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Practice paper

A brief history and the future of customer data

Jim Sterne and Thomas H. Davenport
Applied Marketing Analytics: The Peer-Reviewed Journal, 10 (3), 194-204 (2024)
https://doi.org/10.69554/MMGW4163

Abstract

This paper explores the evolution of customer data technologies from their inception in the 1980s to the present and speculates about the future. The paper highlights promises made and challenges encountered, examining the rise of database marketing, the impact of the Internet and social media, and the ongoing struggles with personalisation and customer relationship management. The paper reviews several different aspects of the customer relationship and discusses how and why technology and data have not been as effective as promised. By reviewing case studies, including Amazon's pioneering efforts, and recent advancements in artificial intelligence — particularly generative AI — the paper provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of customer data technology. The paper also argues that the current array of tools that marketers can employ for customer relationships is much richer than in the past and could be used to dramatically improve customer satisfaction and value. Looking forward, the paper explores the potential for data integration, federation and advanced AI technologies to finally deliver on the long-promised benefits of personalised customer experiences. Given past outcomes, the current authors hesitate to suggest that it will solve all customer-related marketing problems, but are optimistic about improvement.

Keywords: customer data; personalisation; generative AI; customer relationship management (CRM); data integration; data federation; sentiment analysis

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Author's Biography

Jim Sterne sold business computers to companies that had never owned one in the 1980s, consulted and keynoted about online marketing in the 1990s, founded the Marketing Analytics Summit in 2002 and co-founded the Digital Analytics Association in 2004. His 12th book is ‘Artificial Intelligence for Marketing: Practical Applications’.

Thomas H. Davenport is the President's Distinguished Professor of Information Technology and Management at Babson College, co-founder of the International Institute for Analytics, fellow at the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy, and senior adviser to Deloitte Analytics. He teaches analytics/big data in executive programmes at Babson, Harvard Business School and School of Public Health and MIT Sloan School.

Citation

Sterne, Jim and Davenport, Thomas H. (2024, December 1). A brief history and the future of customer data. In the Applied Marketing Analytics: The Peer-Reviewed Journal, Volume 10, Issue 3. https://doi.org/10.69554/MMGW4163.

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cover image, Applied Marketing Analytics: The Peer-Reviewed Journal
Applied Marketing Analytics: The Peer-Reviewed Journal
Volume 10 / Issue 3
© Henry Stewart
Publications LLP

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