The Ratchet of Convenience
When I was a kid, there were only two ways to get a product: 1) Drive to the store and pick it up, or 2) In rare occasions, call the phone number in the printed catalog and have it delivered to your house two weeks later.
I recently needed a product. It was an obscure item that couldn't be found on the store shelf, so naturally, I jumped on Amazon. Much to my displeasure, the soonest I could get the product was the next morning. But I needed it now! I was hoping for a 1-2 hour delivery, but the best they could do was guarantee a 15-hour delivery. Lame!
If someone in the 90s would have whined about a 15-hour delivery on an obscure product when he was hoping for 1-2 hours, he might have gotten punched for being such an entitled brat.
We have an interesting relationship with convenience. We want it, but every time we have it, we want more of it. It's like a ratchet; it only gets tighter each time we twist it. I remember when Amazon launched Prime with the promise of two-day delivery. That seems impossible and completely unnecessary. Today, we regularly get next-day delivery....and often get same-day options as well. It's the ratchet tightening.
When does it stop? Where does it stop? To some extent, I'm not sure it will. As long as convenience is a priority for a given consumer, that ratchet will continue to tighten. We're probably not far away from clicking "buy" and having a drone deliver it 15 minutes later.
On the flip side, we don't have to worship convenience. While convenience is great, it's not the only consideration. When developing the Northern Vessel business model, many people asked if we were constructing a drive-thru. When my answer was a firm "no," their immediate response was some version of "you'll never stay in business without a drive-thru." While convenience obviously matters, we wanted to offer more. We elected to hitch our wagon to quality products and hospitality excellence. We believed people would give up some convenience if we served them an awesome product and treated them with love, kindness, and engagement. Our suspicions were confirmed. It's not convenient to drive to our location. It's not convenient to park the car and walk in. It's not convenient to stand in line (which can be a massive line depending on the day/time). It's not convenient to wait for the drink to be made (even though the team is extraordinarily efficient). None of these things are convenient, but other factors matter, too.
We humans will never relent on the ratchet of convenience, but we do value the complete experience. Consumers, know what's important when selecting businesses to patronize. There are times to prioritize convenience, and there are times to prioritize other factors. Businesses, don't get sucked into a race to the bottom. It doesn't have to be about having the cheapest price or most convenient option. Instead, find ways to add more value and create a richer experience.