CMO Strategy
The Market Speaks: How Voice of Customer (VOC) Research Unlocked $75M in Organic eCommerce Growth
What can 100+ interviews with overlooked customers teach you? Paired with disciplined Voice of Customer (VOC) and DX, they can unlock powerful revenue streams.
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When executed strategically, market research isn’t an academic exercise; it’s a revenue-generation machine. Here’s how we turned 100+ conversations through our Voice of Customer program into a high-growth digital product and activated a $75M opportunity.
When we started at a mid-market niche distributor backed by private equity, the strategy in place was clear: grow EBITDA through inorganic acquisition of smaller eCommerce brands. And that plan was working. The acquired eCommerce businesses were profitable and becoming an increasingly important revenue stream, almost 20 to 25% of the total business.
But something was missing. There was no organic growth strategy.
No roadmap. No owned growth engine. Just bolt-ons.
So we made a case for building one. And to do that, we needed to talk to the market.
The Untapped Growth Engine Sitting Right in Front of You.
Step 1: Ground-Level Market Research = VOICE OF CUSTOMER
We launched a structured Voice of Customer (VOC) initiative focused on underpenetrated market segments, particularly smaller and mid-sized customers, often the chief executives of state and local agencies. These were often ignored or treated like retail shoppers, despite being institutional buyers with recurring needs.
In the first 6 to 9 months:
- We interviewed 100+ decision-makers, including chiefs of police and department heads
- Uncovered deep pain points that weren’t visible in sales data
- We learned that the lack of operational infrastructure wasn’t the real issue; it was the lack of tailored digital experiences and customer fit
One executive said,
“Hiring people is easy. Outfitting them takes 6 months.” That quote changed everything.
Step 2: Sizing the Opportunity
We realized that legacy solutions failed because they focused on field-level inventory and standard SKUs. But these small agencies needed customized yet easily repeatable uniforms, ordered online and shipped quickly, not in-person fittings or retail limitations.
We were the only true national distributor in the space. And we had a centralized distribution and customization hub that was vastly underleveraged.
What if we built a digital self-service platform just for these customers?
What if they could build their uniform programs online, get them approved internally, and order customized gear from a single workflow?
Step 3: Designing the Solution (With the Market)
Once the initial research validated the hypothesis, we:
- Formed focus groups with recurring participants to test product concepts
- Mapped workflows for both officers and department heads
- Aligned internal operations to support a centralized fulfillment model
We didn’t just build a product. We built a product strategy with a clearly defined experience map, workflow logic, and role-specific interfaces.
And while many thought it would take years, we launched it in under 9 months.
Step 4: Embedding Continuous Voice Of Customer
We layered VOC into every part of the digital funnel:
- Micro-surveys during key website journeys
- Targeted feedback during beta use of the new workflow
- Ongoing analytics and user-triggered signals from repeat orders
The goal wasn’t just to launch; it was to evolve.
By putting feedback loops in place, we ensured the product grew with customer needs, not just internal assumptions.
The Results: A $250M TAM, $75M Goal Within Reach
From a cold start, we identified a $250M total addressable market just from this overlooked segment. With product-market fit validated through research, we set an ambitious goal:
Capture 30% market share (a $75M run-rate) within 24 months.
And we were well on our way when we transitioned to the next phase of growth.
Final Thought: Market Research through a voice of customer Program is the Strategy
Too many B2B firms think VOC is just a feedback form or an NPS score.
What we proved was this:
- VOC, when done right, is a strategy tool, not a support tool
- Voice of Customers creates roadmaps for product, digital, sales, and marketing
- VOC is how you de-risk innovation while accelerating growth
And most importantly, market research is only valuable when it drives revenue. That’s what we do.
Keep reading
Three things this piece sets up but does not finish.
CRO track
Strategic targeting and GTM motions
The market told you what it wants. Deciding which accounts to take it to is the next build.
CDO track
The road to $1B
Customer evidence has to turn into a roadmap someone can ship. This is how that roadmap gets built.
CDO track
Personalized experiences that pay
Listening properly only pays once the experience changes in response. This is that work.
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If this reflects the kind of work you need, it might be time to bring in a leader who has done it before.
This is one example of the CMO track.
Demand that ties back to pipeline, built with the people already in the seats.