A new year, a good time to take stock. The balance I want to talk about is that between online and offline. Twenty years ago, the online world did not exist and no one had heard of 'offline' in the current context. In the meantime, we spend more and more of our time online. The influence that our online behavior has on our offline life is increasing every day and it is difficult to predict how this will develop further.
What we see is that more and more people think that they spend (too) much time on the internet and are (in)directly looking for a balance between offline and online. This search for balance, as with most new developments, does list to data not happen in steps but in fits and starts. There are also major differences between the Dutch in online use. You have pioneers, followers and laggards, each with their own online experiences. Two years ago, we made a classification for the first time in the extent of digital use .
Online and offline for companies
Companies are also looking for balance. Research by TNS NIPO shows that companies that operate both online and offline have difficulty aligning the quality of their services across channels. Last year, we discovered for the first time that customer appreciation for a virtual shop assistant was higher than that for a real shop assistant. Companies that are '100% online', such as Amazon or our Dutch Bol , seem to benefit from the fact that they do not or hardly operate offline. They have no offline legacy.
Now Bol was bought by Ahold last year and the e-tailer has opened pick-up points in the AH. This is based on the prevailing view that the combination online and offline is the strongest. It indicates that Bol is also looking for the balance. The advantage of a virtual shop assistant is that, for example, they do not have a Monday morning mood. On the other hand, you can at least look a real shop assistant straight in the eye.