دانلود رایگان مقاله نوآوری مربوط به مشتری در قرن 21

THE NEW CUSTOMER

A good understanding of the 21st century consumers seems to be key. In particular, it looks as if the relatively young, computer/IT-literate consumer (‘‘Generation Y’’) is much different from what we have come to understand as the typical, classical consumer (‘‘Generation X’’). This ‘‘new’’ consumer may represent a real discontinuity from the past! The young, new consumer seems to focus relatively more on prestige and quality than on cost.He/she seemsto appreciate and be rather willing to pay for innovations that enhance these dimensions. These dimensions,therefore, would be a much highershare of disposable spending among the new generation. The Generation Y consumer can perhaps be seen as a person where his/her mind and the computer/other IT support work together, i.e. enhancing each other. This means more ‘‘capacity’’ for learning of basic facts, forstorage of this, and for fast retrieval. Further, search-options are readily available when theGeneration Y consumer would need additional information. The above also has the effect that the Generation Y consumer can ‘‘free his/her mind’’ to concentrate more on new things, creativity, innovation, even prestige. The basic struggle to be cost-efficient would be more of a thing of the past, however.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the exploratory study reported in our book (Lorange and Rembiszewski) we have found that the emerging 21st century, youngish, fully computer-literate consumer (‘‘Generation Y’’) is different from what we traditionally might find. He/she thus values different forms of innovations from what has become the key in the past: relatively more focus on fast, unexpected features and quality, and on fast delivery! All of this must be communicated to this target group, again — fast. Social media, with its focus on two-way/one-to-one communication, seems particularly effective. The result of having this triad of factors ‘‘right’’ and executed in an integrated way by the line, would be more sales and higher profits! This new business model seems to be on its way in, replacing the traditional product managersbased one.