Marketing Strategies Today: How to use predictive analytics with big data to profit Posted on : Aug 05 - 2016

Data management is highly prioritized in many businesses. Predictive analytics has been a practice used by many businesses to help them determine the future. With predictive analytics, information is extracted from an existing set of data to determine the future trends and outcomes. This practice will not tell the exact future happenings. Rather, it predicts the future possibilities, along with the reliabilities, risk assessment, and any other related odds.

Predictive analytics is a top consideration of big data. Organizations and businesses collect a huge amount of customer data, and the analytics is applied to determine the future outcomes. Currently, big data analysis let businesses make precise predictions of the future trends.

How Does Predictive Analytics Benefit a Business?

With the analytics, the business can know the possible outcomes in the future, which gives them room to adjust or boost a specific area. Some of the ways that the analytics profits the business include the following;

• Predicting the future trends

This is one of the top factors of big data analytics. Retailers can track and study the available data to help them develop a constant record to view the data in a collective way. This way, they can identify the possible trends and point out the strategies of their competitors.

• Point out missed chances

A business can also identify any missed opportunity over a specified period. The big data analytics help business persons to know if they are missing an opportunity to make sales. Here, they can adjust their strategies so as to utilize the forthcoming opportunities.

• Identifying the clients’ favourite products

Big data analytics let businesses to identify the products to add or remove from their collection. If a certain product doesn’t sell so well, it can be identified through the analytics. This will give you a chance to eliminate the product, based on its relevance to the customers.

However, the product might be a favourite choice for a few customers, so you should be careful before you decide to eliminate any product. If the customer doesn’t find the product they are looking for in your inventory, they will move to the next available shop. Big data analytics should help you maximize your sales, so use it wisely.

• Await the forthcoming demand

Big data analytics also offer information on the products that are driving the sales. For that, business persons can precisely predict the performance of a product in the future. If the product sells well in the future, the business will be prepared for the high demands. With this, the business will have a large stock, which will earn them profits in the final run.

• Facilitates Supply Chain Flexibility and Timing

Back in the days, it was quite challenging to produce, place orders, and supply the order to appropriate customers. However, with the help of big data analytics, businesses are enjoying new ways of handling their sales. For instance, they can develop creative solutions to fit the local customers, concerning their favourite products. Also, they can create a flexible supply chain that lets them produce various items in a short time-span.

• Allows for personalization

Big data analytics also let customers enjoy a customized shopping experience. Here, customers have the chance of ordering personalized items that perfectly suit their needs and preferences. Coupons are also personalized to meet the style of the individual customer. When the customer is satisfied with the shopping experience, a business will record high sales, which then maximizes the profits.

Predictive analytics utilizes big data to help business have a possible picture of the future. With this, businesses can adjust the weak areas, and use all the possible strategies to prepare for the future trends.

Helpful Tips on the Big Data Analytics of Your Business

Even though big data analytics can be vital in maximizing your future sales and profits, it can also inflict your business if not handled properly. That said, here are some few tips on the big data analytics for your business.

1. Target the existing data

A lot of businesses fail to determine the future trends because they ignore the current data that they have. Since the predictive analytics focuses on the existing data, any business should look into the data that they already have. For a business that has been active for over three years, they can rely on that amount of data. New data could give you a slight prediction of the future, but the existing data will be more specific.

2. Focus on the application of the technology

Rather than putting so much effort and resources in determining the specifications and drawbacks of the technology, a business should focus more on how that technology will help them. This is an approach that will save you time and money.

3. Focus on applying data, rather than collecting it

Another common time and money waster is the process of collecting a massive amount of data. You already have an existing data amount, so you should apply that data, instead of carrying out a whole process of data collection.

4. Prioritize the common business processes

Ideally, start automating the common processes, and move to the less common after you succeed. Since you already know the level of the processes used in your business, you will apply that knowledge to determine the future predictions.

5. Target specific processes in the business

Applying the predictive analytics to the whole business function can be messy. Some areas or functions in the business need manual approaches. So if you want to maximize the profits from big data analytics, you will need to focus on specific processes in the business. For instance, you can identify the best routine to apply so as to maximize the sales of the business. Source