Data has become the fuel to any successful business, and while it’s paramount for companies today to get a hold of valuable data, it’s important to understand the key aspects involved in buying data.
The data you can buy from a data vendor may bring you key insights into consumer behavior or market changes so that you’ll be able to make strategic decisions that will benefit the company long-term.
How to buy business data?
Knowing about data and its various types can help you understand how to use it in the most efficient way for your needs and get higher returns. To buy business data, most importantly, you’ll need to find a reputable provider, whether that’s a marketplace, data collection service, or data provider.
If you are wondering if it’s really that important to buy data, well, statistics show that 9 out of 10 companies will increase their data and analytics investments in 2023. Those numbers probably speak for themselves.
The types of business data
In 2023 users will generate nearly 3 times the volume of data generated in 2019, which just shows that you need to know exactly what data will help you. There are several data types that may be particularly useful for businesses, including:
Consumer data. Any type of information about consumers or customers, like contacts, purchases, engagement, and more. This data is used to detect new communication strategies with consumers.
Analytics data. This data is classified as web traffic or search engine analytics, basically, any data that will help with analytics. With this data, companies can refine their digital marketing.
Inventory and supply chain data. This is internal data that companies collect to understand their inventory counts, supply chains, and goods/material production moves. Quickly identify inventory or supply errors with this data.
Product data. All the information about a product lies within this data, for example, sales numbers, popularity, the efficacy of its product, or cost to manufacture.
Marketing data. This data can include customer or web analytics, market research, competitor research, or advertising analysis. All of these are used to create the perfect marketing strategy.
Employee data. Data about employee performance, participation, sales, behavior, and overall company morale.
What to pay attention to when buying business data
Many professionals might tell you that buying quality business data is very tough and almost impossible. As statistics show, the ratio between unique and replicated data is expected to be 1 to 10 by 2024, which will make the process of finding quality data even harder. However, here are a few points to follow when it comes to purchasing good business data.
Pick a trustworthy data provider
In the age of the internet, there are many unreliable data sellers, so before buying services from any vendor, it’s crucial to do good research. Just like in any sphere, there are many data sellers who don’t supply you with what you expect. As you look for data vendors, look into the reviews from other users about them, their reputation, and transparency.
Select a good database
If you have found a trustworthy vendor, make sure the vendor offers the data lists you need. Here are a few strategies to get the right data:
Don’t buy “one size fits all” lists. Each company has its own industry, niche, and buying persona, and these “fits all” lists won’t bring anything useful to the table.
Choose lists you can customize, meaning you have the ability to choose the firmographic, demographic, technographic, and geographic details. You’ll get the most out of your lists.
Check how often lists are updated. Ideally, you want a list that is tracked and updated constantly.
Conclusion
All in all, buying business data requires some thorough research and a clear understanding of what you’re going to do with the data so that you can identify your data requirements and find the right provider. The investment in data will bring your business better returns in the form of enhanced business operations, better results, and higher income.
