Lean consumption: a model for businesses to deal with the tyranny of too much

Today's Boston Globe has an interesting article on lean consumption, a concept being put forth in the latest Harvard Business Review. While this concept was interesting, a couple of quotes about the tyranny of too much later in the article caught my eye:

Retail giants like Wal-Mart Inc. stock up to 100,000 items at their warehouse stores. But the average family buys only about 300, Womack notes. ''To get to those 300," he said, ''you have to walk by 99,700."

....

''People want to get what they need where they need it," Womack said. ''Many people really want a smaller number of choices."

The lean consumption model says that businesses should spend more time figuring out what makes life easier for their customers and focus on those processes and services. Blackfriars would add another step: clearly communicate the benefits of those choices to the consumer. If you adopt lean consumption, but don't communicate your strategy of making choices for the customer, customers won't understand the value your company is providing.