Stable revenue stream, strong customer loyalty and $1 billion in cash – The “Subscription Business Model”

Meta is launching Meta Verified, Twitter has Twitter Blue, Netflix, Spotify, Porsche, Salesforce, GLOSSYBOX and HelloFresh also offer it: In the “subscriptions business model,” the customer pays a recurring price at regular intervals to gain access to a product or service.

Although the business model is definitely not new, it has long been considered very interesting (especially in the digital industry), not least after the sale of “Dollar Shave Club” to Unilever for $1 billion in cash.

The business model ensures regular revenues, higher predictability and predictability of cash flow, and enables companies to build close customer relationships through direct contact with the customer.

But: competition is fierce, customer loyalty is often not easy, and pricing (especially in difficult economic times) is a challenge.

We discuss the current state of the subscription business model.

Join the discussion here on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12734276/

10 years of Liquam – Development to date and future of the digital economy

Liquam celebrates its 10th birthday. Since 2013, we have been advising our clients on strategic alignment and providing implementation support for digital topics.

Since its founding, the digital economy and the topic of digitization have evolved on many levels. It became a key driver of change in business, society and technology. Over the years, the term digitization has changed, blurred, become a buzzword and been permanently redefined.

The technologies used are improving at breakneck speed. Companies, customers and market conditions are changing, setting new standards and creating innovative requirements within the company.

In the latest episode, we talk about developments over the last 10 years and what companies can expect in the future.

Join the discussion here on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12734276/

New solutions for changing customer behavior – Example: Click & Collect

New (digital) solutions for changing customer behavior are the right way to go, but it is also important to check whether the business model still fits.

The topic of “Click & Collect” has been the subject of controversial discussions among experts for many years. There are good arguments against this model – nevertheless, it has gained a lot of popularity among customers in recent years, not least due to the limitations of the Corona Pandemic.

But is this solution at all sustainable if it does not fit the companies’ business model? Are many approaches therefore approached half-heartedly and as a stationary issue because companies don’t actually want them and are only trying to lure customers to the stationary space? A solution to changing customer behavior can only work if the customer has real value: that’s what we discuss in the new podcast episode.

Join the discussion here on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12734276/

The dilemma of incumbents with disruptive technologies and business models

There is a theory that successful companies have difficulty responding to disruptive technologies or business models because they stick to their existing business models and their successful products. Could this also happen to companies like Google or Apple? People like to speculate that there are companies that are “too big to fail” – but every company can reach its zenith and Jeff Bezos also assumes that the death of Amazon is inevitable.

How can established companies prevent themselves from missing out on important disruptive developments and being overtaken by new, innovative companies?

How do companies deal with this when faced with the decision of whether to stick with a successful business model or abandon it in favor of a potential opportunity?

Join the discussion here on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12734276/

“Last Christmas I gave you my… prediction for
2022″ – what became of it and what sense tech trends make at all

In keeping with the new year, they’re popping up again everywhere: The Tech Trends 2023.
A nice, recurring format for media and free advertising for companies looking to spotlight their products for the next year.
How meaningful can such trends be? What is the minimum level that a trend should have in order to be worth paying attention to at all? What about “trends” like: Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, the Metaverse, Flight Taxis… and will ChatGPT be the next Clubhouse?

What makes a good forecast and why fixating on next year’s trends may not be ideal: that’s what we discuss in the new podcast episode.

Join the discussion here on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12734276/

How companies monetize their reach – Example: Retail Media

More and more companies are using the reach they have built up through their established business model for other business models, such as marketing advertising measures in their own store.

This model is not new. Amazon started selling advertising on its own platform back in 2012. Currently, this is the fastest growing business sector.

In Germany, companies such as REWE, Obi, Douglas and Media-Saturn are also trying to follow suit under the term “retail media” and create new opportunities to reach shoppers.

Why this can work well, customers are willing to invest a lot of money and what to look out for: that’s what we discuss in the new podcast episode.

Join the discussion here on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12734276/

Soccer World Cup Live Broadcast – Better off with Amazon Prime Video?

In addition to all the excitement surrounding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, we’re dedicating ourselves to the topics that “outrage” us digitally – even if these topics are nowhere near as important. We talk about questionable apps that might make a Mark Zuckerberg jealous and especially about a TV experience that leaves an incredible amount of potential given today’s technological possibilities.

Wouldn’t services like Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV+ be able to create a much better and data-driven “TV” experience? Apple TV+ has big ambitions with its live sports strategy, but Amazon, which is already active in the Champions League, could also cause disruption in interaction with its in-house streaming platform Twitch, among other things.

To accompany the new episode, we now have our LinkedIn group for the podcast. Stop by right now:https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12734276/

Business models built on platforms – Example: Ghost Kitchen

Food delivery services such as “Uber Eats” or “Just Eat” have been an integral part of everyday life for many years now. Building on the delivery services and the associated apps or mediation platforms, another business model has developed: so-called ghost kitchens (or dark kitchens, cloud kitchens, virtual restaurants).

Again, meals are offered for delivery through the familiar platforms. But the difference is that it is not a real restaurant, but only a kitchen. Often spun off into warehouses on the outskirts of town, the appearance is under a variety of brands. Thus, different dishes and concepts sometimes come from the same kitchen.

We discuss how Ghost Kitchens compares to eCommerce and brick-and-mortar retail developments. What are the dependencies and challenges entrepreneurs face on platforms and what does it take to be successful in this construct?

Advertising on WhatsApp – Between user acceptance and despair

In our penultimate episode, we talked about the topic of customer access and reported that Rewe wants to do away with its paper brochures in the future and switch to WhatsApp.

Messaging offers companies a wide range of opportunities – but it also raises the question of how customers will become aware of companies in the future. Will it be possible to place ads on WhatsApp? A topic that has been regularly discussed and anticipated since Meta (then still Facebook) bought WhatsApp for $22 billion in 2014.
Meta wants / needs to start monetizing WhatsApp seriously and not scare away its 2 billion users.

Where is WhatsApp headed and what are the implications and opportunities for businesses?

Process automation to increase productivity and efficiency

The digitization of business processes has long been one of the core objectives of companies in order to optimize economic efficiency and increase the level of performance by means of automation.

In the meantime, however, the technical possibilities have become much more diverse.
From the use of software robots via RPA for the automation of routine tasks to complex business processes, employees can be relieved, costs reduced, service quality increased or lead times reduced.

In addition, digital business models require a high degree of agility in order to be able to adapt to changing competitive conditions. However, if companies still map important processes in analog form, an important foundation is missing.

We discuss the need for process automation, which processes are suitable, how best to go about it, and the impact it has on the organization in the podcast.

Customer access – How do companies reach their customers today?

Rewe wants to do away with its paper brochures in the future and is switching to WhatsApp – one example of many that shows a change in customer access.

Where and how do companies reach their customers? How do you avoid becoming dependent on a platform and instead retain customers directly and for the long term? We talk about current developments, backgrounds and potentials.

Cutting the Middleman – With Digitization “Direct to Consumer” (D2C)

The digitization of the retail sector has greatly accelerated one development in recent years: direct delivery to end customers – known as “Direct to Consumer”, or D2C for short. Large and well-known suppliers such as Adidas, Miele, Haribo and Lego are now bypassing retailers with increasing frequency.

As is well known, direct selling is not a new invention. However, digitization offers new opportunities here. We talk about this development, the challenges and opportunities in this podcast.

Is sales via live stream worthwhile for companies?

By 2020 at the latest, it felt like liveshopping was a megatrend and was coming to the Western world after a huge success in Asia. Every platform has become a modern version of QVC, and companies like Douglas, MediaMarkt and Lidl have now jumped on the bandwagon.

But the breakthrough is a long time coming and companies are faced with the question: Are Western customers lagging behind the wave – or are they simply not interested?

We talk about the developments to date, the different formats, possible target groups and product ranges. We also shed light on what companies should think about before jumping into the topic.

From the danger of slipping into the second row

Using “Apple TV” as an example, we discuss the methodology and business model of becoming a platform. Likewise, we talk about what challenges are emerging for other market participants and how it may impact their revenue streams. Why you should avoid slipping “into the second row” in order not to become interchangeable and how important it is to bind customers to your company at an early stage.

In the podcast, we talk about Apple’s services and performance, as well as the company’s current challenges.

Business area expansions and (digital) diversification

Technology and digitalization are changing the market situation. New or formerly non-industry competitors can become a challenge for established companies overnight, and new business areas are developing as well.

Based on the current developments at Apple, we discuss different forms and possibilities of business area expansions and (digital) diversification.

Monetization of your own infrastructure and attack on foreign industries

Companies are often faced with a make-or-buy decision. Are there providers who provide the necessary services or should you do it yourself?

Amazon has often faced this question and has e.g. B. with AWS or its logistics services, how you can also monetize your own infrastructure and cross-subsidize investments in your own infrastructure.

We talk about which other services are still to come and could make business difficult for established companies.

Misconception Corona correction

Companies that have been particularly successful during the pandemic now appear to be struggling as the crisis levels off. The figures from Peloton, Netflix, Dräger and Amazon, for example, are declining and making headlines.

In this episode, we examine this development. We show how companies have used the crisis and are now doing better than before.

How Amazon is changing business models with stationary experiments

Started with the attitude: “We believe that we can create a different kind of store that customers want”, Amazon has been experimenting with its own brick-and-mortar stores since 2015. During this time, Amazon used new technology to create a kind of “operating system for stationary shops”, which is now also used by companies such as Starbucks and Sainsbury’s.

In our podcast, we use this example to explain how the use of technology in conjunction with a special mindset can sustainably change business models, revenue streams, processes and customer needs.

Trailer – Schlaflos dank Seattle

Liquam is a management consultancy for digital business models and solutions. In concrete terms, this means: We support companies when technology becomes a competitive factor, traditional business models reach their limits or customer expectations become a challenge for companies.