CONFIDENTIAL
Transforming Customer Retention in Global Logistics
Role: Customer research, Product Design, Service Design, UX Design, Product Strategy, Prototyping, Business Model design, Hypotheses design & testing, Storytelling, Stakeholder Management, Workshop Facilitation
Maersk, one of the world's largest logistics and ocean transportation providers, in 2024 recognised they needed a different approach to building lasting customer partnerships in an increasingly uncertain logistics environment.
The logistics industry involves many moving parts that customers navigate daily—changing regulations, schedules, forecasting challenges, finding transportation, and delivering on time. The industry's high commoditization had led to transactional relationships with customers, especially medium and smaller ones who represent two-thirds of moving cargo volume.
The project is confidential to share details.
Recognition as a new business enabling customer Partnerships
The challenge of improving customer retention and increasing revenue per customer had been tackled by various teams across the company, but previous efforts hadn't gained traction. Through our customer interviews and research in the Ocean Product team, we discovered that customers felt undervalued and that recognition went far beyond the industry's standard volume discounts.
We gathered insights from previous initiatives, analyzed business objectives through stakeholder interviews, and developed hypotheses to test different solutions. Our goal was to launch a small global pilot to validate our approach.
We designed a new business model based on structured customer recognition. Our core belief was that customers would spend more and stay longer when they felt genuinely recognized in a transparent and fair way. Looking at successful recognition programs in other industries like airlines, we created a differentiated offering that could become the unified recognition system across business units.
30%
YoY revenue increase
18%
Churn risk reduction
67%
Spent more due to recognition
75%
Better perception from before
An innovation program in a corporate environment needs love
This was one of the first ventures of its kind in a traditional part of the company. The experience reinforced the critical importance of continuous stakeholder engagement, quantifying results clearly, and having active sponsors. In a commoditized industry that quickly shifts to "survival mode," innovative ventures need to continuously prove their value while connecting to both short and long-term business needs.
Related case studies
Defining Next-Generation Integrated Logistics
Connecting Local Identity with Global Communities
Ready to create something meaningful?
Whether you're a founder trying to crack your business model, a team leader wanting to build innovation capabilities, or an investor evaluating new opportunities, I bring the experience, energy, and empathy to help you get where you want to go.