One of the great things about the new data age is that every level of the retail/supply chain has vast amounts of information about the link above them. Retailers know all about their customers, distributors know all about the retailers, manufacturers know all about the distributors. This creates a very interesting dynamic for inter-supply chain feedback.
Retailers are already very successful about analyzing their customers’ needs (or desires) to create specialized marketing plans and sales to drive additional demand. However, rarely does each level do customer analysis and provide it as a service to their customers.
This comes to mind because at the end of each year American Express sends me a break down of my spending habits over the past 12 months. They show me where and when I spend money in an interactive way. It’s a very fascinating breakdown of my personal behavior. Google does something similar with their Google Now program – giving you instant feedback on items that you may be interested in based on your recent activity.
As business to business vendors you have the opportunity to do the same for your customers. You are likely already doing the analysis internally, what you aren’t doing is providing it back to your customers for them to see. Sure, they could do the same themselves, but your particular insight has value as well.
Imagine showing a customer their buying habits and showing them how they may be under-purchasing related goods that you often see purchased together. You could be helping their top line! What about showing your customer higher or lower cost replacement goods for items they purchase in bulk. You are expanding their product line and possibly increasing their margins. Sometimes the only reason your customers haven’t already made those decisions is because they hadn’t been asked the right question.
Worst case, this is something that you put in the hands of your sales staff so that they can be HIGHLY targeted when making their follow-ups.