In order for a business to survive in today’s world, it is important that we regularly review what we are doing and how we are doing it. By considering new ideas and new ways of doing things, and trying to innovate, we can improve on our products/services, increase sales, reduce costs and make our processes more effective and efficient. Innovation is key to increasing profits. There are several ways a company can be innovative with their products and services. Today we will look at four of them.

Using the latest technology to improve your product/service
When we think of innovation, we often think of new technologies. While they might be impressive, we should not use new technologies just because they are available. It is important to consider how the technology can improve our product/service and make a difference to our customer. Companies that produce cars, toiletries, household appliances, etc. often have a large R&D department to work on making their products better.

2. Responding to customer demands by changing what is on offer

By listening to customer feedback, we can get their opinions on how we are doing and find out about what it is that they want. We also need to be aware of changes in customer demands and keep up with the times. When fast-food restaurant McDonald’s realised that the market wanted healthier choices, they introduced fruit and salads, while removing the ‘supersize’ option from their menus.

Offering a new product/service to reach new customers
Your business might be doing well, but there is no growth or development and there is a risk that your competitors might take away some of your customers. Innovation sometimes means developing a new product that targets a different market. Although video games were often played by boys, in 2006, video games giant Nintendo introduced the game console Nintendo Wii, successfully targeting girls and older customers with games like Cooking Mama and Brain Training.

Changing the way you provide a service
By looking at the changes to the customer’s lifestyle and needs, we sometimes realise that there might be better ways to serve them. Customers who do not have a lot of time might prefer to have their food or their shopping delivered to their homes, or they might like to do their banking online rather than in an actual bank. Not all innovation will bring success to our businesses, but it can give us the opportunity to grow and learn more about what we do and what our customers might want.
Task 1: Match the definitions (a–h) with the vocabulary (1–8).

Vocabulary

Definition

1. blank …… profits
2. blank …… innovative
3. blank …… a demand
4. blank …… to review
5. blank …… R&D

using new ideas or ways of doing things
to look at something again to change it if necessary
research and development, the part of a business that develops or improves its products
money that is made by a business after all the costs are paid
a need for something to be sold or provided
to direct a product at a particular person or group