The Connected Consumer: Connected Devices and the Evolution of Customer Intelligence

Technological advances are increasing the connections between customers and companies, products, and one another. Consumers' use of connected devices is providing rich sources of data about consumers, their activity, and their environment, which we collectively label customer intelligence. At the same time, changes in statistical algorithms and artificial intelligence are making automated inferences and decisions regarding consumer behavior possible. One likely result of these changes is the emergence of companies that are especially adept at generating and using customer intelligence. This article explores how changes in sensing technology, causal modeling, and intelligent marketing platforms may affect the generation and utilization of customer intelligence. We envision a merging of these traditionally separate activities in companies that possess a large, active customer base and the ability to collect, process, and apply data from these customers quickly and accurately. Such a convergence offers substantial potential value but also notable risk for tomorrow's connected consumers.