According to some research we’ve just conducted, 22% of new start businesses base themselves in a coffee shop and are driving a new trend we describe as “cappuccino commerce.”
Speaking on Radio 5 live this morning, I cited some of the drivers behind this trend, as always airtime is very limited, so I’m expanding some of the notes I’d prepared here for quick and easy comsumption.
- The new postcode of SME’s is “no fixed abode.”
- Technology is the key driver of this change, in particular the availability of free wi-fi and cloud computing. 71% of respondents cited smartphones, mobile printing devices and tablet computers as the key things that felt enabled them to work in this way.
- 67% of these businesses intend to stay “office free.”
- AAA* is the new standard for business success “Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere.”
- It took Apple 24 years to sell 67M i-macs, it took them 3 years to sell as many i-phones and only 2 years to sell as many i-pads.
- Apple derives 60% of it’s revenues now from products that didn’t exist 3 years ago.
- Access is the oxygen to mobile businesses (access to wi-fi or a high speed mobile network).
- New start businesses have high agility, this ability to work anywhere gives them competitive advantage, not disadvantage.
- SoLoMo – Social, Local and Mobile businesses are the key trends fuelling further new starts and customer buying behaviour.
- Fi-Wi is the new Wi-Fi. Users are demanding higher speed on the move.
- Generation X, Y + Z are all participating in the shift.
- Businesses like Brother are adapting their product offers to this new breed of “roam-workers” by introducing new products like mobile printers, mobile scanners, i-pad print and scan applications plus cloud printing applications.
- Globalisation of business means people need to be on the move.
- Access to power is also one of the key considerations as to where people work. No power = juice jitters and technology meltdown. Coffee shops, listen up!
- Digital Ubiquity is the new watchword – you heard it here first.
