New survey information published by IDC now cites one-to-one marketing as an integral method for achieving Customer Relationship Management (CRM) results, and suggests that the CRM market will flourish.
Focus on practical benefits
According to IDC research, the concept of one-to-one marketing has been so well absorbed into CRM that vendors who actively highlight the practical benefits of their CRM products or services will have more success than those who focus on other issues. IDC suggests that it is time for CRM vendors to emphasize how their products will:
· help clients to keep pace with the demands of their customers;
· provide service across all communication channels;
· improve customer retention.
CRM markets will flourish
Bob Blumstein, director for IDC's CRM Analytics and Marketing Applications, said that "marketers have had the theoretical benefits of CRM pounded into them for years, while savvy customers know that they can and should be treated as individuals when they shop." He suggests that those forces, together, will help the CRM market to flourish, and added that "one-to-one is a valid concept but it has become a secondary talking point. It's now a game of 'show me the ROI'."
Room for sales growth
Detailed findings from the 2001 CRM Survey are presented in CRM Digests One-to-One. For the survey, five hundred telephone interviews were conducted among InfoWorld subscribers who are involved in the acquisition of e-commerce, ERP, CRM or Knowledge Management Solutions. The respondents were asked about their stage of CRM adoption, their involvement with CRM initiatives, and their company size. According to the survey, some 78% of respondents said that CRM applications are a high priority � implying that the CRM market still has much room for continued sales growth, and is far from mature. More than half of the survey's respondents reported that their goals included creating a one-to-one marketing capability.
To order a copy of the document (IDC #26068), visit the IDC web site or send an e-mail to ctoffel@idc.com. For further information about the survey, contact:
Bob Blumstein at IDC (bblumstein@idc.com)
Tel. +1 (508) 988 6954
or:
Reagen Brown at IDC (rbrown@idc.com)
Tel. +1 (508) 988 7557
