Blog: customer segmentation

Showing blogs: 1–3 of 3

When Technology Fails: The Disconnected Customer Experience

May 19 2011

We all know that there are several big name ecommerce vendors who have a stellar reputation for delivering on their promise of a great online customer experience. From the ability to browse, locate user reviews, compare pricing and quickly purchase products or services, these companies have the online experience down to a science. They have figured out how to provide offers to me based upon my preferences, get me to enroll in customer loyalty programs and educate me on their offerings. There is obvious technical complexity built into each of the processes I mentioned - from the underlying marketing database, customer segmentation and large-scale marketing automation systems in place.

BUT, what happens when the technology fails? What happens when the big ecommerce vendor cannot process orders online or cannot take a credit card payment? Can these companies still deliver on the promise of a great customer experience?

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Web Analytics is More Than Just a Reporting Tool

Mar 8 2010

Recently I was on a keynote panel at the National Center for Database Marketing (NCDM).  In response to a question from the audience, one of my co-panelists pooh-poohed the value of web analytics.  He referred to it as just a fancy reporting mechanism for web activity with little relevance for marketing.  I was a little surprised by the comment and was itching to make a rebuttal, but the moderator chose to take the conversation in a different direction.  "Web analytics" is one of those terms that tends to be thrown around casually by folks seeking to impress others and can mean different things to different people (and mean nothing to most people).

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Customer Segmentation Best Practices - Three Essential Links

Jun 23 2009

  1. Customer Segmentation Done Right (Alice Dragoon - CIO) -- If customer needs don't align neatly with your segmentation criteria, your customer segmentation initiative could end up becoming an exercise in futility.
  2. 4 Challenges in Customer Segmentation (Mohan Sawhney) -- Mohan lists four key issues to consider:
    • Scope of segmentation
    • Inbound versus outbound use of segmentation
    • Refresh cycle and stability of segmentation
    • Segmentation for multiple audiences
  3. Best Practices in Customer Segmentation (Julie Schwartz) -- Best practices and recommendations focused on the technology services industry. Brief case studies. Free for ITSMA members.

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