4.2.2018 8:47pm
First Blog post ever. Not sure what I want to accomplish with this post/blog – or if I will continue to write here. Quite honestly, I’m not even sure who reads these or where they are posted.
I’m still at the office working. Have many new products in various forms of design/development. I’ve spent a lot of time recently strategizing market distribution. The world is evolving quickly. The online platform has both benefits and restrictions. Is direct to consumer the wave of the future…? Perhaps. But if I need toilet paper right now – I’m going to the store. So, in my mind, there will always be a place for brick n mortar locations. But is that space for select products only…?
Obviously, if you’re selling a service or software, online is the place to be. The need to look/touch does not influence consumer purchasing in that category. But for physical products- what is the solution moving into the future…? Amazon has hurt brick and mortar locations. A consumer can sit on his couch and get the same item sold in most stores faster and cheaper. But how did he find that product…? Was it something already known…? Was it a google search..? Related product….?
Thinking out loud: I need a new car stereo. I’m out of touch when it comes to new electronics, but I want the best. If I goto the store – I get what they sell. In other words – the company that manufactures the products or its representatives- sold the products to the store. Does that mean that the best product is at the store….? Perhaps – but not always. With that in mind, I now need to talk to the sales rep at the store. “Hey I need a new stereo, and I want the best, what do you recommend…?” Does he/she show me the verified best product, or his/her opinion of the best product, or the product that they need to sell that month, the product that he/she gets the greatest commission on, etc. So its left to the consumer to decipher. Whats the best model available here for my investment….? What if the best product isn’t in the store…? Sales are lost by that brand/manufacturer for the consumer that wants ” toilet paper”.
IMO, I think – at least in the short term- both consumers will exist. Best Buy still sells software at the store, but they also sell it online. Additionally, Best Buy is a mainstream brand that everyone – regardless of age/gender recognizes and also equates directly with what they market and sell.
Anyway, I’m just thinking out loud. DTC is a great idea with limited restrictions – unless you need something immediately.
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