Ecommerce's Monthly Talking Point: December 1998 Soft Cell I had an animated discussion recently with a guy who watches the IT services market for ecommerce apps very closely. We clashed (politely, of course - this is England) over the nature of the barriers on takeup for mass market ecommerce. (I argue elsewhere at boring length that business-to-consumer ecommerce isn't today's big game, but I accept that it is the long-term scenario that motivates most players.) His position was that bandwidth and security are the stumbling blocks, and that interactive digital television will provide the platform for mass market success. Well, I used to assume the same thing - that there's a technical barrier which, once broached, will release pent-up demand. But then I came across a piece somewhere that distinguished between 'lean-in' and 'lean-back' interaction modes. According to this model, the PC is a 'lean-in' device which absorbs the attention of an individual, whereas the TV is a 'lean-back' device that basically pacifies a group. The implication is that committed buyers may use a PC to purchase, because they'll make the effort to locate what they want and complete the transaction. But with a 'lean-back' technology, who's the buyer? Is it the family member who's holding the zapper when the music stops? And are you going to rely on impulse shopping alone - parading an array of goods before the viewer's eyes, hoping she'll click on some of them as they go by? Will the TV become the favoured medium for business-to-consumer ecommerce? I wouldn't bet on it. Chances are, you're already carrying around the ubiquitous commercial appliance of the next decade. You might want to upgrade it for something with a snappier screen, but I predict the mass market is in pocket shopping... You could call it the age of the soft cell.

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© 1998 Paul May