New consumers want it - now

At the recent Digital Future Summit, Darryn Melrose, the chief executive of digital and direct marketing agency AIM Proximity, urged businesses to wake up to the opportunities provided by a global digital marketplace. Here is a summary of that address:
The accelerating pace of technological change enables consumers to engage with brands and services at the location and time of their convenience. With consumers increasingly in control, the fundamental model of communication has been transformed from interruption to invitation.
Consequently, a new consumer has emerged. Empowered, he or she actively seeks fast, simple, relevant and tailored channels of communication.
Hallmarks of the new consumer
Today, the new consumer is always on, with ADSL, Wi-Fi and 3G making markets available anytime. Time shifting, in the form of personal digital video recorders, allows content to be consumed at the most convenient time; commercials can be skipped, live TV paused and programmes emailed.
Portable media has created place shifting. The mobile phone, and more recently the PDA, provide access to all media, anywhere. And virtual living has also influenced behaviour. Sites like Second Life, with more than 11 million residents, are global markets in their own right, worthy of separate marketing strategies. Self-expression has transformed media consumers into media producers. Advocates and antagonists, the new consumers advertise products and services, as well as judging them.
The five core skills marketers need for online success
AIM Proximity recently took part in a worldwide study by the Proximity group, which involved exploring and gathering a lot of data from consumers' online behaviour. From this, five core skill sets emerged which provide a roadmap for success in the global digital marketplace.
* The consumer is already in control; tailor your content accordingly
Digital technology has turned these consumers into radio station DJs, TV programming directors, editors and even film directors. Media consumption has moved from passive to active - content consumers select and mould to taste.
With so many choices and demands on time, consumers will only have space for those companies that understand them and provide relevant content. Rather than being about "you", your website now needs to be about "me".
* Personalise it
Our research during the past 12 months has indicated a growing confidence in self-expression. With all this media choice, the consumer expects to personalise and adapt experiences, products and services to their own tastes. Amazon has long been one of the leaders; customers are individually welcomed to the site with customised recommendations. At Nike iD, you can now design a pair of boots with your own personal colour combination. Involving customers like this is more likely to create a deeper affinity with your products and services.
* Fulfil the 'now' expectation
Patience has become unfashionable. The consequence of "always on" technology is an "always on consumer". Answers to queries are expected here and now. This has big implications for the way traditional organisations provide service or ensure that their customers can always find them. It also impacts on how they sell. Mobiles are an overlooked medium and I believe that mobile-based customer relationship management is a big area where companies can provide an improved experience.
* Listen to your customers
Organisations that have meaningful online communication with customers are likely to thrive in the future. By seeking customer input into product design and services, as well as providing easy access for feedback, these businesses will gain a competitive edge. Today, few organisations are awake to this opportunity and fewer attempt it.
* Embrace self-expression
Twenty years ago, personal diaries tended to be private, locked in a drawer and read only by the author. Today's equivalent, the blog, is shared with millions on the internet (90 per cent of South Koreans in their 20s now blog). And increasingly, consumers are turning to this unmediated content as a source of news, views and entertainment.
The rise of social networks shows how important self-expression is to consumers. Many companies use firewalls to block social networking sites when they should be embracing the phenomenon. If they are not listening and observing, then they will be cut off from one of the best catalysts for change: their own staff.
How is your new company doing?
The rise of the new digital consumer is fast and, in comparison, few companies in New Zealand have adapted the way they operate. In fact, most of the key consumer expectations and attitudes above are difficult for companies to adapt to.
But you don't have a choice really - meet the need or, ultimately, you will disappear. The key point of this article is that hundreds if not thousands of companies in your sector globally will provide for this consumer need. Make sure you are one of them.
Source: nzherald.co.nz