Customer-cohort data can guide product and merchandising decisions

Businesses use external market and customer signals not only for marketing but also for merchandising, product development and R&D. One large beauty brand found that about 10% of its customers were nurses, doctors or other medical practitioners. They bought one specific SKU dramatically more than the brand’s other customers, although the brand had not been targeting them. The insight could inform segmentation, marketing and product expansion for this group.

Real-time signals could also show which customer cohorts over- or under-index for a new online SKU. Mountain Valley was given as a hypothetical product-launch example.