A reminder to all marketers to be alert to how your customers are using new methods to solve personal and business problems. This sneaks up just when you’re not looking, such as when:
- An operagoer in our arts group sold the tickets she couldn’t use last minute on Craig’s List
- I found a Mexican restaurant via my smartphone during an out of town trip. A restaurant that diners raved about and that was exceptionally close to my hotel!
- I used the food diary function on that same smartphone, scanning bar codes to put foods I ate in the diary and checking restaurant listings for calorie counts. (This became essential after the Mexican restaurant!)
- And I looked for a Mickey Mouse gift online for a friend vs. conventional methods, getting something more special and at a better price with less aggravation.
- Had to make last minute bid changes via the very same smartphone.
- Was encouraged by my dining companion when she saw the excellent picture on the smartphone!
The list goes on and on. We often talk about an adoption curve for new solutions, but right now, it feels a bit more like a step function. Once you’ve shifted, you aren’t going back.
