Recently, my microwave died. It did so in flamboyant and hysterical fashion. It was late; we had been out with friends. We were hungry. We put something in the microwave and hit Go. Some number of seconds later as we were going about our merry way in the kitchen, there was a loud POP and a flash of light. Somewhat like a military flashbang, we were surprised and disoriented…and then pretty amused by the demonstration.
In the light of day, I got down to finding a replacement – and it got me to thinking. I hadn’t replaced the microwave in nine years. (A good run, I know!) In that time, microwaves had changed dramatically. Now there are all manner of specialty programs for a wide variety of foods. There are sensors to know when my frozen block of hamburg is thawed – and a complementary program that accounts for a one, two or three pound block.
Then I remembered that my mom redid her kitchen a couple years ago and ran into a lot of the same things.
Refrigerators these days have freezer drawers on the bottom, where they were traditionally on top. They have internal or external water and ice makers. They have door alarms and configurable shelves and temperature/humidity zone settings for different foods.
Now, you can get double ovens nearly standard – a feature that was only available on commercial cookers in the not too distant past. There is convection; there are built-in meat thermometers; warming trays; timers; delay mode; warm mode. Just 10 years ago these features either didn’t exist or were only available in the $$$$$ category. (Then again, we weren’t all obsessed with competitive cooking shows a decade ago, either.)
My point is, when you look around your kitchen, no matter what appliance you light upon, you’ll find that it has probably evolved quite a bit in recent years. And, if you were put in the position that my microwave put me in, it wouldn’t be a matter of just going and grabbing a replacement. In fact, your model likely doesn’t exist anymore. You’d probably want to do some research and learn about the new features available to decide if it makes sense to have them in your next version.
The same could be said for the technology in your living room. The TV, stereo, speakers, game-box-turned-entertainment-system – even your cable box – has evolved dramatically in recent years.
Wait. Then there’s the whole Internet of Things (IOT) that’s evolving everything from home security to your lights and thermostat.
So, after wandering around the house and looking at the technology evolutions, let’s head to the computer and look at your website. I’ve got a couple questions for you:
- How long has it been since you built/rebuilt/redesigned, or even attended to, your company’s website?
- Do you suppose the way we use an oven has evolved as much as the way we use the Internet in the time since you did?
- And has any of these changed since you last updated your website? Your business model, business objectives or web channel goals?
Are you catching my drift?
Stephanie
