Event
Summary
Peppers and Rogers Group, an internationally known consulting group that
specializes in 1-to-1 marketing, announced that it has joined with Net
Perceptions (NASDAQ: NETP) to launch a series of conferences and publications
on personalization tools, techniques, and tactics. Net Perceptions is
a leading vendor of software that is used to track and analyze customer
behaviors and to create personalized experiences based on both individual
and aggregate patterns.
One
publication has already been announced, with topics tentatively including
ROI analysis for personalization, vendors, and getting management buy-in
for personalization initiatives. This publication, 1to1 Personalization,
is scheduled to begin publishing in November of 2000.
Market
Impact
This announcement underscores the growing importance and strength of the
personalization market. As B2C commerce heats up, companies are finding
that the first sale to a customer might entail a net loss of $50 or higher
when the advertising and promotions needed to attract that customer are
taken into account. Reducing the cost of acquiring customers and turning
visitors into loyal repeat customers is now recognized as being of paramount
importance for any retail web site.
User
Recommendations
We believe that any B2C website that does not have CRM and personalization
in its strategic plan should start looking for the nearest exit ramp from
the information highway.
Peppers
and Rogers Group has the ability to bring to the table industry leaders
to philosophize and discuss trends, and to have them joined by users of
various products who can discuss real-world experiences. The publications
from this venture are likely to be an excellent source of information
in an area where it's almost impossible to learn too much.
B2B
websites will also find it valuable to pay attention to this area. While
there are of course differences in approach, B2B sites often interact
with real people who will respond to excellent service and targeted offerings.
It
would be natural to wonder whether the backing of Net Perceptions is likely
to slant the coverage in some way. The Publisher for 1to1 Personalization,
Karen Burka of Peppers and Rogers, guaranteed that the editorial coverage
would be entirely free of influence by Net Perceptions. "Net Perceptions
has an excellent record in 'coopetition,'" she said. "They created the
Personalization Summit, to which they invite all of their competitors."
Indeed, customers at vendor booths in the Personalization 2000 Summit
in Boston were heard discussing their appreciation of Net Perception's
sponsorship of the three-day event.