Data Collection: What Are The Methods and How To Do It?
McDonald’s saw a 7.5% increase in global revenue on comparable sales in early 2024.
Nubank, which until 2013 was known as a credit card operator, is today one of the most innovative and valuable fintechs in the world. Walmart found that reducing customer wait times by four seconds on the site increased conversions by 8%.
In different ways, these world-renowned companies actively invest in collecting data and using it strategically in their businesses:
What do these giants and so many others have in common?
The collection of data and the planned use of that information to better understand your markets and win more customers.
However, anyone who thinks that this is extremely complicated or that it requires a data scientist for analysis is wrong because it is not so.
Data is generated in ways that we often don’t even imagine and just need the discipline to collect it repeatedly, an organization to separate it, and well-defined goals to be able to separate what is needed at that moment or context.
In this article, we’ll explain why and how to do it. Enjoy reading!
What is data-driven and what is it for?
Data collection is a process used to capture information generated by people (or processes) and that will serve as inputs to plan strategies for the business.
This data may be collected on specific platforms for collections, forms, websites, and other methodologies.
Collecting data is a method that allows for a complete overview and an in-depth understanding of the company’s results, as well as what can be improved or revised, and also if there are gaps for new activities, for example.
Know that consumer behavior is at the heart of most data generation on the web, regardless of industry or business size.
After all, the customers “leave traces” of everything they do on the internet: they enter a website, put a product in the cart, buy it, and access social networks, among other actions.
Why is data collection so important?
It is not by chance that companies that are data-driven have heard that “data is the new oil”, said mathematician Clive Humby.
The fact is that many organizations do not invest in data in a way that makes sense for the activity and, therefore, end up losing great opportunities.
Especially for companies that are developed entirely in a digital environment, it is the data that will be able to translate everything that needs to be understood about the business.
In this way, it is up to the Marketing team to unravel them correctly and pass them on to help set up the strategic plans for the sectors.
However, it is worth noting that data collection is an activity that must be performed on a recurring and consistent basis by companies; if possible, be part of the routine.
It is not enough, for example, to collect this information only once, forget about it and not repeat the process.
Remember that consumer behavior changes all the time, especially as new technologies emerge.
Therefore, it is not effective, for example, to use (only) data from 2019 for use in 2021.
A lot has changed since then, and the panorama will certainly be different.
And if not, it will be through current data that you will be able to compare this information and understand the reasons why nothing has changed – which is very unlikely, do you agree?
Most applied types of data collection
It’s not hard to be data-driven these days. More than that, we can say that not being data-driven is a risk for companies.
And introducing this culture is not as difficult as it sounds, because there are many ways to collect data, store it and apply it to marketing strategies.
We have selected some of the main and most efficient tools. Check out.
Google Analytics
A free platform (however, considered more generalist by many) is Google Analytics.
It presents various data such as traffic, user origin, pages where conversions occurred and much more, in dashboard formats, which you can follow according to the most important metrics to be evaluated in your business.
In addition, Google Analytics allows connection with other automation tools and provides a simple data collection, extracted from metrics already calculated by Google.
Google Analytics is a free and data-rich tool for your website.
Despite being quite efficient, a point to be considered is that, because Analytics is a resource widely used around the world, users do not always have the assistance they need to understand system indicators and answer questions in an accessible and fast way.
Oracle Data Mining
This is a tool that allows for data mining — which is like a sieve or screening of the content obtained — from the analysis of the information generated by the ODM.
By measuring them, the analyst will have relevant inputs to apply to the company’s actions, such as making projections of customer behavior and identifying personas.
CRM
The acronym that stands for Customer Relationship Management is the strategy to organize and manage all the contacts of a company, whether they are customers or not.
For this, the software is used that integrates the data and allows different areas to talk to each other, having a unique view of all the information.
There are several tools on the market such as RD, Salesforce, Pipefy, Pipedrive, and many others.
The choice will depend on the strategy, size, and budget your company has.
Questionnaires
Questionnaires can be online or physical, but there is no doubt that those made using digital tools offer much more agility and practicality in measuring data.
This way of collecting data can use open or closed questions and is indicated to evaluate the acceptance of products, and satisfaction with a service, among other issues.
Data Collection Methods: Digital Search
Digital research is one of the most modern data collection models used by major players in the market, especially by companies that need quick results in the marketing area.
The forms of online research approaches are broad, allowing the professional to act in several areas and identify bottlenecks that, together, can harm the results of the strategies.
In this sense, in addition to the perception of movements made by consumers, it is possible to know what customers think of the service, products and services, after-sales, and in which areas there are gaps that need attention for possible new ways of acting.
This was one of the insights of McDonald’s and we told it there at the beginning.
Data Collection Methods: Applications and Benefits of Digital Research for Data Collection
You may have seen these data collection methods and found it confusing to understand where to start taking your first steps in this vast world of big data.
But don’t worry, investing in this type of strategy can be simpler than you think — when you have companies that specialize in it.
The advantages don’t stop there, because, in addition to collecting data, digital research allows you to explore every particular field of each business, so it’s important that you know yours in depth.
