Big data is not going to be a 15-minute wonder in the fashion calendar. Data is the new black darling and is here to stay!  We are not talking about Dolce & Gabbana using drones on the runway to promote their new purses, or how Plein used a robot to launch his fashion show.

There is already a huge amount of data being harnessed to allow designers to predict the next big trend, or to ensure that stock levels are being replenished within the various regions.

But with fast fashion getting faster, and customers expecting, no, demanding quicker, better service and delivery from online and the multiple touchpoints, to reach its audience at a cheaper price than their competitors, fashion houses need to harness the consumer data more efficiently, with minimum wastage and as smoothly as possible.

Address Validation

So, the customer is at the point of buying everything in their cart,  and needs to enter a delivery address: this can be achieved by various methods – numerical, written postcode first, by county. Address Lookup can get your address within 8 characters on average and will be verified by Royal Mail and numerous other data address companies, in the correct format for your database; all within nanoseconds!

Phone Validation

Input mistakes on Mobile numbers are common, and without the right checks, could result in the difference between a great review and a poor one, as well as a huge waste of resource and money. Imagine how easy it is to enter the wrong number or add an extra digit. Without the correct checks, this could mean the customer not receiving the text message from the courier or a text purchase confirmation. A phone call of complaint to the customer service team could result in cancellation of the order,  followed by the writing of a bad review. All of this is easily preventable. Did you know that you can even see which country the mobile is in. Have a friend who is abroad at the moment? Give it a try!

Data Cleansing & Deduplication

So, now that you have won over the customer, who has become a regular shopper, buying from you online, through the shop and even concessions, you could be entering their data in different ways.

Let’s take Margaret Ward. She could be recorded as Maggie Marge, Marrgaret and Ward could be Word, Warde or Warrd. Even the address could be entered as 9, nine, nein! It all depends on who entered it and what mood they were in. Of course, you could use the address check on your EPOS or Customer Service screens, but there is still the chance of  errors.

This is where data cleansing and deduplication comes into play. Marrying up the data correctly can ensure that you are not sending out numerous brochures and mailings to the same person, which not only shows that you don’t know who Margaret is, but is a huge waste of money and could have an impact on your bottom line.

Data is here to stay and can only grow bigger. By getting these elements right, it will help you present the next fashion trend to your customer faster and correctly but, will also help improve your overall purchasing and data cycle. Find out more at data8 for more information.