Big Data: why it matters and how to get started
Over the last year, while remodeling my house, I've devoted around 80 percent of my day and 140 percent of my time in dealing with a house renovation store. As one example of my experience I called the store to find out the status of my windows-related order I was told that they were unsure of what part of the U.S. it was.
During the two week process finding the order I needed to phone and explain the issue to the majority of the department of windows. I tweeted the headquarters, and they advised me to send them an email and they then provided incorrect details via email. The process convinced me that the company didn't care about the experience I had with their brand.
However, the reality is that it's not really the company's fault. The following is the way that information and data should have been flowed in order for me to have the experience I wanted:
In order to meet my purchase in line with my expectations, my order information needed to move from local office systems to the manufacturing facility and the company that delivers as well as the corporate headquarters. Feedback about the actual goods as well as my interactions with the various levels of customer service had to flow back through all these platforms.
As a digital marketer, I understand why this can be challenging. However, as a consumer, I still expect that the business to be aware of my order and use the information to offer prompt service -- and your customers likely feel the same in the same way.
That's where the joys and aches of Big Data is.
Customers are handing over a ton of data
The human experience today is more tangible than it's before: 90 percent of worldwide data has been created over the last two years. As we've translated difficult-to-compute offline interactions to highly countable digital interactions, we're making a mountain of records.
Let's acknowledge that the significance to Big Data is the ability to make more informed decisions , and to better assist customers by analysing a variety of data.
On the fun side it means that we could predict buying behavior by analyzing your zip code (try itout, it's fascinating) and even guess your age based on your name.
In a more concrete sense, Big Data means a alternative method of building relationships with customers. In the words of Sridhar RAMASWAMY on the Google blog, Think With Google blog, "in our constantly digitally connected world, technology serves as a tool for getting to know your customers."
Before Big Data, a customer may think of something they want, visit a store they know, ask a sales associate and then make a decision. They might then look around on the internet or visit your site and look for specific product or feature, or consult with friends, and after that,eventually buy -- all leaving behind breadcrumbs to let you know who they are and what they want.
By analyzing those breadcrumbs, you will be able to provide more efficient service to your clients while also growing your business.
Customers expect relevant, consistent experiences
For the privilege of handing over information, consumers expect a highly personal experience, and will pay for shops that offer the service.
These expectations mirror what customers have always wanted. Back in the day, skilled salespeople listened to the requirements of their customers , and then adapted their approach. Nowadays, your site as well as your email, social and other experiences must be the same.
Large companies like Amazon are using Big Data to do exactly this. Just look at my personal Amazon page:
Recently, I was able to see a dashboard showcasing my orders on the homepage:
These are just a few methods by which Amazon is creating a seemingly personal relationship with its millions of customers.
AirBnB provides a similar personal experience right into your inbox each time you check out a listing but don't book. They send you a personal email with both the details of the property you've viewed along with additional tips:
In sending the email you've received, AirBnB is both reminding you about an important booking you've forgotten about, but also helping you to finish your task. It's a considerate and personal interaction that is designed to aid clients achieve their goals.
Personalized experiences based on data may also give useful feedback that helps keep customers. Look at this TripAdvisor example:
Here, TripAdvisor makes a personal connection through aggregating your feedback on your reviews and even showing you the best reviews that you've posted.
At the back end it's a quite extensive integration of TripAdvisor's email and review systems which include emails generated by review behavior as well as review-related content and analysis that are directly integrated into the email content. On the front end customers only see the fact that TripAdvisor is in contact with them on a per-person basis.
When customers are exposed to many companies in this way they're able to change their expectations. Personalized recommendations are no longer pleasant, they're expected. Customers are carrying these expectations into the interactions they engage with you- just like I did for the house improvement business.
Big Data remains expensive
Although the information that can be gleaned from Big Data can be astounding, there's a dirty secret: Big Data isn't cheap and is often complex.
The minimum requirement is that Big Data initiatives require:
- Complex tracking technologies to turn each action into data
- Technical resources for setting up or manage integrations to move datain real-time across different platforms
- Massive storage space to house all of the astonishing data
- Data scientists can analyze the data and gain valuable actionable insights
- Resources for marketing and technical to make use of the information gained
The creation of a system that work together to track the customer's data, provide actionable insights and automatically create better experiences for customers is incredibly hard. Building it to scale is even harder.
Practical E-Commerce suggests that employing data experts, outsourcing the task or making use of free tools can be the answer, but contractors and free tools still must be considered. What's short and sweet about the matter is while Big Data may be the answer to getting the impersonality of online interactions and to serve our customers in a personal way but it's not in reach in many ways.
In light of the issues the store faces, it's likely to invest head first in Big Data is right for your business. However, starting with an approach to create more relevant, personal experiences for customers It is possible to get your feet wet in the pool of data and take steps now to put you on the path to success in the future.
Begin by tracking your customer interactions
Before you can act on the data you collect, it is necessary to create a substantial dataset with which you can draw useful conclusions. Investing some time and energy in a solid, scalable data infrastructure will save you headaches down the time and allow you to build the historical records you need from the beginning.
We recommend starting with old faithful: Google Analytics. You can easily set this up with Google Analytics Integration. Google Analytics Integration plugin.
Once you have enough data -- preferably a minimum of a month's worth -You can begin with some questions. A few places to start:
- Channels Discover how customers are finding your site with the report on channelsand then look at what each channel's conversion rate is. This can tell you what acquisition channels have made the biggest difference for your particular store.
- Audience: More than anything, Big Data is about knowing your customers so it can help you create personalized experiences. Look over Google Analytics Audience Insights to learn about your audience's desires. Building a better understanding of the things your target audience is interested in can help you tailor your content and offerings.
Integrate an email application for sending one-to-one emails
Social media and websites are both public platforms, which means that regardless of how hard you make an effort, someone other than the intended audience might stumble into your site and discover things that aren't pertinent. In terms of advertising channels, email is usually regarded as the ultimate the grail of personalization because it is designed to target your audience that you choose who receives your message.
To be sure it's sensible to get the right email software early in order to collect individual customer information that you'll be able to utilize in the future.
As you add email capture forms consider you can do to attract the various types of clients you could want to attract. After that, make sure to capture the relevant data on the sign-up form. In the case of example, if you are selling clothing for men and women it is possible to make different offers depending upon the gender your person who is receiving the offer, therefore ask for gender on the sign-up form.
For another instance, Doggyloot offers snacks and toys that owners can spoil their pets with, will inquire regarding the size of your dog from the in front of you:
In addition, they will send segmented emails to small dog owners as well as large dog owners. This increased click-through rates by 40 percent.
A simple method to start is optimising your email's sending duration based on your customers' time zone particularly important when you're selling to a global customer base. MailChimp have recently tried this with their own emails and saw an increase of increase of 14 percent in open rates.
Design a website that is relevant and provide the suggestions
One word of caution The results may differ
Of all the many ways in which data has grown, one of the most difficult aspect to handle is the complexity and the variability. Just like each customer has their own needs, hurdles and goals, each tool is built according to its own rules in order to accomplish particular objectives. The result is a huge range of information.
Additionally, every store's data needs are unique as well as a distinct customers, meaning that data that is highly valuable to one store could be useless to another.
This post is meant to provide a good starting point however it's not guaranteed to be successful exactly as we've outlined here. Since every situation is different, the best way to determine what is going to best suit your needs is to experiment as you go along, experiment, and build up your own understanding.
Conclusion
Today, in the age of the digital customer information is everywhere and all over the place. Store owners face a challenge. is how to build a system to manage the data, provide actionable insights and, ideally, provide automatic value to the customer when it is it is.
While the right implementation of Big Data for any company is different and vary, you may explore Big Data by:
- The process of setting up Google Analytics to track your customer's interactions and view simple reports that will help you learn more about them.
- Integrate an email tool in your marketing toolbox to reach out to your clients directly, whether by sending automated emails in response to activity or segmented emails based upon data that you capture
- Design a website that is relevant by using tools such as relevant recommendations
What's been your experience trying to incorporate data in eCommerce? Do not hesitate to share your amazing successes or regrets by leaving a comment -- we would love to know how you've tackled these topics for your store.
Image credit for Header: r2hox