Around the Net
Connected Toothbrush Adds Subscription Model
- TechCrunch, Wednesday, April 13, 2016 9:05 AM
E-commerce has become increasingly popular as a business model for the Internet of Things in the consumer space. A toothbrush example, as simple as it may sound, helps demonstrate that technology (software, connectivity or data), when viewed as a feature of a product, is hardly a game-changer for the product maker; opening the product to external innovation by developers can create a competitive advantage that is difficult to replicate; and, e-commerce companies see devices not as a source of profits, but as a part of the customer acquisition costs, serving as a vehicle for customer acquisition and engagement (Amazon Echo or Xiaomi phones are not much different, in this respect).
