Now or Never: How Companies Must Change to Win the Battle for Internet Consumers

This book is a rarity. It is a book that deals with and discusses technology, research and marketing in a very readable manner. I sat down and blasted thru 60-65 pages in no time. The content makes sense. For anyone interested in tapping into the untapped market of online cutomers Forrester are the pros. They have been THE Internet research company for years. I have met Mary Modahl and have seen her present. She knows what she is talking abut and it comes through in this book. The first 65 pages are worth the price of the book alone. All of us who are in 'the business' think we know the business. Not true. We are in the forest and much step back and get fresh ideas, a fresh perspective. We don't really KNOW who are customers are and how to reach them This book can give us a clearer understanding of how to attract them and where to find them. Running banner ads all over the place isn't going to cut it anymore. One of the fun things about the book is how she defines Internet users. I laughed when she described my habits. They were 100% accurate, dead-on! Scary when you think about it. And I wasn't even one of the 250,000 people they interviewed. Spend the money, read the book, keep it in your library and share this information with your boss

Now or Never offers an invaluable perspective on branding on the Net. While rich with statistics, I found the book highly readable. You come away with a clearer understanding that the web economy is more than a race for eyeballs - getting people to a site is just the first step. The kind of experience they have there and your ability to target your market correctly and effectively will determine the success of an e-business. I consider this one a must not only for e-tailers but for anyone who invests in internet businesses at any level.

When I first bought this book, I was skeptical of how valuable the information enclosed would turn out to be. However, I came away from the book with a better understanding of online, offline, and potential online consumers than I previously had. The books is easy to read and the concepts easy to grasp, but the information is of vital importance to any executive, marketer, or entrepreneur that wants to know the prospects for online commerce in the next five years.

In my opinion, the title does a disservice to the extraordinarily valuable content of the book that bears that name. Those with extensive experience in the so-called E-conomy have learned (with the scar tissue to prove it) that words like "always" and "never" are irresponsible. So much for the title. Modahl writes with great skill. She has assembled a wealth of material which is Consumers (everything starts there...without such understanding, it probably ends there), Exploiting Internet Business Models (as Derek Bok once observed, "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance"), and then Defying the Gravity of the Old Ways of Doing Business (much easier said than done but imperative nonetheless). Modahl then provides an Appendix in which she examines "Technographics Methodology." I strongly recommend that, periodically, this Appendix be re-read in light of the certain and sometimes major changes which will occur in the E-conomy. Informed by what seems to be an avalanche of real-world evidence, Modahl identifies five "alarming" trends: -New pricing models that undermine existing revenues. -Higher customer-service expectations. -New ways to distribute products. -Unexpected market opportunities. -High rates of entry--even in very staid markets. Given these trends, what to do? Modahl offers all manner of options, in combination with specific suggestions as to how "the battle for Internet consumers" can be won while retaining long-term value in an Internet business. Some of the winners will be traditional companies; others will be dotcoms. Modahl asserts that "The past is not what will drive the future." Some may agree with William Faulkner who observed, " The past isn't even the past yet." In the final chapter, Modahl summarizes brilliantly the key points she has so carefully developed earlier. She then concludes, "In the end, the companies that win the battle for the Internet consumers will be the ones that really want to." At least in this context, for many of those unwilling and/or unable to engage in that "battle" now, tomorrow may indeed be too late.

Now Or Never is very aptly titled. The author makes the case for getting into the game now, before your competitor figures out how to win.This book is immediately useful for those trying to figure out their winning strategy on the net. The tour through Forrester's Technographic models on consumer types is worth the price alone. The discussion on Internet business models puts the reader in the driver's seat, trying to avoid whiplash, given the implications the author clearly articulates regarding just how difficult building an Internet business really is. This book tells it like it is, not with all the puffery so often served up.For dessert, check out the final chapter where the author talks about what she sees when Internet start-ups meet with her to discuss their great new idea(s). Her perspective on how she knows who will win and who won't is convincing and appropriately focused on the key factors of founders and financing.