The phrase “instant society” has been thrown around for a couple of years now. It refers to the fact that consumers want things now and are in a hurry all of the time. They rush through their day without even thinking about how fast they are moving. Case in point, the average person looks at art in a museum for about 8 seconds. If the viewer, can’t find the information they need in two clicks or less on a website, they will go to another site. If the site takes too long to load (more then 4 seconds), they go to another site. Text messaging has even shorten the English language to a series of acronyms. Everything is faster, smaller, lighter, and more convenient then ever.

In this economy and technical age we, the business owners and markets, need to pay attention the changes in the consumer behavior. No one complains about the volume of junk mail they get anymore because it just isn’t there.  The United States Post office  stated a $3.8 billion net loss during the fiscal year that ended in September, despite $6 billion in cost-cutting moves. Total mail volume fell more steeply than ever — by 25.6 billion pieces, or almost 13 percent, more than double any decline in postal history. Worse, the Postal Service expects that 2010 mail volume will drop by another 11 billion pieces. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/16/AR2009111603629.html). This attributed to the economy and the rise of electronic communication.

As little as 10 years ago, we used the internet to support print campaigns and materials. The website was more of an online brochure that echoed what was sent out to the consumers in print form. The tables have turned. To reach new customers and maintain the ones, we have to go where they are. So where are they? They are online. They are on Social Media, email, Ebay, online stores, their cell phones, and anything else having to do with the web. They want information and they want it now. They fastest way for them to get it is online.

If you want proof of this, just look around. Look at your clients, your friends and your family. How many are on Facebook?  When you walk down the street, how many people are checking their email on their phones, looking up directions to the nearest store, finding a new place to eat, and looking for the latest and greatest new “thing”? Now they have the ability to be online from just about anywhere.

Then the one big question remains. If businesses are not “online”, then how will this “instant society” find them?

I asked one my children “What is a phone book? and she said “It is a book about phones”.  She is almost 9. After I got over my amazement and my giggle fit. I started to think.

Who uses a phone book these days?  My sister, who is 28, looks everything up on the computer. I don’t even own one. In fact, no one I know even has one anymore.

Yet, when I researched the yellow pages stats online, there was lots of conflicting data. The Yellow Pages Association has one set of numbers and Bill Gates has predicted that in 5 years, no one under 50 will be using a phone book at all. Don’t forget there is an initiative to ban the phone book all together.

The YPA stated in their website “The Yellow Pages Association™ (YPA™) today announced that industry research shows 2007 Yellow Pages usage grew to 17.2 billion searches in 2007, up from 16.7 billion in 2006.” Wait, it grew? How is this possible?

According to Internet World Stats, 73.9% of the population of North America uses the internet. The growth from 2000-2009 is 132.9%. Okay, so more then have half have internet access.

Also, 76% of Americans own a computer. Given these statistics, how long do you think the phone book will be around? I am thinking it won’t be around long.

As the younger generations, who are growing up with computers and the internet, become the consumers, it is almost a given that the phone book will go the way of the dinosaur. So to you the phone book, giver of some much information in your yellow glory, I salute you and bid you a fond retirement!