A great focus for many startups, investors, and entrepreneurs is creating the next Netflix, Amazon, Uber, or Airbnb – namely to be a digital disruptor. Netflix conquered the analog and physical model of Blockbuster by bringing a digital layer to measure customers, movies, and even brand placements. Before Netflix, Blockbuster was the media channel of preference. It died a rather quick death when media and media consumption became digital.
Digital disruption is all around us and has given rise to the giants of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and is the quest of virtually every strartup. I have examined the economics implications of how both Uber and Airbnb have leverage data in powerful ways (see links). A great deal of their success comes from their superior digital platforms, so let’s examine what principles are at work in becoming the next digital disruptor. In many ways, we are on the cusp of more digital disruption in many industries. I expect financial services, insurance, health care, and even food preparation to see disruption. Startups and entrepreneurs are very focused on achieving the scale to have large and successful digital platforms. To be a successful digital disruptor, it is critical to:
- Measure the Customer: Digital firms have the distinct advantage of interacting with the consumer on a digital platform, where the customer’s activities are measured. This is a real asset. Leverage it! It is amazing that we still have analog and handwritten health and dental records in so much of the US. Digital collection and digital recognition enable operational savings and analytics on the consumer. Personalization, customization and all of the optimization that Uber, Airbnb, Amazon, eBay, and Google do comes from measurement processes. Create your Big Data, but before that, build a solid process for measurement and leverage automatic customer recognition so that customers do not have to actively identify themselves at each transaction.
- Simplify Execution: The development of easy to use apps and even Amazon’s patented one-click ordering function has raised the bar in what is considered convenient. Simply put, your digital interface should be able to operate with as few keystrokes as possible. More critically, can a recognized consumer operate your digital interface with one hand on a smartphone? If not work to get there. It is the new standard for convenience. Look at what Rocket Mortgage and Quicken Loans and a host of online financial firms are all working on – simplified execution. Even the airlines have gotten these. I can buy an airline ticket on the app with less keystrokes than I can on the website!
- Protect Your Technology: Warren Buffett would call this moat building if he invested more heavily in technology firms. Having a great digital platform and winning customers will attract competitors really fast. Patents are a preferred way to protect your technology of course. Groupon enjoyed a period of great success and then the online and social coupon site attracted lots of competitors. Come to find out, issuing coupons was easy and Groupon did not have a patent, platform, or other technology that could keep its customers loyal. Groupon now runs radio advertisements. Be really sure that your technology is defensible and if not, get big fast and be ready to fight, as the copy-cats are coming for you.
- Get Close (Sticky) with Your Customer: Even if you have a digital platform that is protected by patents or novel technology, you will find competitors finding another way to copy you. Yelp, Trip Advisor, and a host of the many review sites are a perfect example. Make it easy for your customer to join and hard to walk away from the benefits. I think Apple’s iTunes is the best example of a sticky customer model. Just the thought of trying to move my music to another platform brings me worry. Apple has my purchase history, reviews, music organization, and a lot more. Expect firms that are leveraging cloud solutions to similarly make it hard to leave. That is a strategy. Know what your customer values the most and make it hard for them to leave that.
- Innovate for Growth: No digital platform should be done with its first act. Consider the amazing extensions that Amazon has brought us from the CD and bookstore of 1995. Google has grown in countless directions. Even Uber is moving into various new delivery services. Once you have a success, look at what else the customer tells you, gather data on that, and gather data on your internal processes, too. These will be useful in identifying new business ideas. It is also immensely critical for your business to foster a sense of entrepreneurism and experimentation with your data.
Professor Walker provides keynote talks, seminars presentations, executive training programs, and executive briefings.
Recent talk topics enjoyed by clients have included:
“From Big Data to Big Profits: Getting the Most from Your Data and Analytics”
“Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Automation at Work”
“Winner Take All – Digital Strategy: From Data to Dominance”
“Success with an Inter-Generational Workforce: From Boomers to Millennials”
“FinTech, Payments, and Economic Trends and Outlooks in Consumer Lending”
“The World in 2050: Risks and Opportunities Ahead”
Exceptional executive training programs have included:
“Digital Disruption, Automation, Analytics, Data Science, the IoT, and the Big Data Wave”
“Master Course on Operational Risk: Measurement, Management, Leadership”
“Complete Course in Risk Management: Credit, Market, Operational, and Enterprise Risk”
“Cyber-security Training: Prevention, Preparation, and Post-Analysis”
“Managing Your Brand and Reputation in a Crisis.”
“Strategic Data-Driven Marketing”
“Enterprise Risk Management and the CRO”
Professor Walker has provided these talks and programs to leading firms and governmental organizations. Click here to learn more about his talks, references from clients, options for customized talks and programs, and details on scheduling a program for your organization.
About Russell Walker, Ph.D.
Professor Russell Walker helps companies develop strategies to manage risk and harness value through analytics and Big Data. He is Associate Teaching Professor of Marketing at the Foster School of Business of the University of Washington. He has worked with many professional sports teams and leading marketing organizations through the Analytics Consulting Lab, an experiential class that he founded and leads at Foster.
His most recent and award-winning book, is published by Oxford University Press (2015), which explores how firms can best monetize Big Data through digital strategies. He is the author of the text (World Scientific Publishing, 2013), which examines the principles and practice of risk management through business case studies. He co-authored a leading business case on Netflix.
You can find him at @RussWalker1776 and
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