A consumer-driven economyIn the past, marketing relied on a stimulus-and-response method, where marketers sent stimuli in the form of advertisements and promotions to receive a specific response in consumer behavior. Today, marketers have discovered an alternative way to communicate with their consumers called “sense-and-response.” A perception and response model is one in which advertisers perceive what consumers say they want, through their behavior, and marketers respond as quickly and efficiently as possible. This new trend is giving the consumer control over the decisions that until now, multinationals have created for them. This affects many aspects of the business: from the items retailers decide to stock, to how merchandise is classified, to delivery, and consumers even have more control over the development of new products. Giving control to the consumer could save a company a lot of money, while at the same time keeping the consumer satisfied with the product. Many popular companies now practice “sense and respond” when it comes to running their business. Wal-Mart uses the Internet to allow its suppliers to access data about their daily sales. This way they not only help their suppliers, but also avoid overloading their stores; so they only buy what they know they will sell. Even companies like Dell that mass-customize their products for the consumer are practicing the "sense and response" method. While giving the consumer complete control over what they want in their product, Dell avoids wasting inventory that cannot be sold to the consumer. Being a consumer, I am personally excited to see this change in the retailer-consumer relationship. I was never aware of the losses that companies suffered when their products were not sold according to their expectations, understanding what the consumer wants will greatly improve this wasteful condition.