This Week's Herman Trend Alert Purpose Emerging as Important Driver of Engagement

The Herman Trend Alert August 17, 1999 The Exponential Growth of On-line Grocers 136 days until January 1, 2000 Fueled by a time-crunched culture and the need to do more in less time, concierge services have been available to do your grocery shopping, pick up the kids, drop off your dry cleaning, or buy gifts for loved ones. Internet grocers, like Shoplink, Streamline, HomeRuns, and Peapod, take the service to the next level. All you do is access their web sites, click on the items you want in your shopping cart, input your credit card number (the server is secure, of course), and go on to something else. In most cases within 24 hours, your groceries are delivered to your door. For some services, you don't even have to be there. Some years ago, the advertising executive, Lester Wunderman, predicted we would all have locked boxes outside of our homes where bonded delivery people would place our purchases. The updated version of Lester's box is a keypad (installed outside of the garage by Streamline and Shoplink) which allows the delivery person to place boxes in the garage. And just in case you wanted to rent a video, redeem bottles or cans, or get your shoes repaired, some of these internet services will do that, too! All this electronic commerce is creating some interesting new job/career opportunities: Fulfillment personnel who can pick and pack groceries for shipment, purchasing agents who have particular familiarity with special packing materials, customer service personnel who "know" groceries. The growth in this sector will only intensify the labor shortages plaguing employers throughout most of the country. You would think that the country's most wired communities (Dallas and Atlanta lead the pack) would be the best targets for these services. However, these companies need TAFies (technologically advanced families), people who not only have the money to "buy their way out of the details," but who also feel very comfortable with technology. Thus, Boston (only 5th most wired) has been the hotbed of the development for these services. For most of us who would rather be reading a book than reading the grocery labels, this type of service will be a blessing. © Copyright 1998- by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." WHO SENDS OUT YOUR NEWSLETTERS? We are convinced there is no better choice than ours! We have happily used DataBack Systems to deliver The Herman Trend Alert for over 10 years and. Visit their website (http://www.databack.com) or call Byron directly at 503.941.0427. You'll be glad you did. IS YOUR EMPLOYER AN EMPLOYER OF CHOICE®? Our effective, onsite seminars, workshops, and consulting can help you get there. We offer 1-, 2-, 3-hour, and full-day programs to help you communicate what it takes to become an Employer of Choice® and inspire your folks to get it done. In the future, being an Employer of Choice® will not be optional. Call Carol at 336-210-3547 to arrange a no-obligation conference call. Or order the electronic version of the Employer of Choice book on your desktop for only $17.80 @ http://hermangroup.com/store/books_all.html#2. STRUGGLING TO FIND THE PEOPLE YOU NEED? VETJOBS CAN HELP! Recently, hundreds of thousands of jobs remain unfilled due to a lack of capable people. If you are looking for qualified candidates, you need to hire a veteran using VFW-sponsored VetJobs, the largest military employment site on the Internet. Thousands of returning veterans are looking for good jobs now. Mention this ad in The Herman Trend Alert and receive a 10% discount on job postings. Call Ted Daywalt at 877-838-5627 or inquire at info@VetJobs.com. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Trend Alert service. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert. Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert View this week's Herman Trend Alert Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

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