I'm a fan of BBC reporter Rory Cellan-Jones's blog. Just before jetting off to SAS Global Forum in April I noticed a most interesting article from Rory entitled World Stores - searching for retail success. The article talks of the success of a UK-based internet business who specialise in niche markets. The article describes how they research the popularity of Google search keywords in order to identify potential new markets. SAS software is very good at customer insight and relationship management, but this UK success story has taken "know your customers" to new extremes.
Talking of Google, I was amused to read another article from Rory, also in March, wherein he described Microsoft's competition claim against Google in the European court. I have no beef against either party, but the irony of "little Microsoft" being bullied by "big Google" is delicious after so many competition complaints against Microsoft. How the (technology) world has changed in so few years.