UK Companies Neglect Mobile Data

We constantly come across articles and surveys suggesting that nothing is currently as important to companies as getting their mobile strategies right. Considering the explosive rate of the adoption of mobile devices and the impact on consumer shopping habits, failure to address the issue would amount to grievous corporate oversight.

However, UK companies are woefully behind when it comes to mobile data collection and its inclusion in wider data strategies, according to research from Experian. The information services group warns that the “mobile malaise” afflicting British businesses will seriously undermine their efforts to capitalise on the mobile boom.

The Global Data Quality Research Report 2012 by Experian shows that 40% of the 300 UK companies polled do not engage in any mobile data collection and a mere 8% include the information amassed in their wider customer data strategies.

Among those that do collect mobile data, there is a significant proportion that overlooks the issue of accuracy. Only 27% conduct regular checks on their mobile data and within that group just 30% validate it at the point of capture, Experian said. This means that a large number of companies are leaving themselves vulnerable to rising costs due to manual intervention and unproductive marketing initiatives, a possible outcome being negative perception of customer service and brand image.

On a global scale, 49% of the 900 business organisations surveyed said they had yet to start collecting mobile data. Among those that already do it, just 48% were found to validate it at the point of capture and only 38% said they ensured data accuracy through regular checks.