The introduction of technology and high-speed internet has changed the way our world operates. Bankers started keeping records in computers rather than keeping account books; students are learning with the help of the internet without teachers; production work is done with the least involvement of humans.
The Internet has influenced almost every field. It killed many jobs and terms that we used to use frequently, and at the same time, it gave birth to many new terms such as influencers, YouTubers, DIY, net banking, and prosumers. These terms have no relevance without the internet.
In this article, you are going to learn about the new term “Prosumers,” which became famous and relevant because of the internet and technology.
What is prosumer?
The fast-changing technology and the introduction of real-time platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube are changing the way people view products and services. It is inevitable for companies to understand this shift to stay profitable. Therefore, they need to understand the change taking place from consumers to prosumers.
The term prosumer is an amalgamation of terms producer and consumer. A prosumer is a person who consumes as well as produces a product. The process of production by a consumer is known as presumption. The term prosumer is not a new term. It was introduced by futurist Alvin Toffle in 1980. But it has never been relevant as it is in the present time. It has become so important that businesses and marketers can not ignore it if they want to stay profitable.
Earlier, this term was used for a person who consumes products as well as produces a product. For example, people who produced electricity by installing solar panels on the roofs of their houses were called prosumers. But in the present times, the term prosumer has got a completely different meaning. Nowadays, prosumers can also be referred to as “Professional consumers”. That means these people are not only consuming a product but also talking about the products on various internet platforms. Their voices play a significant role in the failure or success of a product or a business.
In the digital era, the trend of influencers is quite popular. Influencers are those people who have a significant number of followers on social media platforms. They share different content such as educational, inspirational, DIY methods, reviews of different products, entertainment-related on their social media platforms to entertain their followers.
People trust these social media people as they can relate to them. Therefore, this gives them the power to ruin or build the image of a brand or a product. These influencers are also referred to as bloggers, microbloggers, and YouTubers because of different social media platforms used by them. They can spread the message and increase the demand for a product. They can encourage people to buy a product or can discourage them from putting their money in it.
Therefore, it is necessary for a business not only to learn the importance of these prosumers but also to identify them and build a relationship with them. In the digital era, these prosumers can increase the demand for a product or brand more than any other traditional method of marketing and advertising.
Definition of prosumer
A prosumer is a person who not only consumes a product but also produces a product, or it can also be defined as a professional consumer who not only consumes the product but also spread the word about it using his social media platforms or internet presence.
Impacts of prosumers
Prosumers not only buy and consume a product but also tell about it to other people. What they speak matters as a result of which it puts a significant impact on the business of an organization.
Let us learn how a prosumer can impact your business.
1. A prosumer can promote your product
A prosumer has a platform where he can share information with his followers. Therefore, you can approach him or her to promote your product on his platform.
2. A prosumer can help you in boosting the sales of your product
A prosumer can influence a large number of people. He can convince them to buy your product. Moreover, if you can work in partnership with them to give a special discount to their followers to boost your sales.
3. A prosumer can build or destroy the image of a product
A prosumer can build or destroy the image of a product. Their followers follow them religiously and trust what they say. The image of your product or brand can be immensely affected if they say wrong about your product on their platform and vice versa.
Therefore, it is crucial to build a positive relationship with them. So that at least give bad reviews of your products on their platforms.
4. People check their reviews before making a purchase decision
Like I told you before, these prosumers use products and give professional reviews about those products on their social media platforms. Nowadays, rather than believing advertisements, people check reviews of these prosumers before making a buying decision.
5. Helps people to become smart consumers
The prosumers play an essential role in making consumers smart because they share detailed reviews of products with their followers and share information with them that helps people to make intelligent decisions.
Consumers vs Prosumer – Difference between consumers and prosumers
The consumers and prosumers are two entirely different terms. The term prosumer is created by modifying the term consumer. A consumer who only buys a product and consumes it and does not have the power to influence other people.
On the other hand, a prosumer not only buys and uses a product and also talks it to educate others. There are many other differences between a consumer and a prosumer. In the table below, you will learn about the differences between a consumer and a prosumer with the help of an example.
The followings are the key differences between a consumer and a prosumer.
| Consumer | Prosumer |
|---|---|
| A consumer is a person who buys a product and uses it. | A prosumer is a person who buys a product, uses it, and spread the word about it. |
| A single consumer does not affect the image of a brand. | A single prosumer can affect the image of a brand. |
| A consumer might have or might not have a considerable number of followers on social media or other internet platforms. | A prosumer has an enormous number of followers on social media and other internet platforms. |
| A consumer only uses a product and make an opinion about the product, which matters only to him or her. | A prosumer uses a product and spread the word about it on social media platforms where a large number of people listen to him or her. |
| Whether a product will fail or not is not in the hand of one consumer. | The future of a product can be affected by a prosumer. |
| Companies don’t approach a consumer to talk about their products. | Companies approach and even pay to prosumers to spread positive word about their products. |
| The example of a consumer is you or any other person buying a product in the supermarket. | The example of Prosumer “Jerryrig everything.” He talks about the latest smartphones in the market and confirms the claims made by the company in his YouTube videos. |
How to make the use of prosumers to promote your products?
The followings are the steps that you can follow to make prosumers promote your products.
Step 1. Find out the popular influencers on the Internet:
Many influencers on the internet have a significant number of followers. Not all these influencers need to be right to promote your products. For example, you can ask an influencer who talks about technology to improve your cosmetic products. Make a list of people who are the right choice to speak for your product.
Step 2. Research about them and learn how they work to promote products:
Research about the influencers that you want to work with before contacting them. Learn about their methods and conditions of working.
Step 3. Contact these influencers:
The next step would be to get in touch with these prosumers using their contact information available online and discuss your business proposition with them.
Step 4. Build a relationship with them:
Build a positive relationship with them as these people hold the power to build or ruin the image of your brand or product. To create a relationship with them, you can send samples of your products and gifts on special occasions.
Step 5. Ask them to promote your product:
You can skip step 4 and can get straight to business and ask them to promote your product. However, having a positive relationship with prosumers is not harmful, it will help you in your future deals with them
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