Maintaining a customer database
Maintaining a customer database involves collecting and storing information related to customers’ specifications. The data collected from customers include the names, emails, addresses, locations, phone numbers, histories of transactions, the urgency of products, and many more elements. The information is stored by the company confidentially for the mutual benefit of the customers and the company. The information can only be used between the customer and the enterprise in question; thus, the customers should not panic for any case when giving the personal details. The information rendered and stored in databases is a vital part of customer-focused marketing.
The information stored in databases is analyzed and utilized in the creation of a personal tailored experience for each customer or to entice potential customers. A customer will always feel honored when the shopping venture that they are a customer to maintains their data and uses it for the betterment of the relation with the customer (Guth & Marsh, 2012). Since databases have email addresses and phone numbers, there is ease of communication between the two parties. It will be easy for the venture to communicate to the customer when there comes in a new product of the same line of commodities that they shop. That is because the database also contains the shopping details of the subject shopper. There are also times when offers come up, and they happen to crop up irregularly. It would be for the convenience of the customers if they are able to know when there are offers and of what products. The maintenance of databases enables that. The enterprise can, at any time, notify its customers on product offers because they will also benefit from bulk purchases.
In customer-focused marketing, an organization will maintain the customer database to identify the customer groups, which is ranging from the high-value customers, occasional buyers, the most loyal and the first time customers (Housden & Thomas, 2012). There are some messages that should be sent to first-time customers and others to long-time customers. For instance, to appeal a first time customer, the venture can decide to notify them of getting discounts if they shop in the same place the second time on certain products or on the gross.
In conclusion, databases are significant marketing elements that a lot of people have not yet adapted to because they are underrated. There are also some customers who fear that the information could be used with third parties. That though, should be of less concern because the data is collected for the mutual advantage of the two firms.