A MULTI-million pound outdoor toy retailer from Belfast knows servicing your online customers is about more than just child’s play.
Kidsplay.com has just completed a new InnovateUs programme led by South Eastern Regional College to help optimise its business by using Geographical Information Systems training and consultancy.
South Eastern Regional College (SERC) recently carried out a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) analysis for the business to analyse customer data, logistics, business trends and economic activity, so it could make informed decisions based on real business data.
KidsPlay.com director Michael Young said: “We have been working to achieve an enhanced level of decision making in relation to the demographics of our customers.
“GIS presented a solution to the problem by providing us with up-todate information relating to demographic patterns, geographical factors, income patterns and age profile of our customers.
“This has allowed us to identify new customers, better understand our current customers, achieve market growth and create more value for money from our marketing budgets through increased targeting.”
As a result of the GIS analysis, the multi-million pound retailer will be able to use these postcodes for targeted, creative offline marketing strategies that can be used to expand the business including direct mailing, deciding the timing of pricing promotions and open days, choosing which newspapers and radio stations to advertise on and selecting the best location for promotional billboards.
Ken Webb, SERC principal and chief executive added: “GIS can benefit business functions such as marketing, customer service, estates, logistics and procurement allowing users to make informed decisions based on real business data.
“SERC is one such organisation reaping the benefits of GIS allowing the college to be more efficient in the use of marketing resources and more effective in curriculum planning.