A Q Group case study.

Database Management & Sales Tracking Analysis

Since 1999 The Q Group has operated several customer incentive campaigns, based on turnover targets for Graham customers. As part of this promotional activity there was an additional requirement to manage their customer sales data. The Q Group successfully filled this role and has since been responsible for data tracking on all of Graham's travel related promotional activity.

Working closely with the Graham IT department, The Q Group created a Master Customer File to capture key data for every open account and then track monthly sales figures for every trading customer.

This information formed the basis of monthly management reports for specific target segments.

The data management involves:

• Master Customer File - ½ million records
• Monthly downloads of sales data - Historical data from December 1999
• Currently tracking 4-million invoice transactions and a monthly update of approximately 140,000 transactions.

This management also involves segmentation data extraction to enable The Q Group to perform promotional performance analysis. The segments vary in size and are determined by Graham but are based on a customer being targeted for numerous promotional activities throughout the year.

Historically there two major segments:

1. Non-promotional targeted samples
2. Promotional samples

Subsequent sub-segments include demographical, economical, business sectors etc., and its is The Q Group's responsibility to extract the sales data and analyse any trends or indicators that can be correlated to the promotional spend within Graham's overall promotional budget.

Graham's key marketing activity involves a promotional budget of several million pounds. It is essential that any changes in sales are tracked against this spend. The Q Group provides this service and assists in identifying trends within the targeted segments to ensure the promotional budget:

• Is targeted
• Meets the set sales objectives
• Meets any financial objectives
• Identifies seasonality factors
• Provides long term tracking of customer sales information against promotional activities
• Is justified within the overall marketing budget

The Q Group is undertaking a consultancy role to assist in providing a framework for a Customer Relationship Database and provides this through a web application with various access levels for Graham employees.

"Thanks once again for all your efforts - I thought that you and the team handled the trip superbly and were a credit to QTS. Can't wait to get going again for next year" - Scott Barnes, Marketing.

To contact us, telephone +44 (0) 1509 416677 or email us here.