Consumer strategies for the internet: four scenarios

Abstract

This article outlines a scenario planning process for building successful World Wide Web related businesses. In addition to outlining five tips for Internet content providers, the article describes four alternative scenarios for the future of the Internet and identifies the 16 most relevant drivers of those scenarios. The scenarios—written as though it is the year 2000—describe alternative views of how the Internet will be used in the future, which technologies will emerge and which business models will be successful. They describe different environments businesses should prepare for. The drivers are the specific issues that will cause the scenarios to emerge. The five tips are: follow the people; the old Internet is not the new one; be radical; be robust; focus on niches.