The Experience Economy

*If you charge for stuff, then you are in the commodity business.
*If you charge for tangible things, then you are in the goods business.
*If you charge for the activities you perform, then you are in the service business.
*If you charge for the time customers spend with you, then and only then are you in the experience business. We are on the threshold, say authors Pine and Gilmore, of the Experience Economy, a new economic era in which all businesses must orchestrate memorable events for their customers. Every Business a Stage offers a creative, highly original, and yet eminently practical strategy for companies to script and stage the experiences that will transform the value of what they produce. From America Online to Walt Disney, the authors draw from a rich and varied mix of examples that showcase businesses in the midst of creating personal experiences for both consumers and businesses. The authors urge managers to look beyond traditional pricing factors like time and cost, and consider charging for the value of the transformation that an experience offers. Goods and services, say Pine and Gilmore, are no longer enough. Experiences and transformations are the basis for future economic growth, and Every Business a Stage is the script from which managers can begin to direct their own transformations.