In today's market of mass distribution/retailing, supply (manufacturers) meets the demand (consumers) through advertising and especially supermarkets.
The rationale behind this model is, now, that of "push" where products are "pushed" to a mass market. A “producing entity” is, then, linked with several “consuming entities” ("One-to-Many").
That first entity designs and manufactures (or produces) products/goods with the help of market research companies, and then diffuse it into the retailing loop to the consumers.
In this model, putting apart advertising, distributors monopolize conditions of access to consumers and their associated sharing (shopping areas).

With relevant technologies, able to grant objects with software capabilities of “self-organization” (individual or collective), the Internet of Things will foster their emergence as full “objects-actors” in the processes and value chains, making them real “economic agents”.
It is therefore a historic opportunity to implement new business models, to stimulate credit-worthy demand and then transform the consumer products goods market with new services. Accordingly, Cyberobjets will help to reverse the existing model, by allowing the shift from “push” to “pull” logic. In this “pull” logic, the consumer may, as needed, inter operate (ask, negotiate, compare and buy ...) with several objects (and thus many manufacturers)… this almost anytime and anywhere.

This model that we might call "many-to-One" as opposed to the previous, but more likely a "one-to-one", could jeopardize the existing supermarket ecosystem.
Actually, neither a manufacturer nor a distributor will be able to handle billion of “contextual interoperability” with consumers and to address the uniqueness of the relationships since they are currently organized in a “mass market” logic… Unless they change as well.
Thus, the “Cyberobjects” (or economic agents) will likely be the easiest ones to support - at the most subsidiary level - that “situated” exchange or share.

This “paradigm change” will help to shift from a “mass distribution” to a “targeted” one. This last one will also help to develop new models of "conscious and Eco-friendly consumption", leverage sustainable or fair trade (knowledge of conditions of production, seasonality, carbon balance, re usability or recycling), allowing the restoration of the link between the consumer and the producer.

Muriel Lecomte,
Philippe Gautier.