the metamorphoses of consumption
Setting aside the economy, where the impact of digital technology is sparking a boom in the service sector, the analysis of consumption falls into four distinct categories: work, capital, industrial goods and information goods. A multi- faceted world with composite business models is taking the place of a simple one with clearly dominant forces. The real revolution today is the market switch that has led us from B2C (business-to-consumer) to C2B (consumer-to-business): consumers are now the driving force behind the creation of products, offers and services.
A move towards the inclusion of non-economic factors such as pollution and poverty is also emerging. These external criteria are becoming an integral part of corporate strategy—like that of Grameen Danone Food, the joint venture between Danone Food and Grameen Bank (Professor Muhammad Yunus) whose goal is to offer the people of Bangladesh an affordable dairy product that will help combat malnutrition and create local jobs. A project such as this requires a complete rethinking of the production process to meet new product demand. Finally, the producer-consumer distinction is losing its relevance.
At LaSer, the AtypicStore.com platform is creating a new business model, with an eye to the future of customer relations and changes in profession. We owe it to ourselves to contribute to the development of new relationships that leave room for exchanges, initiatives, and consumer individuality.