Sadly, the same can’t be said for many other businesses. The company was able to adapt and transition to the digital world well in time. While the cessation of the paper edition was regrettable, from a business perspective, the impact was relatively mild. And today, it is one of the leading business listings in the UK. As far back as in 1996, it set up, an online business directory. Fortunately, for Yellow Pages, they saw the impending disruption well in advance. The worldwide popularity of Google and other online listings hammered the final nail in the coffin for Yellow Pages, finally leading to the demise of its paper edition.īut the company is far from done. Over the next 20 years, digital technology may completely wean us away from print listings. The instances that I’ve shared above were part of every household in the latter half of the last century.īut, with the introduction of the internet, household and consumer habits began a perceptible shift in the 90s. Why has this iconic household catalog brand decided to cease printing? Because times have changed. Even for bigger ticket purchases - buying a house or renting an apartment - Yellow Pages was the preferred guide. On rained-in evenings, families would browse through its pages and order takeaways that were fancied for that day. Whether one needed a plumber or a locksmith, most would revert to this voluminous book for reference. In its heyday, Yellow Pages was one of the most powerful listing catalogs for local businesses. Two years after they made the announcement to stop printing in 2017 and after 51 years of being in business. Yellow Pages stopped printing physical copies from January 2019. In this post, we will learn about the importance of digital transformation for businesses by the Yellow Pages story. That is why digital business reinvention has become crucial. Is Your Business Prepared for Digital Reinvention?ĭigital technology has changed the world.

U.s yellow pages