“It doesn’t feel like this type of a question has ever been asked – is iBuying Here to Stay?” rumbled the moderator at the start of the online retailer’s session at our How and Why to Buy Conference.
Fortunately, Chief Executive Joe Ta asked the right question of the chief executives of, iBuyPower, John West’s Ideal Products, JargonTech and Radia Gear. In fact, he asked it at the wrong end of the spectrum!
After all, there’s no point asking hard questions at a conference packed with entrepreneurs – just keep your eyes on the prize: finding the next hot trend.
JargonTech’s CEO, Louis Shields, said it best – to find the next hot trend, there was need to go through numerous lenses. Influences include the World Economic Forum, Fortune magazine, international events, and sporting events. No one would argue against the global “experts” that influence the media, the pollsters and market traders.
Another way to determine what might be hot is by listening to certain customers. “If someone comes up to you at a bar and tells you their favourite product is ‘vaporware’, then they’ve seen the future” Louis told Joe.
Perhaps, if your company isn’t selling a product that someone thinks will be invented tomorrow, you might get the warmer treatment from customers. Joe on the other hand said he’s had people tell him that they wanted to be assistants to their favourite President because he would make their life easier. “I like to dream as hard as I can” said Joe. You certainly have to have someone to dream with – but whether it’s customers or the media, you always need to remember one thing – do your homework.
BBC iQ
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