How one company responded to the pandemic with data quality—and how you can too

COVID-19 required retailers to activate a risk management plan and shift to a new market within days. Retailers and consumers alike were bombarded with media emphasizing that this socially distant, remote, solely digital environment is our new normal. As a retailer, you are launching campaigns in response to the pandemic and ensuring deliveries to uphold a positive customer journey.

In the pre-COVID environment, you needed accurate contact information and demographic information to inform decisions, market to your customers, and ensure deliveries. Now, more than ever, you need to re-evaluate your database to ensure pristine, validated data because your customers are now working remotely, brick and mortar locations have closed, shipments are delayed, and your primary way to stay connected is through digital platforms.

“We’re underwater as a water company”, exclaimed an overwhelmed Data and Analytics Director of a growing water company. Retailers, like you, are feeling like they’re treading water.

We are here to help you make sure your message reaches your customers, deliveries are reaching the right doorstep in a timely manner, and your future is secure.

The solution: Appending and enriching customer data for a current and holistic view.

The worried water company was in your shoes once, but with Experian’s append and enrichment services, they were able to find solid ground in this terrain and created a data-driven plan.

Their plan looked like this:

1. Understand which businesses are still open for business. Appended 50 items from Experian’s list of business into their commercial and residential accounts to help determine the characteristics of commercial companies currently still open for business, who the specific buyers are, what kind of businesses are buying water products right now, and which ones are likely to buy in the future.

2. Understand who are their customers. Appended an additional 47 ConsumerView attributes most relevant to their business and accounts—marital status, combined adult age, presence of children, education model, estimated income, and more. This helped prioritized who they were targeting and serving.

3. Get it all done quickly. Closely partnered with Experian by sending in their data files to have various attributes appended in under a week.

This water company was able to work swiftly and effectively because they acted on customer-first strategies supported by trustworthy consumer insights and a partner like Experian. Not only have they been able to adhere to the new normal, but also mitigate future risk in an uncertain economy. You can find the full case study here.

To get even more out of your enriched, consumer data, you should also consider all the ways data can help you save time and costs in an unusual time. Ray Wright, market expert for Experian’s Data Quality division, lists valuable benefits to ensure customer satisfaction during a crisis in a recent blog:

• Maximize the image of your loyalty programs by engaging with your customers.
• Deliver products to the correct destination while cutting shipping and address correction costs.
• Avoid delivering orders to businesses that have closed due to the crisis or individuals who have moved.
• Reduce fraud by confirming purchases before they have shipped.
• Leverage geocodes to understand where your customers are located, saving you delivery costs.
• Use text or email to facilitate in-store ordering and curbside pick-up.
• Reduce support centers’ call waiting time by preparing them with accurate customer records.

As retailers like you and the water company know, customer satisfaction is everything in today’s climate. Read this blog to learn how data preparation is at the heart of DTC customer satisfaction during the pandemic.

If appending and enriching data doesn’t make sense for your organization, our free address look up tool can help you put your business and consumers first by knowing which locations are at high risk for COVID-19.

Experian is here to partner with retailers like you, equipping you with trustworthy insights that are necessary to adapt to this new environment and ensure a secure, safe future for you, your business, and your customers.

Our new normal is upon us. It's time to adapt and validate your data to reflect your client's correct contact information and expectations. Contact Experian today to get started. 

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