Consumer insight firm dunnhumbyUSA expects to continue its rapid growth in both jobs and revenue in coming years, helped, no doubt, by a deal it just reached with Macy's, one of the nation's top department store operators. The companies, both based in downtown Cincinnati, reached a multi-year agreement that calls for dunnhumby to analyze Macy's customer sales data, and use the information to come up with ways to build loyalty among Macy's shoppers.
dunnhumbyUSA already owns one of the largest retail customer databases in America. It uses a sophisticated process to analyze customer data and then create programs targeted to shopper preferences, helping to build sales and keep customers coming back. That data is a big reason why dunnhumbyUSA has grown from four people in 2003 to more than 250 today and is still growing at an average rate of 40 percent a year.
The firm is a joint venture with Cincinnati-based Kroger, and began working with Kroger on loyalty programs. It now also works with Procter & Gamble, Home Depot and PepsiCo. Macy's will be its sole department store client. "We need to fully understand our customers and mold our offering to satisfy each customer's specific needs," says Macy's CEO Terry J. Lundgren.
Writer: David Holthaus
Sources: Jim Sluzewski, Macy's; Ann Keeling, dunnhumbyUSA
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