The fast pace of life means that you can get hold of anything these days, with products and services available for delivery straight to your door. From furniture to food, outfits to dry-cleaning, downloading films or finding answers instantly using Google.
What with anytime-anywhere convenience, people crave immediacy and instant gratification, while the always-connected nature of today’s world means that consumers – and businesses – expect to get things faster than ever before.
A new study by 4imprint.co.uk, reveals the true extent to which Britain has become an impatient nation. According to the study, a huge 83 percent of UK adults class themselves as impatient, while nearly three quarters admit they have become less patient in recent years.
One in twenty say they can only watch TV on catch-up services because they hate sitting through adverts and the same number have asked for their online purchases to be resent to them instead of picking up parcels from the sorting office.
A quarter will walk out of a shop if there aren’t enough staff, or if all the staff are busy, and people will leave a restaurant if the menu doesn’t come fast enough.
As the impact of the global economic crisis grows every day, it’s changing the way that companies are having to operate, with brands evolving in different ways and connecting with customers at speed.
Many businesses are for the first time catering for customers that need things now, having been forced to go virtual, despite companies witnessing the trend for several years across all other industries. New technologies, mobile, social and always-on connectivity have empowered consumers to get access to information and services on-demand.
‘Now’ is the new normal and it seems the behaviour is beyond the point of no return as convenience has become a competitive advantage, which in turn is placing huge pressure on employees among the British workforce.
According to 4imprint’s research, eight in 10 workers said they are now expected to deliver instant results at work and 18% of the nation’s employees claim their boss wants everything yesterday. Three in 10 workers think that the landscape is shifting so rapidly in their industry that their role is changing faster than they can keep up with.
Delivery services are a good example of those companies that have succeeded when it comes to their marketing tactics. Uber, ebay and Amazon have been leading the way in the on-demand economy for years along with promotional products retailers that offer next day delivery.
Having a competitive edge over a rival business means staying afloat and exceeding expectations, especially when fast delivery culture is relied upon. In other words, you need to be there, be quick, be useful for your customers.
