I have just returned from a fantastic holiday, in which I enjoyed a tremendous road trip up the west coast of the USA. It is the first time I have travelled across the pacific as a consumer rather than on business for several years. This really opened my eyes to how much more focus is put on data collection in the US. It certainly made me think that many UK businesses are lagging behind with their data collection and missing a trick. Are you one of them?

Here are some examples of the innovative data collection that was taking place:

Theme Parks

There probably aren’t many tourists who go to California without visiting Disney Land and Mickey Mouse and I was no different. But what impressed me was the way the Disney Empire was keen to engage with me electronically. When you had finished on the ride you would walk past kiosks where you could view pictures of yourself (in various stages of distress) on that ride. Simply providing your email address would ensure you were sent the pictures of your choice. As a consumer you are grateful for the picture, and Disney have not just delivered good customer service but can now engage with you by email.

In Store 

In the UK it is still relatively rare to be asked for your email address when you are buying clothes or accessories from a retail outlet, however in America it is rare not to be asked. On one shopping trip I kept count of the number of shops I bought products in that then asked me for my email address. 7 of the 10 shops asked me for my email address. I was also impressed by the fact that several of those shops actually had devises that enabled me to enter the address myself electronically, thus reducing the cost of data collection and the risk of error.

At the Hotel 

Without fail every hotel that Istayed at (from the large chains to the owner run lodges) encouraged me to provide my email address. This happened online, at the check-in desk or in some instances through incentives left in the room. One hotel even gave away a free item from the mini bar in return for leaving my email address. If I left my address the item was free if not it would be charged to the room.

Some of these businesses are foregoing revenue opportunities in return for an email address; others are incurring additional costs to ensure they collect the right address. Why?

Well, in each case the businesses collecting the address obviously realise the value of contacting their customers via email. It is not only a cost effective channel, but one that is proven to deliver a really strong return on investment.

Many businesses are forging ahead to ensure they collect data wherever possible, are you missing any data collection tricks within your business?