In the United States, we have converted from being an economy driven by manufacturing to being a services economy.  Many of the norms developed in the 70s and 80s and implemented in the 90s around business process are dated in today’s service driven world.

We are seeing a gradual shift to what I call a “hyper-local” services economy – a combination of a return to the local market with the power of reach provided by the internet. How this materializes is specific to industries, markets, and individuals.

Take, for example, this recent article in the Denver news about a young couple who bought a local pharmacy. They are in some ways a throw-back to the pharmacist who knew everyone and what was going on in the local lifeblood, but they are uniquely Millenials, positioning to provide hyper-local service in an increasingly bland market, carving a niche for themselves as being more than corporate grey.

I think we will see more and more of this as the “hyper local” services economy finds its footing into today’s market.  And in that term, I don’t mean “local” to be purely geographic. It can be virtual, but it is about an intimate connection with the customer that doesn’t come through personas (yawn) or demographic modeling – it comes from having local, personal connections that only real human beings can materialize. What do you think?