The Impact of Internet Consumer Profiling on Traditional Business

The Internet has had a dramatic effect on the interaction of businesses with customers. Customer profiling has had a positive impact overall on the savvy traditional business that incorporates Internet interactions with customers.

Service

Internet profiling has provided another customer service tool for a traditional business that maintains an Internet presence. Dire predictions that Internet purchasing would replace sales through traditional retail outlets have proven unfounded, according to "Business Week."

Communications

The primary advantage that the Internet, including Internet profiling of customers, offers to traditional business is that it opens up a new means of communications with customers. Customers use the Internet primarily as a pre-purchase data gathering tool. This circumstance provides the traditional business with an online presence, an opportunity to assess what true value means from their customers' point of view.

Value

Internet customer profiling has reasserted the traditional business premise that value and customer service factors sway the customer's decision in choosing one business over another. Internet customer profiling offers a traditional business a communication tool to aid in its delivery of customer-perceived value and service.

References

• Business Week: CRM: A Customer-Centric Business Strategy
• Business Week: The Evolution of Relationship Management