Pick your metaphor — the outcome is the same. Whereas during the twentieth century, businesses prioritized pleasing customers, that is certainly not the case at this moment. Rather than innovating and passing the savings to customers, companies in the twenty-first century prioritize pleasing shareholders, typically resulting in less quality in both products and customer service.
This post is entitled “Treadmills and Conveyor Belts,” in an attempt to find a fitting analogy for the contemporary buying experience. Transacting used to be a simple experience. Nowadays, not only are the products lower-quality, but the amount of additional upsell attempts in the transaction flow is absurd. “You might also like…” “Customers who bought X also bought…” It is relentless. More than relentless, it is a bunch of subtle degradations of your quality of life. Rather than making your life better, marketers seem to be fixated on making people feel inadequate so it’s easier to sell to them. That’s really gross and sad.