How are business models being disrupted?

A prime example of business model disruption can be seen in high street bookseller, Waterstone's (with an apostrophe!). Customers are going in store and using QR on books to then shop online. They are experiencing the books in store but buying elsewhere. All of the money Waterstone's have invested in sales and marketing equipment is wasted; although it may be working, they are not making a profit.

Various ways in which these models are being disrupted in terms of resources are as follows:

Information - With an increase in digital purchases, we can no longer rely on Nielsen Bookscan to provide accurate sales data. We must consider the marketing implications of this.

Cash - Simply, the ratio of outgoings vs. income. Where does the next investment lie? Newest software, is there then ever a good time to invest with new technologies arising so rapidly after one another. This leads to...

Equipment - keeping the hardware up to date. Owning the newest piece of hardware available on the market is now essential for publishers to test, examine and learn from. These can be...

Products - across different media platforms.

Technology - It isn't just the hardware, but the software used is also something that is constantly being updated. Newer versions, i.e. ePubs.

People - Employees are a vital resource in a business, and with new technology and software there is a new skill set that is needed, namely - digital.

Brand Loyalty - Consumers used to look to Booksellers and Authors for branding, and while many still do, it is now the publishers that are building their brand.