What traditional company is most ‘onlinified’ and digitalised?

From time to time I ask you questions here. The title of this post is a straightforward, simple question and yet such a difficult one to answer. By ‘traditional’ I mean a company that started before 1994, and is a so-called ‘B2B company’. Some say Apple. Some say a bank. Some say a travel company. Others say Amazon (which started in 1994). Most people, however, find it difficult to come up with an answer at all.

The purpose of this question is significant since many companies increasingly feel stressed over the buzz and the observed importance of online and digital in their industries. What they mainly want to know is what and how they should prioritise to make online and digital a natural part of their business, their offering and their way of working.

My principal reason for asking this particular question is to make them realise that it is challenging to find companies to learn from and to use as good examples or best practice.

The ensuing discussion usually leads to a conversation about how to collect the few good examples they can think of, adapt them to their own company’s situation and implement them fast. And the word ‘fast’ is critical here. Companies that get in a hurry will most likely fail, but usually, the ones who can act fast without sacrificing quality succeed.

My main advices if you want someone to answer your brand’s name to the above question is:

• Make sure that you are in charge and can be fast, if you wait to long you will be in a hurry, and that is not what you want.
• Realise that peoples expectations and behaviour have changed and already affects your company.
• Be genuinely interested in how it is to be ‘them’ and understand their expectations, habits, behaviour and needs.
• Decide that you shall only conceive of, produce and offer products and solutions based on looking from the outside—from ‘their’ perspective.
• Gather and implement all the good examples of ‘effortless simplicity’ that you can find and can provide—with speed.

In this PDF, you will find a summary of the ten most common bits of advice we give to our friends regarding obtaining an online and digital mindset. Download it and keep as a constant reminder.

Want to know more? Through our digitalisation guide: what, why, when and how to use it you'll find much more to read!