Podcast Summary: The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström® – Episode #816
Guest: Courtney Owumi, VP of Consumer Experience and Membership Engagement at Shipt
Episode Title: Achieving and Demonstrating CX ROI
Recorded Live at Medallia Experience 2026, Las Vegas
Date: February 20, 2026

Overview

This episode delves into how Shipt, under the leadership of Courtney Owumi, tackled a pervasive challenge in third-party delivery marketplaces—the "cost trifecta" (markups, fees, tips)—and used CX insights to drive transformative business decisions. The conversation focuses on how listening deeply to difficult customer feedback led Shipt to radically adjust their business model for select customers, the internal hurdles faced, how results are measured, and the broader organizational impact. The discussion highlights practical steps to become a genuinely insights-driven, customer-centric organization and offers real-world lessons on demonstrating and achieving CX ROI.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Turning Persistent Complaints into Strategic Advantage

Timestamps: 00:49–04:21

• Key Insight:
  Shipt recognized that the "cost trifecta"—markups, fees, and tips—was not just a source of customer churn, but the key lever for innovation.

• Courtney Owumi describes industry realities:

  "When you are in a third party marketplace, it is the most pervasive issue for your customer perception. ... Instead of getting your eggs for $4 on one of these third party platforms, you may be paying $4.20." (03:01)

• Selective Levers:
  Tips (for shoppers) and fees (often regulatory/contractual) were untouchable, but markups were an operational lever Shipt could control.

• Strategic Action:
  Shipt initiated a "no markups" benefit as part of the Target Circle360 membership—an unprecedented move in the industry.

Why the Membership Model?

Timestamps: 04:21–05:39

• Targeted Impact:
  The decision to offer "no markups" within the Target Circle360 membership was both strategic and economical—it allowed Shipt to deliver value to a high-impact subset of customers without jeopardizing its entire business structure.
• Membership Advantage:

  "We wanted to encourage folks to really explore that third party marketplace and really understand the full breadth of benefits ... that they can't really get anywhere else through any of the other competitors." (04:56)

Organizational & Operational Challenges

Timestamps: 05:39–08:13

• Executive Buy-In:
  Developing the business case for "no markups" faced the hurdle of limited data and required rapid, cross-team alignment.
• Internal Challenge:

  "We had to develop a business case based on very little information because we had never done anything like this before." (06:11)

• Complex Communication:
  The marketing and legal teams collaborated closely to craft a message that was clear, compelling, and compliant, despite the offering’s complexity and selectivity.
• Customer Education:

  "How do you make it something that is an easy get, that is exciting and that conveys no one else is doing this and the value it can bring?" (06:45)

Measuring Impact and Demonstrating ROI

Timestamps: 09:18–11:22

• Results:
  • Multifold growth in order volume.
  • Double-digit increase in cross-shopping.
• Continuous Measurement:
  Shipt blends business metrics with customer sentiment for a holistic view of impact:

  "Making sure we understand how is the customer sentiment or perception changing alongside how are behaviors of that customer changing. Because that helps us understand are we making lasting impact." (09:48)

• Evolving Customer Lifetime Value (CLV):
  The traditional CLV model has been challenged by this initiative, as high-value members may now have lower per-order revenue but greater engagement and loyalty.

  "We have other levers of value that we pull for other groups of customers as well. ... That's a journey we're on right now." (10:55)

The Culture Shift: Empowering Insight-Driven Decisions

Timestamps: 11:22–13:12

• Organizational Alignment:

  "We are truly customer-centric and we are going to put customer sentiment metrics in our company OKRs and accompany all of our company strategic initiatives with these types of metrics." (12:07)

• Empowered Teams:
  The democratization of data and sentiment metrics allows Shipt’s employees to influence decisions enterprise-wide.
• Host’s Reflection:

  "Having access to data, having access to tools is great, but when employees and team members are able to use that and ... it really unlocks so much potential." (12:50)

Looking Ahead: Technology, AI, & Proactive CX

Timestamps: 13:12–14:11

• Role of AI:
  Courtney is enthusiastic about how AI will further synthesize data, reduce time spent on manual insights mining, and make the organization more proactive.

  "I'm really excited about how AI is going to help enable us ... to start getting to our insights faster. ... Looking forward to ... being more proactive versus reactive." (13:22)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Organizational Courage:

  "Agility requires not just the ability to pivot, but the organizational courage to act on customer insights, even when those insights challenge your most fundamental business assumptions." (00:49, Greg Kihlström)

• On Empowerment:

  "Our job is to be influencers ... to democratize the data in a way that everybody can understand and feel empowered to use it." (13:13, Courtney Owumi)

• On Staying Agile:

  "I'm curious. Right. Never stop learning. ... Always asking questions, making sure I really understand the problem, I think is what I like to do to make sure I'm always learning." (14:51, Courtney Owumi)

Conference & Personal Reflections

Timestamps: 14:11–15:13

• Energy of In-Person Events:
  Courtney appreciates the energy and connection of Medallia Experience 2026.
• Continuous Curiosity:
  Her background in engineering informs a relentless pursuit of root causes and operational improvements.

Notable Timestamps

• Turning customer complaints into opportunity: 00:49–03:50
• Selecting the Target Circle360 member segment: 04:21–05:39
• Gaining executive buy-in and building a business case: 05:39–07:03
• Communicating complex value to customers: 07:03–08:13
• Measurement and continuous improvement: 09:18–11:22
• Organizational change and the role of democratized insights: 11:22–13:12
• Future-facing: AI and proactive CX: 13:12–14:11
• Personal approach to agility and learning: 14:51–15:13

Conclusion

Shipt’s journey, driven by Courtney Owumi’s leadership, showcases how data-driven CX shouldn’t just be about listening—but about boldly acting, even when it disrupts core business models. The episode is a roadmap for organizations striving to connect CX investments with tangible ROI and for fostering a genuinely empowered, insights-first culture.