Cílem práce je nastínit možnosti využití analytického CRM k zvyšování ziskovosti společnosti. Analytický CRM se zabývá analýzou zákaznických dat, které slouží jako podpora pro operativní a strategické rozhodování firmy. Teoretická část práce se zabývá různými způsoby segmentace zákazníků, zákaznickými metrikami a způsoby, jak si udržet dobré zákazníky ve společnosti. Pro ucelený obraz o analytickém CRM také nastiňuje jeho technickou stránku, ve které popisuje nejčastěji využívané techniky při získávání dat. Praktická část práce byla vyhotovena ve spolupráci se společností Makro Cash & Carry. Popisuje nejdůležitější změny, které byly podniknuty k přeměně Makra z produktově na zákaznicky orientovanou společnost, a podrobněji se věnuje práci kontrolorů, jež se analytickým CRM ve firmě zabývají.

Bakgrund: Majoriteten av e-handelsföretagen verksamma inom klädbranschen når inte lönsamhet vilket till viss del beror på den höga returandelen som i dagsläget ligger mellan 20-50 procent. Returandelen har ökat under de senaste åren och tros öka även i framtiden. Genom att minska sina returer med ett fåtal procent skulle e-handelsföretag kunna spara flera miljoner, dock kan kundlojaliteten gå förlorad om inte företaget möter kundens förväntningar gällande returhanteringen. Syfte: Syftet är att identifiera olika kunders returbeteenden för att förstå hur företagens returhantering kan anpassas till olika kundgrupper. Metod: I studien har författarna använt sig av en kvalitativ undersökningsmetod med ett hermeneutiskt förhållningssätt och tillämpat en explorativ samt deduktiv ansats. Resultat: Studien har identifierat två olika typer av kundgrupper med olika köp- och returbeteenden, således bör företagen segmentera kunderna utifrån dessa faktorer för att skapa en väl utförd returhantering. Företagen kan förbättra sin lönsamhet genom att kundanpassa sin returhantering eftersom en kundanpassad returhantering medför en ökad kundtillfredsställelse, ett ökat mervärde och en förbättrad kundlojalitet, vilket resulterar i en ökad lönsamhet hos företagen. / Background: The majority of the e-commerce companies in the retail industry are not profitable which is partly due to the high percentage of returned goods, which in the current situation is between 20-50 percent. In recent years the proportion of returned goods has increased and is also believed to increase in the future. By lowering the returns of goods with a few percent the e-commerce companies could save several millions, however customer loyalty can be lost unless the companies meets the customers’ expectations regarding the returns process. Purpose: The purpose is to identify the difference in customers’ returning behaviors in order to understand how companies' returns management can be adapted to different customer segmentations. Research method: The authors of the thesis have used a qualitative research method with a hermeneutic approach and applied both an explorative and a deductive approach. Results: The study has identified two different types of customer groups with different purchase and returns behaviors, thus companies should segment the customers based on these factors and the customers should be treated differently by the companies when it comes to returns management. The companies can improve their profitability by customizing their returns management because it generates greater customer satisfaction, increased added value and improved customer loyalty which results in increased profitability for the companies.

This thesis has been carried out during second semester 2010 at University College of Borås in Collaboration with Halens AB. Halens Holding AB is one of Sweden’s leading e-commerce companies. The company contains of four subsidiaries which together create Halens Holding AB. The concern includes Halens AB, Cellbes AB, Time Finans AB and New Bubbleroom Sweden AB. The main office of Halens Holding AB is located in Borås, the company has a turnover of 1.1 billion SEK and employs 300 people. Halens Holding AB has a wide range of products; fashion, home textile, furniture’s, home electronics and beauty- and health products. Halens has recently expanded their market, and now have Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish, Estonian, Latvian, Czech, Polish, Slovakian, Russian, Swiss, Slovenian and Turkish customers.The purpose of this thesis was to investigate customer requirements and demands on e-commerce. Furthermore, the intention was also to compare customers from the different subsidiaries. The purpose could be concluded with following three bullets;Identify customer demand on; product, lead-time, service and cost. Investigate differences in customer demand at two of the subsidiaries; Halens and Cellbes. Determine different consequences to the identified customer demand; purchase, non-purchase, purchase followed by return, uncollected package. A survey was made in order to find real time information about customer behavior. The objective of the survey was to understand customers’ demands of e-commerce in general. The next step was to investigate if Halens and Cellbes fulfilled those requirements. Moreover, observations were made in order to capture the customers’ use of the web-pages. These observations provided a deeper insight of the customer requirements and demands. With survey answers and observations as a base, different customer segments could be spotted. Furthermore, the task was to find problem areas or errors from the customers’ point of view in order to improve the system. Suggested areas for improvement were presented in order to get a better match between customer demand and customer experience. During this project, a clear view of the demand and requirements of Halens and Cellbes customers has been obtained. There were not major difference between the two subsidiaries, to the contrary; the results showed that there were very similar. It can be concluded that Halens and Cellbes can improve their businesses with smaller changes. Several proposals for improvement have been developed in order to better fulfill customer demand.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Aleksan Shanoyan / In recent years across the United States, product sales have seen a downward trend when compared to the robust sales figures posted around the 2010 time period across the major players in the product manufacturing space. Due to depressed commodity prices, large product sales have caused a lot of the dealers to shift in its prioritization of sales from a predominant large product business model, to a more diverse large product and small product strategy portfolio to stay profitable amidst economic headwinds. This study will look into ways that the Company A dealer channel could pivot their internal processes around targeting customers who are engaged in the purchase funnel of purchasing small products and how Company A could change the way the company equips their trusted dealer channel to combat competition in this segment. This study will examine new strategies that may be executed through the Company A dealer network and their subsequent retail showrooms to increase sales by focusing on key product differentiating characteristics, unique technical selling points, dealer facility positioning in high potential Metropolitan Statistical Areas, and new retail digital marketing technologies that should be leveraged throughout the sales process to improve market share. Company B is considered to be the primary rival competitor in this small product market, as this firm is one of the fiercest competitors to Company A’s quest for total product sales superiority. This study conducted a mixed method survey to ascertain what areas of marketing and promotional assistance should be prioritized by Company A, to outfit the company’s existing dealer channel with the right tools to combat Company B and other competitors in the U.S. small product market. Additionally new retail showroom technologies and strategies were based upon existing market research studies, focused on which customer’s and product characteristics were the most impactful for positively impacting small product sales in the United States.

In this thesis, the process of developing an application for segmenting customers with the use of machine learning is described. The project was carried out at a company which provides a booking platform for beauty and health services. Data about customers were analyzed and processed in order to train two classification models able to segment customers into three different customer groups. The performance of the two models, a Logistic Regression model and a Support Vector Classifier, were evaluated with different numbers of features and compared to classifications made by human experts working at the company. The results shows that the logistic regression model achieved an accuracy of 71% when classifying users into the three groups, which was more accurate than the experts manual classification. A web API where the model is provided has been developed and presented to the company. The results of the study showed that machine learning is a useful technique for performing customer segmentation based on behavioral data. Even in the case where the classes are not naturally divisible, the application provides valuable insights on user behaviour that can help the company become more data-driven.

The importance of a satisfactory logistics system is becoming increasingly apparent as a consequence of growing competition and rising customer requirements regarding, amongst others, lead times, flexibility and delivery dependability. The increasing demands reduce profit margins and increase logistics costs, accelerating the  importance of a well-functioning logistics system. A way to meet the increased customer demands is to tailor the logistics solution by segmenting customers according to their unique needs. Segmenting the customers has the potential to reduce a company's logistics costs, partly because delivery service can be bespoke to the customers' different requirements, instead of offering all customers the best possible performance. When making changes to a logistics system, it is therefore also important to take customer satisfaction into account, as reduced customer satisfaction otherwise risks leading to lost sales. A company that faces challenges with increased customer demands regarding the logistics solution in parallel with a quest for reduced logistics costs is ASSA ABLOY, a company that manufactures and sells security solutions and security systems worldwide. Based on the above situation, the research purpose of the study is to \textit{through customer segmentation develop strategy proposals to reduce the total cost of ASSA ABLOY's logistics solution, taking customer satisfaction into account}. To create an understanding of the building blocks of the research purpose: logistical change, total cost analysis, customer segments and customer satisfaction, literature was examined in the mentioned areas. To link the study to ASSA ABLOY's unique situation, multiple unstructured and semi-structured interviews were conducted with people at, among others, ASSA ABLOY with good insight into the logistics solution. Based on the interview outcomes, a list of six strategy proposals for customer segmentation was produced. Based on additional interviews as well as the study's frame of reference, the list of strategic proposals was shortened to three strategies based on implementability. The total cost of the strategy proposals and the customer satisfaction impact were analyzed using empirical data in the form of data from interviews as well as order and cost data for 2021. During the analysis, constant discussions were held with supervisors at ASSA ABLOY to ensure the analysis' connection to reality. The results of the study were summarized into three strategy proposals that through data analysis could be demonstrated to lead to potential cost savings. The customer segmentation option \textit{accepted lead time} showed the by far largest potential cost saving, followed by \textit{geographical position} which also showed great savings potential. For both alternatives, customer satisfaction was estimated to slightly be improved. The third analyzed strategy proposal, customer segmentation based on \textit{average order value} indicated the lowest cost-saving and with a slight deterioration in customer satisfaction, which is why it was considered to be the worse of the three analysed strategic alternatives.

<p>E-commerce presents a new format for doing business. It creates an efficient, yet complex, system providing potential time and cost savings. The main question is then how a comprehensive strategy is developed to outline the new process. Whether an MNC can successfully develop an e-commerce strategy or not, depends on their understanding of customers within their global environment and the secure transfer of customer information. They must adjust their company operations to concentrate on identifying sources of customer relationship management, such as segmentation, needs and abilities, benefits, values, buying behaviour and trust aspects. Companies need to differentiate their ecommerce approaches from their competition, in order to enable and motivate their transition to an online system.</p><p>In the case of our methodology, a qualitative, single case study approach of Electrolux Professional Laundry Group was used. Interviews of their customers and sales offices from around Europe determined their understanding and opinions of the closure of warehouses to concentrate on e-commerce within the company. Findings indicate that there is a need to clarify the role of the system, the safety of the customer's information and how it relates to the responsibilities of the sales offices in question. In addition, customers must be carefully researched in order to make the new system congruent with their purchasing preferences and abilities. Once created, a clear model is established to determine their affects on the process of creating a successful e-commerce strategy.</p><p>Due to the increasing presence of e-commerce amongst competition in Electrolux's industry, the need to develop a detailed e-commerce strategy is crucial. Their products and services are some of the highest-rated in the industry, but their e-commerce system needs to be improved to match the standards of their well-known brand name. Therefore, careful development of their e-commerce operations will require detailed attention to every stage of the strategy process.</p>

E-commerce presents a new format for doing business. It creates an efficient, yet complex, system providing potential time and cost savings. The main question is then how a comprehensive strategy is developed to outline the new process. Whether an MNC can successfully develop an e-commerce strategy or not, depends on their understanding of customers within their global environment and the secure transfer of customer information. They must adjust their company operations to concentrate on identifying sources of customer relationship management, such as segmentation, needs and abilities, benefits, values, buying behaviour and trust aspects. Companies need to differentiate their ecommerce approaches from their competition, in order to enable and motivate their transition to an online system. In the case of our methodology, a qualitative, single case study approach of Electrolux Professional Laundry Group was used. Interviews of their customers and sales offices from around Europe determined their understanding and opinions of the closure of warehouses to concentrate on e-commerce within the company. Findings indicate that there is a need to clarify the role of the system, the safety of the customer's information and how it relates to the responsibilities of the sales offices in question. In addition, customers must be carefully researched in order to make the new system congruent with their purchasing preferences and abilities. Once created, a clear model is established to determine their affects on the process of creating a successful e-commerce strategy. Due to the increasing presence of e-commerce amongst competition in Electrolux's industry, the need to develop a detailed e-commerce strategy is crucial. Their products and services are some of the highest-rated in the industry, but their e-commerce system needs to be improved to match the standards of their well-known brand name. Therefore, careful development of their e-commerce operations will require detailed attention to every stage of the strategy process.

This study deals with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) of a department of an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of trackless mining equipment. The study was done from the service deliverer's perspective. The aim of the study was to determine an effective Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) in order to assist the OEM to deliver superior satisfaction to its customers in the Aftermarket service delivery environment. It also aims to determine what the OEM needs to do to meet the customers' demands in order to develop a meaningful relationship for both the customer and the service provider. The gap in the perceptions of the customers and the perceptions of the managers of the OEM's Aftermarket service contracts were identified, to reveal the Key Performance Areas (KPAs) for improvement. In order to reveal these KPAs, a literature study was conducted, as a first part of the study. The literature study also helped to create a better understanding of CRM, superior customer value and satisfaction in the service environment. The second part of the study consisted of an empirical investigation. Customers and managers of the OEM's Aftermarket service contracts had to complete questionnaires. Completed questionnaires were received from the total population of the customers and managers. The analysis of the database that was compiled from the questionnaire's responses was done by using Microsoft's ® Office 2007 Suite, supported by Levine, Stephan, Krehbiel and Berenson's textbook Statistics for Managers Using Microsoft ® Excel. The analysis identified a significant difference in seven out of the seventy-eight aspects, in the responses from the customers' perceptions versus the perceptions of the OEM's managers. The analysis also provided a base for the CSI. The combination of these aspects and the CSI exposed five KPAs which need to be improved by the service provider to meet the customers' demands. Improvement of the exposed five KPAs will assist to develop a meaningful relationship for both the customer and the service provider. This study recommended that the OEM develops an action plan based on the climate survey that was done in 2008 in the company and that the OEM improves the communication to the customers related to the OEM remuneration strategy. Furthermore, it was recommended that the importance of the information provided is emphasised by changing the reporting lines, that the defects with regard to the service exchange components' repairs are reported according to the ISO9001 system. A further recommendation is that the benefits to the customer to promote the OEM's service contracts should be communicated to the customer. Lastly, training to the OEM's managers to manage a service level agreement (SLA) successfully was recommended. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

This study deals with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) of a department of an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of trackless mining equipment. The study was done from the service deliverer's perspective. The aim of the study was to determine an effective Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) in order to assist the OEM to deliver superior satisfaction to its customers in the Aftermarket service delivery environment. It also aims to determine what the OEM needs to do to meet the customers' demands in order to develop a meaningful relationship for both the customer and the service provider. The gap in the perceptions of the customers and the perceptions of the managers of the OEM's Aftermarket service contracts were identified, to reveal the Key Performance Areas (KPAs) for improvement. In order to reveal these KPAs, a literature study was conducted, as a first part of the study. The literature study also helped to create a better understanding of CRM, superior customer value and satisfaction in the service environment. The second part of the study consisted of an empirical investigation. Customers and managers of the OEM's Aftermarket service contracts had to complete questionnaires. Completed questionnaires were received from the total population of the customers and managers. The analysis of the database that was compiled from the questionnaire's responses was done by using Microsoft's ® Office 2007 Suite, supported by Levine, Stephan, Krehbiel and Berenson's textbook Statistics for Managers Using Microsoft ® Excel. The analysis identified a significant difference in seven out of the seventy-eight aspects, in the responses from the customers' perceptions versus the perceptions of the OEM's managers. The analysis also provided a base for the CSI. The combination of these aspects and the CSI exposed five KPAs which need to be improved by the service provider to meet the customers' demands. Improvement of the exposed five KPAs will assist to develop a meaningful relationship for both the customer and the service provider. This study recommended that the OEM develops an action plan based on the climate survey that was done in 2008 in the company and that the OEM improves the communication to the customers related to the OEM remuneration strategy. Furthermore, it was recommended that the importance of the information provided is emphasised by changing the reporting lines, that the defects with regard to the service exchange components' repairs are reported according to the ISO9001 system. A further recommendation is that the benefits to the customer to promote the OEM's service contracts should be communicated to the customer. Lastly, training to the OEM's managers to manage a service level agreement (SLA) successfully was recommended. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.