Jan 5, 2023
In 2021, a Dutch supermarket chain, Jumbo, created a special
checkout line - it was designed to be slower and give people the
opportunity to chat to each other and the cashier. It has received
rave reviews, and Jumbo is now rolling it out to all their stores.
Part of the reason for this is that many people are lonely. So much
so that the UK government a few years ago created a "Minister for
Loneliness". Japan has something similar.
More people live alone than ever before - although being alone and
being lonely are two different things, of course. It's possible to
be lonely in a crowd. Which is why society and companies need to
think of ways to engage with people who feel lonely and need some
connection.
Companies should provide options: (1) automate my engagement with
you - I don't want to connect; (2) give me a minimal human touch,
or (3) I choose to chat.
How would this apply to your industry? Would it be something your
customers would pay a premium for? Or could it just be a wonderful
societal contribution you could make?