How to take advantage of the ‘fourth wave of e-commerce’

Bill Fotsch

The ‘fourth wave of e-commerce’ is the process by which branded product manufacturers deepen relationships with their consumers, particularly their most valuable consumers, by gathering data at the point of purchase. Bill Fotsch of Economic Engagement explains what a ‘fourth wave’ looks like for conscientious retailers.

Professor William Kahn, coiner of employee engagement, recently expressed that most of today’s “expert” work on the subject misses the mark. Despite companies spending billions on it over the last three decades, employee engagement has not meaningfully improved. In Kahn’s 1990 qualitative research, he clearly defined three key drivers of employee engagement: meaningfulness, safety and availability. Given that these three are largely absent from most employee engagement work, Kahn’s disappointment is understandable.

What today’s business leaders need is just this – real research that proves the validity of a philosophy or practice....

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