An investigation into the viability of applying regression analysis and mathematical science to enhance marketing strategies for the Woolworths financial services personal loans product
De Kock, Stephan Glynn (2007-12)
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: is a common misconception that marketing is all about advertising and other promotional activities. These activities are only part of the marketing process which is in fact about identifying the wants and needs of certain customers and satisfying them better than the competition. However, it must also be borne in mind that these needs and wants change over time as customers change positions in the customer lifecycle.
The customer lifecycle of a Woolworths Financial Services personal loan customer is not unlike the generic customer lifecycle of acquisition, development and retention and as such aligns with the principles associated with this theory – acquire, develop and retain as many customers as possible at the lowest cost.
The current marketing practices of Woolworths Financial Services are not targeted, focusing on the entire base of prospective customers without any differentiation between those who would most likely respond and those who would not. These practices, however, have provided the opportunity to gain valuable information about the characteristics of those who do respond and those who do not. The use of data mining and regression analysis models (developed on this data) can provide the ability to effectively predict the response curve – ranking and assigning probabilities based on customer behaviour.
That being said, these probabilities are of little use if they are not used to optimise the structure of marketing campaigns by determining where to differentiate an offer or not. It is here that mathematical science provides a solution through the optimisation process – the process of computing the mix of variables that provides the best result – in this case the highest number of customers acquired, developed and retained within the constraints of a defined marketing budget.
Finally, the result of this process culminates in an increase in shareholder value which would not have been achieved through existing marketing products. The risk associated with implementing this process is negligible, based on empirical evidence regarding the impact of differentiated offers on response rates and as such must be implemented wherever possible.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dit is ‘n algemene wanopvatting dat bemarking net oor advertensie en ander reklame aktiwitiete gaan. Hierdie aktiwiteite is slegs ‘n deel van die bemarkingsproses wat eintlik gaan oor die identifisering van die behoeftes van sekere kliënte en om hulle beter as die opposisie te kan bedien. Dit moet egter in gedagte gehou word dat die behoeftes van kliente oor tyd verander as hulle posisies skuif in die kliëntelewenssiklus.
Die kliëntelewenssiklus van ‘n Woolworths Finansiële Dienste persoonlikeleningskliënt is nie anders as die gemiddelde kliëntelewensiklus van verkryging, ontwikkeling en retensie nie, en vergelyk dus met die beginsels wat met hierdie teorie geassosieer word – verkry, ontwikkel en behou so veel as moontlik kliënte teen die laagste koste.
Die huidige bemarkingsprosesse van Woolworths Finansiële Dienste is nie beperk nie en fokus op die algehele moontlike kliëntebasis sonder om te onderskei tussen dié wat heel moontlik sal reageer en dié wat nie sal nie. Hierdie praktyk het egter die geleentheid geskep om waardevolle inligting te bekom oor dié wat reageer en dié wat nie reageer nie. Die gebruik van dataontleding en regressie analise modelle (ontwikkel op hierdie data) kan die vermoë skep om effektief die reaksiekurwe te voorspel – rangskikking en aanwysing van waarskynlikhede gebaseer op kliëntegedrag.
Gegewe dié afleiding, is hierdie waarskynlikhede van geringe belang as dit nie aangewend word om die struktuur van die bemarkingsveldtog te optimeer deur te bepaal of ‘n aanbieding gewysig moet word of nie. Dit is hier waar wiskundige metodes ‘n oplossing bied deur die optimeringsproses – in hierdie geval die meeste kliënte wat verkry, ontwikkel en behou kan word binne die beperkinge van ‘n geïdentifiseerde bemarkingsbegroting.
Ten slotte, die resultaat van hierdie proses lei tot ‘n toename in aandeelhouerwaarde wat nie moontlik sou wees deur bestaande bemarkingsprodukte nie. Die risiko met die implementering van hierdie proses is weglaatbaar klein, gebaseer op die empiriese bewyse aangaande die impak van gedifferensieerde aanbiedings op reaksiekoerse en moet dus geïmplementeer word waar moontlik.
Please refer to this item in SUNScholar by using the following persistent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/80772