Much of marketing is premised on companies delivering messages to customers to influence their purchases and consumption. Indeed, the largest advertisers in the world are companies such as Procter & Gamble, Nestlé, and Unilever, which sell branded low-involvement products that are routinely purchased and consumed at a regular pace. The purpose of much of the tens of billions of dollars they spend on advertising is to remind consumers to pick up their laundry detergent, soup, coffee, yogurt, or pet food on their next shopping trip. But within a few years, this model of marketing, advertising, and shopping will become obsolete. The beginnings of this are already evident in Amazon’s Dash buttons, which are making routine purchases simpler and even more routine.
How Marketing Changes When Shopping Is Automated
Products will flow to our homes like a utility, as electricity and water do.
October 14, 2016
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New!
HBR Learning
Marketing Essentials Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Marketing Essentials. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Learn how to communicate with your customers—strategically.