Gartner Announces Release of New Book on 'Consumer Evolution' During Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2002
Business Strategy Book by Gartner Analyst Judy Carr and Workplace Scientist Charles Grantham Available Now
Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Oct. 9, 2002 — Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT and ITB) announced today that Judy Carr, Gartner vice president and research director, and Charles Grantham, noted workplace scientist, have co-authored a groundbreaking book, "Consumer Evolution: Nine Effective Strategies for Driving Business Growth" (John Wiley & Sons and Gartner Press; ISBN: 0-471-21676-3; $29.95; September 2002).

Consumer psychology has dramatically shifted in recent years, and Carr and Grantham contend that businesses must learn how to deliver value to the evolved consumer and develop business models that complement new consumer attitudes and behaviors.

"In today's economy, consumers and employees call the shots, not companies," said Carr. "Executives must understand the shifts in psychology that have put their customers and employees in the driver's seat and develop business strategies that cater to those shifts."

"Consumer Evolution" delivers examples of enlightened business activities such as Williams-Sonoma, which hosts cooking demonstrations for customers, and Starbucks, which has created an extended experience out of drinking coffee.

"Just as rivers, ports and railroads were the infrastructure of the industrial revolution, talent and knowledge constitute the infrastructure of today's economy," said Grantham, founder and chief scientist of the Institute for the Study of Distributed Work. "Businesses need to offer a lot more value and experience to achieve profit today, whether it's in the physical, cyber or virtual world."

In "Consumer Evolution: Nine Effective Strategies for Driving Business Growth," Carr and Grantham devote one chapter to each of the nine strategies for executives. Each chapter begins by stating a new truth of today's business climate and then delves into detailed actions and strategies executives need to execute.

Some of the new truths discussed in the book are:
  1. Consumer psychology has shifted from competition based on price (a commodity) to competition based on more intangible psychological satisfiers.
  2. Consumers have become distrustful of "big business," regulatory agencies and professionals.
  3. The mental model of a business as a mechanical operation has given way to a new mental picture of a business as an organic, dynamic living thing.
As senior program director for Gartner EXP, Judy Carr, Ph.D., serves as an executive advisor to CIOs on such issues as technology management and technology integration, IT governance, work redesign, change management and organizational culture. She is a contributor to GartnerG2, the business growth research division at Gartner, authors Gartner's Commentary on Government, and has played an active advisory role in many e-government initiatives.

Charles Grantham, Ph.D., is founder and chief scientist of the Institute for the Study of Distributed Work, where he studies the emergence of telework and the electronic workplace. He is a featured columnist for a number of business magazines and has consulted for a variety of Fortune 500 companies, including Agilent Technologies, BP Amoco, Cisco Systems, PeopleSoft and Sun Microsystems.

"Consumer Evolution: Nine Effective Strategies for Driving Business Growth" is available in bookstores nationwide and via major online booksellers.

About Gartner
Gartner, Inc. is a research and advisory firm that helps more than 10,500 clients understand technology and drive business growth. Gartner's businesses consist of Gartner Research, Gartner Consulting, Gartner Measurement and Gartner Events. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, and has 4,000 associates, including 1,200 research analysts and consultants, in more than 90 locations worldwide. Fiscal 2001 revenue totaled $963 million. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.
Contact:
Allison Haines
Gartner
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allison.haines@gartner.com