Building relationships with the invisible in the digital economy

Although the use of products and services using digital technologies are wide-spread, there are large groups of people who appear excluded from their use. Not everyone has access to a computer, shops online, uses a mobile phone, a digital camera or a navigation system, just to mention a few examples. The reasons for non-use are manifold. They may be economic - the products/services are too expensive, too utilitarian, or the product is not useful for a particular individual. Products may also be too difficult to use, to understand or too difficult to handle. For example people may not use internet services because they cannot afford them, they do not need to buy anything that is exclusive to this channel, they have never had training in computer use or the websites are too user-unfriendly.