Rapid digitisation and platformisation result in a situation that the end user is becoming more powerful than ever. Reviews on products and services can be found everywhere and there are countless platforms that allow end-users to compare, so companies have to be transparent about their business and put a lot effort into their customer relationship management.
Companies can benefit from the opportunities from online applications as well. Basically the amount of machines with a connection to the internet is growing exponentially which in turn results in endless possibilities. Industry 4.0 has the potential to be classed as the 4th industrial revolution.
With increased data collection, opportunities arise in the field of information technology and big data. Data helps to gain insight into processes throughout the chain and so optimize service levels and avoid waste. Measuring everything allows the costs to be controlled, leading to efficiency and better performance.