As most of us know, the buying motives for consumer technology are quite different than commercial technology. Consumers are in the market to purchase something that is fun to use, appeals to the senses and conveys to the outside world their style. In contrast, the commercial buyer has a problem or pain that they are trying to resolve.
I have to admit that this dichotomy between the buying habits of consumers and businesses has never sat well with me. I make procurement decisions as a businessman and also partake in buying consumer products (mostly shiny). How is it that my buying criteria can be resolutely different based on whether I’m in the office or cruising the mall on a Saturday afternoon with the kids in tow?
I believe that in order to build a successful commercial product it is our mandate to resolve pain, create efficiencies and provide ROI; however, once we’ve satisfied that initial criteria can’t we look to appeal to the consumer in them to seal the deal? Or maybe that element of stickiness would serve as a differentiating factor for us in the market?
Our product strategy and positioning absolutely involves looking at successful commercial and consumer solutions as we build and derive our product X-factor. Could it be that a quasi facebook “news feed” of revenue flying in wirelessly from the field running across the CEO’s browser or blackberry would take our product to new heights? Maybe the ability to “tweet” your coworker in the field to ask him if he has a functioning air monitor you can borrow as yours has broken down? Why wouldn’t a COO of an energy services company deciding on what restaurant to eat at with his wife flip from his Urban Spoon application to Spira to check out his rig utilization for the day?
As we develop on emerging technology and platforms such as the iPad, iPhone and Windows 7 mobile I expect the lines between consumer products and our commercial offering to blur.
Darcy Tuer
