S60 Open to new features

One big thing in 2005 is a new trend, some call it an experience economy. What is an experience economy? Some say it’s the biggest change in the economy since industrial revolution or invention of silicon chip. Is this just a trend, which fast goes away or real change in operating environment of the companies?

This latest economy is clearly outcome of Nokia and AOL Time-Warner time. The economy based on buying of services was based on the economy of buying of goods. Now the experience of buying these services is the product, which is sold.

On 80’s for example Finnair could measure it’s service based on cost and quality. Now it measures performance based on traveler’s experience. Was the experience something that will be remembered? Did traveler enjoy about service, food, seating order and in-flight entertainment?

Consumers are fed up to company cost cutting and automated systems. We Finns are quite lucky. There are only 5 million people who can speak our language, so companies can not outsource phone centers easily, let’s say, to India. For English speaking customers phone centers can locate almost anywhere in the world. Before talking to service person on the other side of the world, customer has gone through long list of automatic services. The result is an angry frustrated customer.

Almost all the companies have to consider how to provide better and better experience to the customers. Many corporate leaders haven’t thought about this because they have been only concentrating to cost cuttings.

In North America and EU consumers go to shopping to Wal-Mart type stores and Nordstrom/Stockmann type of stores. Consumers wants to save money when they buy normal daily goods, groceries, but sometimes they want to spoil themselves. Even low income groups enjoy about luxurious shopping malls or boutiques. It’s exactly the shopping experience what is becoming more and more important.

S60 is licensed by 6 companies. Nokia is the biggest customer of our software and I’m very happy to see Nokia’s strategy to open flagship stores around the world. A flagship store can be seen as a 3D advertisement. You walk there in and one company guarantees the experience. I have been always thinking this as an excellent marketing style and it totally fits to the trend I described. During my around the world trip I noticed that Nokia brand was very invisible. You can see operator stores everywhere, in the best locations of the city centers. Flagship store rollout will change the situation. “Consumers can test the latest Nokia mobile devices and learn about new mobile services and technologies”. I believe this opens possibilities to S60 marketing as well.