DataHawks, London-based specialist data analysts whose work informs customer acquisition, conversion and retention plans for businesses, have announced their expansion into the retail sector due to the upcoming period of reopening post-lockdown.
Established initially to support hospitality businesses, DataHawks has worked with the likes of Leon, Pizza Pilgrims, Byron Burger and Tenpin UK but announced this week that they would begin working in the retail sector having seen the impact of their work in hospitality and recognised the need retailers will have as they adjust to the reopening of shops.
DataHawks Founder, Victoria Searl, says: “Whether it is new small retailers who have adopted direct to customer online models over the past year and will now be battling to retain customers when confidence returns and shop doors reopen, or whether it’s the shops that have sat shut on and off for the past year and now need to understand how to attract their most valuable customers back, it is clear that this period of reopening presents challenges to the sector.”
In 2020, it is estimated 85 million packages were sent direct to consumers from manufacturers with sales said to be worth £96bn for UK Manufacturing in 2020, and projections that this will grow to £120bn in 2023.[1] This combined with the fact nearly one fifth of the country’s retail sales are made online[2], means many of those operating traditional shopping formats, with bricks and mortar stores, may be nervously watching sales figures as shops reopen. Analysts too will be keen to understand if the reopening of shop doors will slow or dent the booming online market.
Victoria continues, “Very few retail businesses have spare cash to spend on marketing ideas that are based on presumptions or hope. These businesses need to be making strategic decisions about where to invest money to survive and grow.
Retail will play a vital role in helping our economy to recover but COVID may have shifted consumer behaviour in ways businesses will need to get a handle on. A data-led approach could make that battle a lot easier.”
In this increasingly competitive world, Victoria highlights, “We now live in an era of personalisation and if you don’t understand who your customer is in intimate detail, you’ll lose them to brands who do.”
DataHawks will continue working in the hospitality sector but will also apply their approach to retail, identifying and revealing the most valuable customers and helping businesses work out how to retain them and find more of them.
[1] Direct-to-consumer sales to give manufacturing industry £24bn boost by 2023 | Barclays (home.barclays)
[1] Online share of retail sales in the UK 2020 | Statista
