To borrow a line from Bob Dylan, things are changing online. For example - more clothes is sold online now than computer hardware now. Something I never thought I would happen, given that most people are used to going to retail stores to buy clothes.

Another change that is more subtle, is almost 90% of restaurants in the U.S. have a website now. This survey was done AIS Media, who surveyed 6000 restaurants. More and more websites are putting their menus online, and email was being used as the primary way to communicate by 68% of survey respondents. Even more surprisingly, 29% sent out a monthly targeted email campaign.

What's not surprising is this is a great way for a retail business to bring back customers and nurture new ones. Coupons are common in the retail food business and email is a great way to get them out AND get them forwarded to their friends and family as well to get new customers.

The survey goes on to say that the majority of these establishments use a professional services firm to provide this capability. It goes on to say that 'With over 89% of restaurants in America currently having a website, the competition for restaurants will be to have a highly specialized website that speaks to their specific clientele', said Thomas Harpointner, CEO of AIS Media, Inc.

These changes remind me of something that Bill Gates said 20 years ago. 'People overestimate how fast technology will be adopted, and underestimate how widely it will get adopted'. I think the world's richest man still has that right.

Labels: email marketing, online marketing, professional websites