Who Do You Ask For Product Info?
It seems that retailers and other sales channels are dwindling in value to buyers. An article on ASPNews.com, a news web site focused on Software as a Service (SaaS) topics, speaking about the necessity for manufacturers to speak directly to consumer questions gave this example:
“Fifteen years ago if you wanted to buy a Nikon camera, you went to a local retailer, spent $2,000 and if you had a question you went back to the retailer to ask… Flash forward and today we pay $200, not $2,000, buy online or at Costco or Wal-mart, and if we have questions, our expectation of asking the retailer, is zero.”
“…that means the costs of supporting a client [directly] goes through the roof.”
“The distribution channel is cut and if [a manufacturer] doesn’t answer the question the consumer goes to [a competitor]. Without the ability to deliver a great customer experience, brand equity is eroded.”
At the root of most bad customer experiences, he says, is a lack of knowledge.”
The fact that customers trust data delivered directly from manufacturers is nothing new. What I found interesting here is how the “middle man”, the local retail store, is really not at all relevant in a sales capacity any longer. To many of us, having gone to a store to find expert information, only to be read the package descriptions by the “salesperson,” this is obvious.
However, given this example of how manufacturers are moving from reacting to such behavior to reinforcing it should be alarming to any company with a product to sell.
Web Marketing is becoming increasingly close and personal.
I don’t mind it at all as it saves me time in making buying decisions but puts Best Buy and others in a precarious position as many buyers will already have their mind made up when entering their doors and will use the “salespeople” more as a human search interface than a relevant part of their buying decision.
– jc
