Data enrichment for your business

Data cleansing and enrichment are processes that improve the quality of raw data. This is often done using specialist software, tools and services, and drawing on data from a wide range of private and public information sources. Often, the purpose of cleansing and enriching data is to build an accurate and detailed picture of potential and existing customers in order to create more targeted and effective marketing campaigns.

Cleansing information involves identifying and correcting mistakes and removing (also known as suppressing) out-of-date information. For example, this might include removing the names of people on a mailing list who have passed away, or who have placed their names with a telephone preference service and asked not to be contacted.

Data can be enriched by spotting and removing inaccurate information in a database and replacing it with correct and up-to-date information. Data can also be enriched by adding extra information, for example, to create a fuller picture of a customer or a group of customers. This can involve blending data from a wide range of sources, including electoral rolls, local authorities, Westminster Parliamentary data and census information.  Other information that can be used for enrichment includes address, change-of-address and postcode details; address details of properties that are in the planning stages or under construction; business information including company numbers and directors’ details; telephone numbers and email addresses; demographic, lifestyle and behaviour information.  

Data enrichment services are delivered by organizations with expertise in data collection and data technology. These services often involve assessing the quality of the data held by a business or organisation, identifying any gaps and errors, and then supplementing the data with correct and additional information. Supplementing and correcting the data is known as enrichment and is often done by blending the organisation’s own records with other data sets or groups of different information.

Purchase data relates to an individual’s purchasing history, or in other words, their past spending. This information can be analysed to predict their spending in the future and is therefore valuable to retailers or any business or organisation selling products and/or services. 

A vast range of business and consumer data can be purchased from data list providers, who collect and/or buy the information from public and private sources.

You can buy customer data from data brokers and use this information to create mailing lists for targeted marketing campaigns, and other commercial uses.

It is common for companies to buy consumer and business data to support their marketing strategies, including email addresses, mailing lists and lifestyle information. This helps businesses build a complete picture of existing and potential customers, so they can target their marketing campaigns as accurately as possible.