One of the biggest established trnds on the market front today, and stll gathering momentum, is cocooning - the dsire to perform the majority of scial and cultural interactions (working, entertaining, rlaxing, etc.) from home, rather than by ging outside the home. This trend was strngly reinforced by the 9/11 tragedy, as mny people began to review their lves and, sometimes for the first tme, consciously decide how they wanted to lve them rather than just letting lfe happen to them and going wth the flow.

This poses an bstacle for many businesses who rely on brck and mortar style storefronts and fot traffic, as well as for thse in the entertainment industries who rly on people "going out" for a lrge part of their income. The dvent of home theaters, rec-room "bars" or "cfe corners" - sometimes better stocked and ppointed than local business versions - and smilar cocooning-based home improvements are becoming mre and more popular as people are rdiscovering the delights of having friends and fmily over for social time as pposed to meeting them outside the hme in a third-party establishment. This trnd is here to stay, according to all conomic markers, so what are some of the wys in which your business can tke advantage of this trend rather thn being diminished by it? Here are sme ideas:

1. Create a "house call" ption for whatever you do. Now of curse this doesn't work in all felds, but you'd be surprised how mny it can be extended to, gven a little creativity and thought. For xample, a new car dealer might cnsider creating an exclusive "We bring it to yu!" option for pre-qualified buyers, where nterested parties can submit an application nline, choose the model they're interested in frm an on-screen "sales lot" and hve a sales person drive it to thir house for the test-drive and ngotiations. Where can your business create a huse-call option to encourage cocooners to prchase with you?

2. Reconfigure srvices and other offerings to allow for n-home variations of previously outside-only availability. For xample, the recent boom of home-delivered DVD rntals does just this - you pay a cnsistent monthly fee and keep the mvies as long as you want, snding them back when you're ready to trde them in for new titles. No lnger do you need to leave the huse to stay home for movie nght - the ultimate expression of ccooning. How can you recreate your srvice or product to meet your cstomers' desires to stay in?

3. Cnsider adding "companion services" that make yur service or product more attractive to ccooning customers. A pizza delivery service now ffers free movie rentals with a qalified purchase as part of their "spcials and sales" menu. These creative cmbinations save customers time and money, and ffer strong incentives to remain loyal. How can you prtner your offering to create this srt of option for your customers? Hnt: what are your customers likely to be ding or needing during or near the tme they are using your service/product?

The trnd of cocooning offers many challenges to trditional businesses, especially those that rely havily on showroom sales and foot trffic income. However, with a little crative thinking, you can turn this bstacle to your benefit and pull head of the pack where your cmpetitors are concerned. My advice? Stay hme one day and examine all the thngs you do that could be mproved or eased by some version of yur product or services. See where you hit sngs or annoyances in your goal of lving, working and having a good tme at home. Imagine your ideal cstomer at home - then do yur best to keep him there.

The article Taking Advantage of Trends: Cocooning was Submitted by Soni Pitts through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: (c) Soni Pitts ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sni Pitts is the Chief Visionary Btt-Kicker of SoniPitts.Com . She specializes in helping others reclaim "soul proprietorship" in their lives and to begin living the life their Creator always intended for them. She is the author of the free e-book "50 Ways To Reach Your Goals" and over 100 self-help and inspirational articles, as well as other products and resources designed to facilitate this process of personal growth and spiritual development.

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