My comment to manufacturers is quite simple: maintain an effective presence on the Net.
By effective presence I mean web pages that are up to date, e-mail links that actually garner quick responses, and participation in forums like this. I think it is unquestioned that for the small investment in time that folks like Sal Glesser, Will Fennell, Rick Shultz, Scott Evans and others have spent online, they have been rewarded with riches in astute feedback, market research, customer satisfaction, and good will. I noted that Buck Knives now has a member of their staff who is assigned responsibility for keeping tabs on e-commerce and that he now posts here too. These are the folks who will remain in the forefront with their respective companies. Those who choose to ignore e-commerce and the Net's ability to put them in direct touch with a demographic segment of their customer base will loose out in the long run.
Walt, I wish I could discern some change from Benchmade but I can not. As I look back I've noted that my acquisitions for the last 18 months have been exclusively with manufacturers and custom makers who have immersed themselves effectively in the Net. They provide me with not only great products, many on the cutting edge, but with accessability. That combination will increasingly be hard to beat as e-commerce continues to expand. All they need do is check out the sales figures from Christmas season '97 and '98 to see the incredible growth. Initiatives like MP3 for audio and even the new online pharmacies foretell the future. More and more industries will have established footprints on the web. Some through technological innovation like MP3. But the bottom line is that a growing percentage of retail trade will take place on line period!
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-=[Bob]=-
Always yield to temptation as it may never pass your way again!
God save us from those who want to save us from ourselves.
Forgive your enemies....but not before they're hanged!
Rascality has limits; stupidity has none.
I did NOT escape from the institution! They gave me a day pass!
^)