Have you become aware of how much more of our time is taken up doing things that have shifted into our responsibilities from those of various service providers?
Are they the Time Lords?
Remember when utilities companies used to read our meters, when banks used to send us statements, when getting a ticket to park our cars took seconds rather than the minutes needed to download yet another app followed by the inevitable hassle of creating an account and managing to login?
And even worse, in the case of the latter we then have the pleasure of paying a premium to use a service that we didn’t want to use in the first place.
The list goes on in the name of digital development and efficiency.
But who are the winners here?
It’s certainly not consumers who are having to spend longer than ever online attending to numerous email alerts and text messages with irritating headings such as ‘great news, your new bill is ready for you to view online!’
Great news for who? The only winners are the service providers who have managed to achieve time theft on a grand scale and we’re powerless to do anything about it.
And in doing so they have cut their service levels and costs and passed on tasks to their customers who have no choice other than to work on behalf of these corporations for free!
Is it no wonder then that consumers are increasingly seeking superlative value for time?
Time is undoubtedly the most precious commodity of all – it is irreplaceable and no matter how much wealth certain individuals may have, they cannot buy it – but we can all enjoy great experiences by maximising the use of our time – whether that be a walk in the park, a cycle ride or just spending time with our loved ones.
But when we have to pay for experiences, we’re no longer content to accept and make do with the mediocre or the mundane.
And nowhere is this more evident than in food service where we have turned our backs on the numerous, corporate eateries, focused on maximising their profit at the expense of the enjoyment of their customers – average surroundings, average food and frequently below average service.
This has led to a significant switch by consumers who are increasingly seeking out the independent cafe’s bars and restaurants run by individuals for whom their business isn’t just a service – it’s their personal livelihood and often a realisation of their dream to run and own their own food establishment.
These individuals exude a passion for what they do – with a real belief in their food and their business and it’s infectious.
Their ethos extends to the staff they interview and employ, the care they take in putting their menu together and the ingredients that they use, the decor, the cleanliness, their own personal stamp on what they do and how they do it – a belief that customers deserve the best.
The mid-tier chain eateries are starting to wake up to the widening service gap in their offer compared to the independents but they’ve got some way to go to make up the difference.
Fundamentally they will need an emphasis shift from providing the average (at best) for top prices to providing the best combined with fantastic value for money and most importantly fabulous value for time. Shareholders, watch out!
For more information about how I help my clients launch new products take a look at Food Brand Strategist.
And take a look at BoomBod as an example of my work.
If you’d like to explore how I can help you with your new food product launch, ping me an email so we can schedule a call.
Call: +44 (0) 207 205 2998 or email today for an initial chat.
Last Updated on 18/05/2020 by Eddie Stableford
