Web Response

Another impact of the Web on database marketing is in the area of response to communications. Before 1996, customers responded to marketing communications by phone, mail, or fax. Now more and more, people are coming to a Web microsite to respond. Because of cookies, the Web site knows who they are and greets them by name, just as the old corner grocer used to do.

The microsite is not really a Web site, but part of the database. The customer enters an order or responds to the survey questions posed in the communication, and the data go directly into the database. The database thanks the customer for the order, which is passed directly to the Web ordering system. It then sends the customer a confirming email. A customer who has previously provided credit card information can order by one click, instead of giving a name, address, and card number over and over again.

Why do customers prefer this system of response? Because they never get put on hold. They can get an instant response in 24/7 time without getting a busy signal or the message “Your call is very important to us. Please stay on the line.” Why do companies prefer this type of response? Because it saves them millions of dollars. Each call to a live operator costs a company between $3 and $7 per call. Each response to a microsite has a variable cost of less than $0.02.