Issue 1

How open are we to new ways of buying?

Grenville Main

Open is open – In this first issue we take a look at the way the world of buying things is changing.

We’ve all seen great examples of whole new sectors morphing out of latent needs. We’ve seen businesses adapting to and leveraging changing consumer patterns and behaviours.  Innovation abounds, as new businesses appear and old ones evolve to survive. Often, ideas that looked odd (or even crazy) before their time, seem beautifully obvious when they take hold – yeah, read iPod if you must. But also think fast food, ballpoint pens, mobile phones, wine coolers, internet banking or budget air travel. Once things are adopted and in use, how they are packaged, sold and used can evolve – sometimes radically.

Of course, seeing the future or at least navigating your way into it confidently requires a true understanding of consumer drivers, an ability to identify latent consumer needs, or at least taking a decent gamble. Admittedly this can be pretty difficult. But having an ability to dispassionately evaluate what you do and have a forward view on where your products and services need to go is vital for any customer-facing organisation.

Every sector has examples where new things have been tried and failed, and where they’ve succeeded. Both are rich with learnings. When businesses evolve, reshape or challenge conventions (to reduce cost, increase value and/or improve customer experience or usability) understanding or predicting customer needs is often the difference between success and failure.
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