What are the characteristics of the business models of the future and how can they be harmonized with the existing business and partners? The precise determination of the current state enables the identification of optimization potential and offers a concept for action for the development of a digitization strategy. New customer-centric and networked business model scenarios are developed over three evolutionary stages - from product orientation to company-wide anchoring to platform-driven ecosystem expansion.
- Digital localization
- Business model analysis
- Digitization strategy
- Lean service creation
- Business model development
- Platform strategy
Digital localization
Digital transformation places a number of demands on your company and its readiness for change. An important starting point in this transformation is determining the "digital readiness" of your organization and employees. The question arises: How do you know to what extent your own organization is prepared and developed for a digital transformation? Determining this requires looking at the digital transformation from the internal side, but also examining the environment more closely in order to learn from digital approaches of other competitors and industries, among other things, and transfer them to your own business model. Looking at your company from a holistic perspective as well as the individual core components provides information about the necessary cultural change and the adapted skill requirements. A detailed overview of measures and the "Digital Roadmap" tailored to your goals ultimately give you a clear overview of the exact approach on the path to "Digital Excellence".
Business model analysis
Whether in the context of strategic further development, the restructuring of the product portfolio or the imminent investment in companies - in all cases, a precise analysis and evaluation of the underlying business model as well as the direct and indirect market environment is required. In practice, it is precisely the first step, the objective description and understanding of the existing business model, that proves to be extremely difficult. Typical stumbling blocks are the (wrong) application of different methods as well as the too detailed consideration of different perspectives and thus the loss of the holistic view. To counteract this, we follow the extended model of the Business Model Canvas and pay precise attention to describing your model in such a way that the uniqueness of your business model is presented in its entirety without diluting important details and individual success factors. The advantage for you is that you can then view your business model from an objective perspective, compare it with comparable typologies from other markets and industries, and generate new impulses from it. In the subsequent evaluation, we focus on identifying success factors and risks, which serve as the basis for formulating future business model scenarios.
Digitization strategy
The essential anchor point for companies on their way into and through digitization involves a clearly defined digitization strategy and objective in accordance with its digital maturity level. The implementation of digitization can only be successful in the long term if it is not viewed as an isolated niche topic within the company. Rather, it must run through the entire organization and be holistically coordinated and implemented. This means that digitization brings about far more than just the development of new digital services or their use in existing business. It leads to major changes in culture and leadership. Accordingly, digitization is not just a technical change, but leads to major changes in collaboration within the organization. We accompany you on your "digital journey" and support you in defining and implementing the right digitization strategy according to your digital maturity level and strategic goals.
Lean service creation
Developing a new digital product or service takes more than a creative moment. Rather, it is a stringent process that is clearly oriented toward the customer, addresses their problems and wishes, and creates solutions for them. 4C's own lean service creation approach, which is based on the modern methods of design thinking, pursues precisely this goal. In addition to an initial analysis of the target groups as well as the external environment, the collected (business) ideas are directly tested in the form of a prototype. This hands-on approach makes it possible to visualize initial ideas, explore the potential of a solution, and identify relevant inconsistencies in user-friendliness or functionality. It provides the basis for validating concrete functions and features of a concept and incorporating them into the decision-making process. From this point on, the definition of strategic business model scenarios and the transformation to a customer-centric and networked business model can be started. If your company would also like to benefit from increased revenue opportunities and scaling effects, we would be happy to advise you on the introduction and strategic anchoring of "Lean Service".
Business model development
Anyone who wants to develop innovative business models must understand what customers need and what problems they have. Those who want to establish these business models on the market in the long term must understand what the customer is willing to pay for and how, for example, the profitability of the business model can also be ensured via alternative revenue models. In the development of customer-centric and networked business models, we focus on three evolutionary stages. In stage one, the focus is on embedding the newly or further developed (digital) product offering in an economically viable revenue model - the product-oriented business model. Stages two and three deal with the challenges typically found in practice: How can the new business model be united with the existing business model and what can further business model scenarios look like in the course of the platform economy?
Platform strategy
Newly emerging platforms keep succeeding and arouse the interest of all business model innovators. However, not every business model is per se destined for further development into a platform. Rather, based on the existing business model, your own goals and core competencies, it must be carefully examined whether the path to a platform-driven business model is the right one for you and, if so, how it should be built up in a targeted and tailored manner. Typically, a distinction is made here between two approaches: Building your own platform or using an existing one. Both can help you to tap into new customer groups and expand your product range. We support you in defining the right platform strategy and accompany you in its implementation in order to maintain and expand your role as a platform operator or user.
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