However, collection of information about customers, necessary as it in any form of relationship marketing, has different challenges on the Internet than in face-to-face marketing and/or data collection and research programs. First, web clients may often be anonymous -- consumers may be whomever they wish to be over the Internet and the researcher has no way of verifying such. Second, consumers are increasingly wary of providing personal information about themselves over the Internet for fear of cybercrime, misuse of data and even companies purporting to be market research and collecting information for something entirely different. Thus, the trust and accuracy level diminishes on both sides when someone is not physically present -- even though the amount of data collected and the cost per collection is quite low (Lee, 2001, 12-14). Sources of consumer information, then, must be vetted in a way to preserve their authenticity -- that information may be gathered from the network but contains only limited information (Network information). The researcher can glean a number of environmental variables and make numerous qualitative leaps (e.g. If client visits site A, B, and C, they are a likely/unlikely candidate for product A; so if 250,000 people visit sites A, B, C, but not D, and only 10,000 visit D, client of...
may need to rethink position). This is the true power of the Interactive Analysis Section. Using competitive information results in the following benefits:
One tool, on the desktop, can be used to access and interact with a wide variety of company data
Using the tool, especially for business intelligence, will alow sharable answers to spontaneous questions
Ad hoc and individual reports may be created in almost any unique way the user needs
Instead of having others analyze the organization's data, this tool allows for self-analysis
Using this tool helps gain deeper insight into the data already there, particularly about customer purchasing, competitive, or fiscal issues
The tool is simple, but powerful in that there are a number of options for formatting, colors, custom calculations, charts, tracking, exporting, and presentation (SAP, 2011).
REFERENCES
Bangs, David, (2002), The Business Planning Guide, New York: Kaplan Press.
Lee, O. (2001). Internet Marketing Research: Theory and Practice. New York: IGI Global.
SAP. (2011). Crystal Interactive Analysis. Retrieved from: http://www.sap.com/solutions/sap-crystal-solutions/query-reporting-analysis/sapcrystalinteractive/index.epx
