An Alternative Way of Seeing Data Monetization
From early-stage payments fintechs to giant acquirers, every company is asking themselves the same question: “How can we turn our data into dollars?”
After all, most companies these days are to some extent data companies, whether they are aware of it or not. Many businesses try to leverage certain types of data they capture, but there’s also a lot of valuable ‘data exhaust’ they could use without ever sharing any personal or sensitive information. This is known as alternative data and it is being rapidly monetized and shared in the US and Europe.
What is data exhaust?
No, it doesn’t refer to the exhausting nature of big data. (Though there is something to be said about that too!)
Data exhaust refers to the excess data that is generated as a byproduct of a company’s operations. Simply put, it’s all the data the firm might not know what to do with, or might not think is relevant to its core business. This amount is much bigger than you think — Forrester reported that on average, between 60% to 73% of all data within an enterprise goes unused.
However, with advances in IoT, machine learning and artificial intelligence, this rapidly growing volume of exhaust could hold much untapped potential. In fact, this data exhaust could end up being converted into valuable fuel, whether for better decision-making or new ancillary revenue.
Why is data monetization so hard?
Firstly, many firms struggle with what data monetization actually means. Some paths to data monetization are more obvious than others. We’re living in an era when exploiting data for advertising or marketing purposes has become a huge concern. Even when there is no threat to personal privacy, organizations still have to navigate reputational risks if there is even a whiff of data misuse.
Secondly, trying to glean insights from all this raw and unstructured data can be like finding a needle in the haystack. It’s a significant challenge in terms of resources and infrastructure, requiring data expertise that is usually not found in-house.
So what can companies do to tackle this?
Two routes to monetization
These are the two primary paths to data monetization that companies can choose to take, though they are not mutually exclusive. In fact, both paths can intersect and one can lead you down the other:
1) Getting new business insights — This is an internally focused path that may not directly lead to money on the table. But it’s about leveraging data to improve operations or the customer experience. In turn, this could lead to higher profitability or greater efficiencies that result in reduced costs.
Alternative data can yield insights that we may have otherwise not considered. But it’s easier said than done because, as Forbes reports, 87% of executives are still not confident they’re able to leverage all customer data.
But first, every organization needs to take stock of its data assets and figure out which types of data potentially hold value. Then they need to assess whether they have the data management infrastructure, tools and resources to be able to extract value from it.
2) “Externally” monetize data — These days, the mere mention of “selling data” conjures negative reactions. But there are ways of monetizing non-personal data that is aggregated and anonymized. This can be valuable to people you may not be thinking of in ways you might not have imagined.
Opportunities may exist in markets that are new and unfamiliar to the data owner. For instance, firms can open up new revenue streams by selling their data to economists, analysts, investors and any other parties that are seeking to gain new and unique insights.
Raw data by itself can be one-dimensional. It is when data from different companies and sectors is combined and enriched with complementary data sets that real value is created. For instance, a company working with vendors across the country might have data on national beverage sales. It could track these sales and provide additional insights back to the vendors to help them improve sales and promotions. The company could also share this data with beverage brands so they can finetune and optimize marketing by city.
Think about it this way: Doing nothing with your data is the equivalent of keeping all your savings under the mattress. It seems like a safe bet, but it’s outdated and you get zero returns. Data monetization is a smarter investment — it seems daunting at first but if you can find a safe, meaningful use case, your company’s data becomes a revenue driver rather than a sleeping asset.
Learn more about how to monetize your data here.
