Prepare to let go of customers

Any seller in GEMs could stipulate favoured buyers for whom he will drop prices. This could be automated so that, for instance, someone designated a member of a furniture store’s loyalty programme would always have cheaper prices displayed. But they would be shown to the customer seeking a new armchair alongside those of multiple other sellers. As she narrowed her search down, by defining perhaps style of chair, pattern of material, then cost and availability with delivery charges for each option already calculated, the chances of the store being in her final selection would be increasingly slim. It would probably be more beneficial to orientate the company towards market overview information, trying to predict trends and ‘own’ a niche: individually tailored leather armchairs perhaps. Instead of outlining a pricing formula for one product the company specifies a rate at which it will build chairs of different sizes. These options, on as yet unbuilt items, are offered to every buyer whose requirements they match with the details sheet giving a delivery timetable and emphasizing the benefits of madeto- measure seating.