Proof I have non lefty friends
(media.kotakuinaction2.win)
You're viewing a single comment thread. View all comments, or full comment thread.
Comments (39)
sorted by:
Honestly though the MBA's and this idea that every product has to "find their razor blade"* are largely responsible for the micro-transaction shift
* This refers to the razor model originated by Gillette where they would send men a free razor on their 18th birthday (I myself received one on my 18th birthday many years ago, so I have firsthand knowledge of this) that would require proprietary blades which cost many times more than a normal disposable razor.
Nowadays there are many examples of this, such as ultrasonic toothbrushes, single cup coffee makers, and ink-jet printers; and business schools encourage their students to find ways to employ this model to achieve recurring revenue.
Seems like medicine has gone this route. Once you're gone tranny with operations, you're forever bound to pharmaceuticals to suppress your body's natural urge to off itself.
Yes hormones, AIDS meds, and now those weight management drugs all operate on this model too.
I lost all faith in the medical system when I realized they'd rather you be 800 pounds kept alive by a cocktail of meds then actually healthy.
I'm not sure what's wrong with those toothbrushes. You're just saying they wear out, and you have to replace the heads with the same brand?
Single cup coffee makers serve a need. The pods aren't even really proprietary. Blame people for taking advantage of convenience. People may subscribe to coffee pods, but you can just as well pick them up by the hundreds at costco for 30c a piece.
Inkjets got better. You can buy inkjets with refillable or just cheap ink now.
A lot of subscription stuff has gone under. Particularly most of the food delivery businesses.
I'm not saying razor-and-blade is going anywhere. But I think that consumers also demand flexibility. They may "fall for" a gadget and then soon realize they're paying too much and figure out a different way to solve their need.
The point is that people who go to business school are taught that it is not desirable to simply sell a product once to a customer. They all want recurring revenue and look for ways to maximize that. And this changes the way in which products are designed.
Razor and blade is the default now, and it basically takes a customer revolt to move away from it. Even the pod coffee maker tried to RFID tag the pods so only "official" ones worked, and it took a customer revolt for them to back off on that idea.