Remember video stores?
Or when the only way to buy the music you loved was to drive to the record store?
Technology has turned the music and movie rental industries upside down. And the e-book craze is spreading like wildfire. And it looks like the video game industry is on its way to making the big transition from physical media to digital media as well.
Advances in technology have always moved toward making things smaller and more powerful. And since there's nothing smaller than invisible, it makes sense that eventually anything that didn't have to exist physically would take on digital form.
What Digital Distribution Means For Your Business
If your company is part of one of the industries that has already taken the leap into digital distribution, then certainly you're familiar with the way it's changing your world. If you haven't done so already, you need a plan for how you're going to keep up with your competitors by digitizing your business.
But let's say you're not involved in an industry where digital distribution has taken over. Let's say you're a hair stylist. Digital distribution doesn't affect you, right? You obviously can't offer a digital haircut, right?
Or can you?
Sites like this one provide users with the opportunity to upload photos of themselves and see how various hairstyles will look on them. Why couldn't you have a similar application on your site? Or instead of reinventing the wheel on your own site, you could just provide links on your website to existing sites like that one. You could even set up a computer in your salon and allow customers to surf sites that provide this service (provided that you choose sites that allow for commercial use, of course). To make your waiting area more fun, you could even have your clients design a digital hairstyle for you before you provide them with a real one!
What I'm getting at is that even if your industry doesn't seem to lend itself well to digital distribution, there are probably ways you can make your business more digital. Whether it's making use of fun websites or apps related to your specialty, setting up an online ordering system to replace a printed order form, or offering digital coupons, there are ways to take advantage of the digital world that's developing. And even though making changes like these might not revolutionize the way you do business, they will give your company a Netflixy, iTunesy, 2011-ey “cool” factor.
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