Building the Customer Specific Retail Enterprise

The understanding and use of customer information as gathered through retail frequent shopper programs has forever changed the retail playing field. Yet many retailers are not using this information strategically, putting themselves at a competitive disadvantage and leaving untold profits on the table. And many packaged goods and private label manufacturers have yet to grasp the powerful implications of this information for their own businesses.

In this groundbreaking book, Gary Hawkins, a worldwide authority on information enabled retailing, takes you step-by-step through the concepts and techniques of building a customer specific enterprise. He shows you how your frequent shopper program can become a powerful vehicle to segment your customer base, target your marketing efforts and maximize your profitability. Key strategies such as Customer Category Management and Yield Management are discussed, complete with charts and graphs to illustrate key points.

Examples of world-class customer specific retailers are used throughout to demonstrate these strategies at work.

Gary Hawkins is widely recognized as one of the world's leading authorities in customer specific marketing. From the unique perspective of being an experienced retailer and a leading international consultant, he is able to provide valuable insight into the strategic importance and operation workings of customer specific retailing.

Hawkins is President of DataWorks Marketing Group, LLC, a consulting group working with select retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers on five continents to create value and bottom line results through the utilization of customer information and advanced information technology systems.

As CEO of Green Hills Farms, an independent, high volume supermarket located in Syracuse, NY, Hawkins and his team developed, and continue to operate, one of the world's most advanced customer specific marketing programs. Green Hills has pioneered many of today's popular card based marketing initiatives and continues to serve as a laboratory for more advanced research in the understanding and use of customer information.

Hawkins has written numerous articles for industry publications, and is a popular speaker at retailing conferences throughout the world. Both DataWorks Marketing Group and Green Hills Farms have been featured in the foremost retail trade publications.