is hoping to reach out to the small business owners who shop at its retail stores, providing them with not just office supplies but also ideas on how to run their offices. The app will track their performance on a range of measures, including social media engagement, website traffic, and financial metrics, all in one place.

The introduction is a clear response to customer demand. Through its research, Staples determined that approximately 41 percent of its small business customers expressed their need for help with these measures of performance, but they also did not know which metrics were most important, nor did they have a clear sense of how to measure them accurately. Worried about their ability to keep up with the information, respondents to Staples’s surveys also noted that they would prefer for all the data to be available in one, easy-to-read dashboard.

By helping these business customers track key data regularly, Staples also promises to develop customized, specific suggestions for how the business customers can expand and increase their firms. Furthermore, through the Quick Wins app, users can interact with other small business owners, seeking answers and support from their peers.

Discussion Question:

1. What are the benefits of Quick Win for Staples? For its customers?

Source: Mike Troy, Retailing Today, January 4, 2016