New York SBDC Research Network

You may have come across articles celebrating this very old-school business as an example of extreme customer service success. Dabbawallas are tiffin-meal delivery men in India and have a remarkable success rate for accurate delivery of hot meals. Now, the business journals are looking at this human-driven, personalized service model with interest. The cult of the dabbawala The Economist Management trends Jul 10th 2008 From The Economist print edition Business-school gurus take lessons from an unexpected source The Dabbawalla's Secret Seth Godin's Blog Dabbawalla Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It seems the trend to be unique is gathering strength. We notice it in the types of requests we get and in the success stories that we come across. People want their wedding to be "unique" and "special" with personalized favors and cake toppers. Customized m&ms, ketchup bottles, hershey bars, cereal boxes, soda bottles, gift cards, soaps, design-your-own totes and jeans, it seems like whatever you can think of, you can probably personalize it. I enjoy my iGoogle page with all my own source choices grouped in one place - we've become accustomed to having our way and we want to express our individuality through the products we buy. We've been seeing ways to personalize your car or your kitchen mixer. "Gravanity" Trendwatching.com This is an interesting monthly bulletin and you can also read all of this sites well-considered trends. Pimp my KitchenAid Charles Perry for Los Angeles Times Aug 09, 2007 Soup up your kitchen mixer or fridge or toaster