:: Artículo original en Inglés y al final traducido con Google Translate ::

Forrester just released a study that shows customers feel more empowered than ever. As a result, customers have raised their expectations of the brand and the experience.

Given the findings of this study, I thought it might be interesting to look at the pivotal moments that created the modern, connected and empowered customer.

VENDING MACHINES

In the late 1800s, shopping consisted of trekking to a crowded market and heavy engagement with shopkeepers. Consumers had an intimate relationship with their local vendors. In 1880, that changed with the first post card vending machine developed by Richard Carlisle, an English professor. Later, Jeff Bezos would follow in Carlisle’s footsteps to create another creative way to sell books, Amazon.

SHOPPING FROM HOME

A railroad operator received a large shipment of watches from a jeweler because the original client refused them. Due to the Homestead Act and westward expansion, the population was spreading rapidly to remote areas. Richard Sears used the railroad operators to sell his watches to these people. Soon the Sears Catalogue and a new business model were born. Now homesteaders had the same access to sewing machines and other household items as their city cousins.

SELF-SERVICE

While the Sears catalogue remained wildly popular, passengers left the rails for cars. Gas stations now had lines of cars waiting for attendants. Therefore, Bernard Roth became a self-service revolutionary with the invention of the self-service gas pump.

CUSTOMER LOYALTY AND PERSONALIZED SERVICE

Shopkeepers were looking for a way to improve customer loyalty and John Biggins was looking for a way to make his bank the preferred institution for merchants. In 1946, he found a way to do both by inventing the credit card. Shops issued these early credit cards to their customers. The customer would charge items, Biggins’ bank would then pay the merchant and the customer would pay Biggins. This allowed customers to easily purchase items and became effectively the first loyalty program. Shopkeepers used these cards to provide personalized service to their loyal customers.

FLEXIBILITY OF PRODUCT OFFERING

While Biggins was creating the credit card in Brooklyn, a Las Vegas tradition was being conceived. Herb MacDonald was the publicist for the El Rancho Casino in Vegas. Late one night, he asked the chef to create just a plate of cold meats and cheeses. As hungry gamblers began to graze, the all-you-can-eat buffet was born. For $1 gamblers could get the Buckaroo Buffet. Now customers could get exactly what they wanted and in whatever quantities. Moreover, they didn’t have to wait for a server when Lady Luck was calling.

24 X 7 ACCESS AND A NEW DEFINITION OF CUSTOMER SERVICE

When the first ATMs were launched there was great fear that customers would miss the interaction with the teller. However, the installations by Barclays bank in 1967 became a huge success. It showed that customers were willing to give up human interaction for convenience and access.

CUSTOMER CHOICE

Now that we have so much control over our travel options it is hard to see how revolutionary it was when Southwest allowed passengers to choose their own seats in 1971.

FOUNDATIONS OF E-COMMERCE

In 1977, HP used the latest technology to create a desktop computer that was aimed at the non-technical user. This coupled with changes in software made technology more accessible for the masses. Now that everyone had these computers, the Internet allowed them to connect to one another and to content.

IN DEPTH PRODUCT INFORMATION + VIRAL SHOPPING

What Sears did for print, QVC did for television. Shoppers now had access to the products as well as the “product maven” no matter where they lived. Now housewives in remote locations could have access to the same products that were available in metropolitan areas. Moreover, they had access 24×7. The housewife in Topeka, who had just purchased the Hoover vacuum, was then invited to call into the show to give a testimonial about her purchase—thereby creating the first viral shopping experience.

BIRTH OF MOBILITY

The first smartphone created by Bellsouth introduced a new device. It could replace your watch, telephone, address book and scratch paper. As these phones grew smarter, people began to think about what else they could do with them.

A NEW WAY OF SHOPPING

Like its Victorian predecessor, Amazon brought books to readers in a new way. Amazon’s system of reviews and guided selling revolutionized the e-commerce experience. Now the customer had all the benefits of product recommendations from their favorite bookseller with the convenience of shopping at home.

PRODUCT AVAILABILITY

In 1995, eBay was formed. Consumers no longer had to comb through attics or yard sales to find that a teacup to complete Grandmother’s china set. No matter what you wanted you could find it on eBay. It also was the foundation of peer-to-peer interaction.

REAL-TIME INTERACTION

When AOL launched AIM, it was a novelty to be able to chat with your friend in computer class without anyone knowing. Soon, it became the foundation for how quickly people, including customers, expected responses.

CUSTOMER REVOLT

Napster created a community of users who were willing to share in order to get a greater benefit. Moreover, it established that customers were willing to take matters into their own hands if business models were antiquated. The record companies realized too late that their packaging and pricing no longer worked for customers.

SELF CHECK-IN

Alaska Airlines was the first to allow customers to check in online. That greatly reduced passenger wait times. The self-service kiosk followed and travel was forever altered. Travelers were so delighted with self-service that they began to demand more. Retailers and hoteliers scrambled to figure out how to emulate the results with kiosks.

A NEW ANIMAL

In 2000, Microsoft invented the tablet. It would take several incarnations for technology companies to make it relevant. However, the iPad took this “new animal” to a place that got customers hooked. Soon retailers began to scramble to figure out how to make this a platform for engaging with their customers.

FLEXIBLE PRODUCT PACKAGING

The Napster revolution left record companies struggling to survive. They had expected that customers would continue to tolerate the terms dictated to them. Steve Jobs stepped in and created a business model that worked for both the record companies and the consumer. Now consumers could buy exactly what they wanted and package that content in a way that suited their needs.

CONVENIENCE ON THEIR OWN TERMS

redbox doesn’t seem that revolutionary when you think of it as just a DVD kiosk. However, if you were ever hit with $50 fines and banned from renting videos from Blockbuster just because your roommate spilled wine on The Taming of the Shrew, then you might fully grasp the impact of this model. Customers would no longer tolerate Draconian terms when they could just go to the kiosk. If consumers kept the video, then their credit card would be charged — no fines, no late fees, no bans. Now consumers could get DVDs on their terms.

PAY ANYWHERE, ANYWAY

The latest innovation to empower the customer is mobile payments. With companies like Square and Google Wallet, it becomes even more seamless to use mobile to buy products and services.

CONCLUSION

As we are on the cusp of the m-commerce revolution, you can understand the findings of the Forrester study. Customers expect brands to be: credible, leaders, relevant, unique, trusted, remarkable, unmistakeable and essential. Therefore, that’s what they expect from their customer experience. As social media continues to grow, brands need to consider how to create experiences that further empower the customer.

Sheridan Orr is VP Global Sales and Marketing Director for Meridian Zero Degrees

:: Google Translate ::

Forrester acaba de publicar un estudio que muestra a los clientes se sienten más poderosos que nunca. Como resultado, los clientes han aumentado sus expectativas de la marca y su experiencia.

Teniendo en cuenta los resultados de este estudio, pensé que podría ser interesante ver los momentos cruciales que han creado al cliente moderno, conectado y poderoso.

>> vengamonjas.blogspot.com/ 

Siempre grande, siempre cínico: http://www.cinismoilustrado.com/

>>Vía Musicuo.com

titulo Homeopata

>> Larga vida a los charlatanes

El cerebro fue diseñado para salir de casa,

la memoria para poder volver…

>> CCCB

Vía Mashable me ha llegado estas 10 iniciativas para compartir y ser un poco más amigable con este mundo que nos ha tocado vivir. Ahora llega el momento de las compras desmadradas y de la locura consumista. Ahora es el momento de empezar a comprender lo que significa vivir en un mundo globalizado y empezar a ser un poco más personas. Compra uno y da uno, seguro que hay alguien al otro lado del planeta que lo necesita tanto como tu.

10 Inspiring “Buy One Give One” Projects

Charitable giving has changed a lot in the past few years and the social web has been a big factor in that change. Where we once put coins in a collection box, there are now a plethora of ways you can help make a difference online.

One area of real growth is transaction-based giving, such as the “one for one” model, in which a consumer buys a product and someone less fortunate receives the same product for free. It’s been pioneered successfully by companies like TOMS Shoes and the OLPCorganization, and has inspired many similar projects.

We’ve highlighted 10 great online “buy one give one” projects, but there are plenty more out there. Let us know about any we might have missed in the comments below and the next time you need a new pair of shoes, a flashlight or even a pair of glasses, why not consider buying one and giving one to someone less fortunate than yourself.

1. BoGoLight

The BoGoLight project distributes rugged solar lights to communities in need all over the world, giving a clean, safe, renewable light source to families that would ordinarily rely on kerosene and candles.

You can buy one of the flashlights and another will be donated on your behalf to someone in need. You can choose where your donated light goes from a variety of charities and causes, including projects promoting literacy, schools, women’s empowerment and safety, emergency relief, and more.

2. One World Futbol Project

The One World Futbol is an ultra-durable, all-terrain soccer ball that will never go flat, even if it gets punctured. If you buy one ball, the project will give a ball to a community in need in a refugee camp, war zone, or poverty-stricken community.

The idea for the ball was thought up by Tim Jahnigen, an inventor and music producer, after he saw footage of Darfur refugees playing soccer with a homemade “ball.” The development was funded by Sting.

Balls have so far been distributed in Rwanda, South Africa and Iraq while the Sager Family Foundation purchased 10,000 balls to be sent to Haiti.

3. Baby Teresa

Named after Mother Teresa, the Baby Teresa project is run by Sammie Appleyard and Kirsty Dunphey, both Tasmanian entrepreneurs who are helping to clothe babies in need all over the world.

Baby Teresa sells onesies on a buy one donate one basis, the project will ensure the second one gets to a baby in need.

Donations have so far gone out to Egypt, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Australia, Tasmania, the Philippines and Jordan. The founders’ hope to clothe a baby in every country in the world.

4. Blanket America

Blanket America sells blankets, comforters, sheets, pillows and throws. It’s no ordinary retailer though; the project wants to encourage consumers to demand more and to help their neighbors in meaningful ways whenever they shop.

For every product sold, the same or similar product is donated to individuals and organizations in need. As the name might suggest, the giving is primarily domestic, helping to bring comfort to those in poverty in the U.S. The project has also, however, carried out blanket distributions in Haiti.

5. Warby Parker

Warby Parker’s “buy a pair, give a pair” philosophy aims to help some of the 500 million people in the world that don’t have access to proper vision care.

For every pair of $95 prescription glasses a consumer buys online, the company gives a pair to someone in need, giving that individual the opportunity to read, to work and live a fuller life.

Along with charity partner RestoringVision.org, Warby Parker’s “give a pair” glasses have so far been distributed across 24 countries in Latin America, Africa, South Asia and the U.S.

6. Happy Blankie

The family-run Happy Blankie project, the brainchild of then-7 year-old David Holdridge, offers animal-themed baby blankets on a “one to love, one to give” basis, whereby you get a blanket and one goes to a child in need in a hospital or orphanage.

After purchase, you can choose where you’d like the other blanket to go. Destinations can be as far afield as Uganda or Thailand, or closer to home in an American city.

7. Whitten Grey

The “Little Grey Dress” project from Whitten Grey gives away a dress for every garment purchased with the aim of letting little girls experience the joy of giving.

With a Whitten Grey purchase you’ll receive a code which you can enter on the site, decide which color dress you’d like to send, which country it should go to and even write a note to the girl that gets the dress.

8. One Million Lights

The One Million Lights project distributes solar LED lights to replace kerosene lamps in areas around the world where there is no electricity. The lights help children study, help adults generate more income, and improve health and the environment.

You can simply donate a light, but there’s also a buy one donate one option where you can purchase one of the durable lights for yourself and one will be given to a child or family in need.

The project is geographically far-reaching and has distributed lights in Haiti, Peru, Nicaragua, India, Ethiopia, and Kenya, among other countries.

9. FIGS

FIGS (“innovative ties and bow ties for the modern man”) runs on a “threads for threads” basis, under a school uniform donated to a child for every tie purchased.

In many parts of Africa, children cannot go to school if they don’t have a proper uniform, so by buying a FIGS tie, you can give a child a chance to get an education. The uniforms are distributed in Eastern Africa, across over 100 schools within Kenya and Tanzania.

10. Roma Boots

Roma’s mission is to keep feet warm and dry by providing a comfortable, durable and practical pair of Roma Boots to every poor child living in cold and wet climates.

The company’s “one for one” concept sends a pair of rubber boots to a child living in poverty for every pair bought. The goal is to reach 5,000 street children and orphans this winter and 100,000 children by 2012; initial efforts target Eastern Europe.

BONUS: B1G1

B1G1 (buy one give one) is an online hub for transaction-based giving that empowers companies to offer buy one give one programs. Businesses can choose what kind of cause they’d like to support from a vast range of charitable options. Every time a transaction takes place, companies and the consumer can give back and make a difference.

Abrochense los cinturones y pongan el volumen a tope para oir 12 el V12 como resopla y pone los pelos de punta!!!

Horacio Pagani habla sobre su nueva criatura…

>> Vía Pagani