If you aren't looking out for your customer, someone else will. The customer sets the channel, Aldrich added. Relationships Are Critical Relationships are becoming increasingly important, agreed Cees Van Luijk, president and CEO of Getronics. There is a greater opportunity to access resources through alliances, and one needs to adroitly manage these relationships, he said. Companies need to shift management to focus on the challenge of managing multiple dimensions the primary determinant of success.
Vertical links provide more direct connections with suppliers and clients.
Horizontal links with partners can create new value propositions, Van Luijk said. O'Mahony remarked she expects to see companies become more vertically disintegrated. However, the profusion of emarketplaces may increase the challenge to secure relationship chains. Wave Two is about doing fundamentally new things, such as radio stations customized to the individual, customized TV viewing, intelligent appliances interacting, collaborative engineering in 3D, and language-neutral Web sites, said Aldrich. However, IDC information that is to be used in advertising, press releases, or promotional materials requires prior written approval from the appropriate IDC vice president or country manager.