BUYING THE FUTURE Fifty years ago when products
‘were more——_—individual,
manufacturers had the upper hand.
They could charge a lot for successful
items because they were made in
mall_quantities. As competition
increased and became more global,
there were more products to choose
from and they increasingly
resembled each other. This gave
retailers the advantage because they
could pick and choose which
products to sell, and demand the
best prices from suppliers. Now the
consumer is taking command.

‘The arrival of the internet is one
of the things responsible for the big
shift in power. The web makes it
easy for people to discover who

offers the best deal. This could still
be a retailer, but it could also be a
manufacturer selling directly to
consumers, or a trader on eBay.
The group to watch closely is the
younger generation. 18- to 34-yearolds
see the internet as one of their most
important sources of information
and entertainment. For this age
group, the internet will remain the
dominant medium in their lives, as
be for the following
‘ration. This does not mean they
will reject the traditional retail
environment entirely. Shops will be
as much part of their scene as they
have been for their parents or
grandparents, But some shops may
be used in different ways. One

it

indication is the growth of brand
showrooms, such as the Apple and
Sony stores. Their main role is to

demonstrate a range of the
company’s products, with
knowledgeable and enthusiastic stafF
on hand who are under no pressure
to clinch a sale. Where people
actually buy the product in the end
becomes of secondary importance.

‘As media become increasingly
interactive, consumers will be able to
exercise “more choice. Getting
advertising will be optional ~ so it
will need to be good, useful and
relevant to their lives. But traditional
massmedia advertising will continue
to have a role, at least for the
foreseeable future.
The writer suggests that in the past
a manufacturers were more powerful than customers.
b manufacturers were less powerful than custome!
c retailers were less powerful than customers.
a get information about companies.
compare reviews.
© compare prices.
‘The writer thinks that the younger generation are important because
they start their own companies.
b> they are familiar with the technology.
© they have more money.
‘The writer thinks that, in the future, shops might be used
1 to give product information to suppliers.
> to show customers the range of products.
to sell more products directly to the customer.
In the near future traditional advertising
+ will no longer be used.
> will become cheaper.
will still be used.