The Digital Edge

In the 21^st century it has become more common for businesses to have an online presence rather than a physical high street premises. Such websites like ETSY, Amazon and eBay have contributed to a rise in online businesses along with advances in technology that sees people purchasing through online merchants.  Websites mentioned above give the people the opportunity to sell goods online that they make & create or sell items they wish to sell forward to others. If a business has not moved to be 100% digital such as eBay or clothing stores such as MissGuided or PrettyLittleThing, it will require some digital aspect to keep up to date with current business trends. Having a social media presence to interact with customers and promote the business will have an effect and demonstrates some digital layer of the business.

What is a digital edge?! Is where digital information and physical resources come together to create new value and revenue. This new value can be in relation to the value offered to customers and could be regarding the good value it obtained from its suppliers. While an increase in revenue may be as a result from mixing digital information and physical to offer value to customers.

Businesses will need to create a digital strategy and strongly consider having a digital edge to have an advantage over competitors and attract more customers which can increase market share.

In recent years airlines such as Aer Lingus and Ryanair have used the digital edge and brought in self check-in machines within their sections of Irish airports. They have also been introduced into other airports by airlines in locations such as Frankfurt and Finland. These digital machines use digital information and programmes to assist passengers to check-in, there are still check-in desks with staff to assist with any issues arise. This has assisted customers with the check-in process, especially those who may have young children and do not wish to stand in a que among other passengers at a busy period. The self check-in process has assisted many passengers and has become an added value. It has become an added value as they can arrive to check-in and not have to que. The self check-in may have been an extra added value for Ryanair as their staff have been known to be unpolite and unfriendly – this would have eliminated this stress of dealing with unfriendly staff while trying to check-in on those first flights at 5am when everyone is half asleep...

This digital edge strategy has allowed customers to easily check-in without any hassle and without having a bad start to their holiday with unfriendly staff, with that said Ryanair has announced that it has improved its customer service encouraging staff to be more friendly so they are not as bad as I might make them out to be – improving is better than remaining the same. These machines will bring in money in the long term as staff will have more time to focus on training and improving customer service skills which will attract more passengers to the airline.

With increase revenues from such machines that allow Ryanair along with other airlines to improve on customer service, in the long term the business will see an increase of revenue as customer service and delivery improves, giving the business a boost. Such a positive effect may result in cheaper airflights and who doesn’t love cheap travel?!

Another business that has introduced a digital edge is Argos. When they first opened their doors in Ireland customers could search through the catalogue and pick out items they wish to purchase and at the till the cashier would check if it was available. This would have been a waste of time if you had stood in a que only to be told it was not in stock. In the past 5 years, they have installed touch screen computers on each table where a customer can read the catalogue and when they find a product they wish to purchase, with the digital technology they can check the stock levels instantly. If the product is not in stock they can search the nearest store that has that item available or request one to be ordered in from another store. This is an added value for the customer as the use of digital technology within the store can save them time and has installed trust with the business as customers know that even if the item they require isn’t in stock, it can be arranged. As a result Argos has secured revenue, how?! It has secured revenue by use of reservation of new incoming stock, delivery from another stores and reservation from other stores. With these options available to be used by the customer this ensures that custom is kept within Argos and keeps the customer from going elsewhere to purchase selected products.

Having a digital edge can enhance the customer experience as in Argos and Ryanair along with creating value for customers which will in turn result in revenue for the business. Increased revenue will come as customer see and understand the added value being offered by the business. Without, businesses may fall behind and find it difficult to compete in the market with high competition.

;Until next time -