MANAGEMENT
D I G I TA L D I S R U P T I O N
Digital disruption and its impact on the OP industry Michelle Aston, marketing manager at Aston and James, explores the impact of digital disruption on our industry – and how dealers can make the most of it THE CHALLENGE
same time, raising our expectations. Digital
What digital disruption is starts with you.
technology is shaping the way businesses
Although the term ‘disruption’ has negative
operate, enabling new ‘hyper disruptive’
connotations, in reality, it is only negative for
business models, such as the subscription
those who choose to dismiss it in the hope
model - eg. Netflix, Amazon Prime - and the
that it will go away and not have an impact.
eco-system model - eg. Google and Apple.
Kodak and Blockbuster video are good
Whether we like it or not, disruption
examples of this; they saw it coming but did
is real. As I see it, there are two key
not adapt their product offering to compete
points of impact on us as office products
with changes in digital technology.
dealers - power and expectations; power
For those who choose not to ignore it, it presents an opportunity to embrace new
of competitors and changing customer expectations
technology and review both internal and external processes. In a nutshell, quoting
HYPER COMPETITORS
the Gartner definition, digital disruption
The constant changes in digital technology
is, ‘an effect that changes the fundamental
make it necessary to know, not only who
expectations and behaviours in an industry
our competitors are, but also what our
that is caused by digital capabilities, channels
competitors are up to. How does their online
or assets’.
customer experience differ? What new
Disruption is the result of emerging
products are they offering, are they changing
digital technologies and business models
pricing strategies? What technology/
driven by intelligence, technology and
software are they using?
consumer expectations. Personalisation,
Competition in the office products
artificial intelligence and big data are shaping
industry is fierce and, with increasing
the way we, as consumers, buy while, at the
innovations in digital technology, power
[18] JUNE 2020
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