The home improvement industry has never had a big name behind it. Sure, companies like Anglian and Everest are well known, but they are not a global brand. 

So what happens when a business that everyone knows and trusts, and most people trade with, and that holds a world-class brand, enters the home improvement market?  What happens to established window installers, many of which are struggling to generate enough business as it is?

I am talking about Tesco of course.  The global brand that generates £1 billion sales per week and makes circa £3.5 billion pre-tax profit per year – greater than the entire size of the window industry.

Tesco Home Services has now launched and promises to provide homeowners with quality home improvements through a network of approved partners. Oh, and Tesco Clubcard points too.  If and when Tesco roll this out nationally, it could change the home improvement industry. 

The implications are far reaching.  Installers who sign up as partners could have all the sales leads they could ever cope with, and sales conversion rates they can only dream about.  Homeowners trust Tesco. So will this benefit or mark the end of organisations such as the Double Glazing & Conservatory Ombudsman Scheme? (DGCOS), Insurance Backed Warranty providers (IBG’s) and online lead generation sites? What about the product manufacturers? Will Tesco control the supply chain? 

Many won’t take this move seriously. But this would be a mistake.  With over 280,000 UK staff, along with their family and friends, they already have a captive market before launching the service. 

So why has Tesco moved into home improvements? Well why not. They have recently launched their own record label, movie company, and a chain of hairdressing/beauty salons. They acquired a 24-strong chain of major garden centres. And Tesco Bank provides mortgages, loans, credit cards and insurance. Lots of insurances. So why not home improvements? 

It won’t happen overnight. But it will happen. I would welcome your views on this, please comment below, and you can visit the Tesco Home Services website here:  www.tescohomeservices.com

Andrew Scott, Managing Director, Insight Data Ltd.

Market research, trends, and analysis for the window and conservatory industry. www.insightdata.co.uk

Not all companies who source prospect data for architects or building contractors are in the in fenestration industry. A wide range of companies in the building products sector work closely with architects and architect practices, and these companies need an architects database.  Similarly many suppliers including builders merchants, plumbing suppliers, and even vehicle suppliers target small builders. Having a builders database can help these companies find new customers. 

We are delighted to announce the launch of two highly specialised websites that provide architects data and builders data than can be used for database marketing. These include architect email addresses and builders email addresses, address, contact numbers and business details. 

www.architects-database.co.uk contains data on 15,000 architects and specifiers, and www.builders-data.co.uk contains the contact details of over 23,000 local builders and building contractors.

As the UK was hit by another batch of snow last week, amidst stories of traffic delays and school closures the Insight Data team decided to make the most of it and have a little festive fun before the Christmas holidays.

Frostbite claimed many a finger; noses were left looking like Rudolf’s but it was all worth it for the glorious snowman that was produced.

Job well done everyone!

Insight Data has announced a major new development for Salestracker, the worlds first web-based prospect software for the home improvement industry with over 60,000 records.

The Document Vault is an App that allows users to attach documents, such as visit reports, meeting notes, quotations or price lists to a prospect on customer on Salestracker.  

 “The Document Vault is a major development for Salestracker and our customers. Rather than simply updating a basic notes field, users can attach in-depth information securely, keeping all documents relating to a prospect or customer together in one place” explains Insight’s Software Development Manager Matthew Stone.

 The Document Vault isn’t just limited to attaching files to a single record though. Users can attach a document to an entire campaign, so that they can look back and view the sales letter, mailer or other document that was sent with the campaign.

 Users can also simply upload documents and files for general use, such as brochures or price lists, and download them as required.

 Matthew Stone continues; “Some prospect data providers have outsourced their software development to third party companies. Not only could this be putting clients at risk from breaching the Data Protection Act, it also means a lack of innovation and development.  With Insight Data we have our own in-house software developers and are continuously investing in Salestracker.  This gives our customers a competitive edge.”

 Salestracker contains detailed information on specialist companies in the building and home improvement industry and is updated live in real-time by Insight Data’s own research team. 

• 14,176 UK window and conservatory fabricators and installers, with over 10,200 email addresses 
• 897 fabricators and installers in the Republic of Ireland 
• 27,971 local builders and contractors, with specialist sectors 
• 5,265 roofline installers  
• 15,052 architects & specifiers 
• 1,158 IGU (sealed unit) manufacturers in the UK and Ireland

 For more information on Salestracker or any Insight database, call 01934 808293 or visit www.insightdata.co.uk

 Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/insightdata

Zurich Insurance has recently been fined £2.3m by the Financial Service Authority (FSA) for losing personal details of 46,000 customers.

According to the BBC report, the information went missing during a routine data backup to their data centre, and the company was ‘oblivious’ to the loss until a year later.

The FSA stated that Zurich UK had failed to oversee the outsourcing arrangement effectively and did not have full control over the data being processed by their data centre.

Your data is one of your most valuable assets. Having it fall into the wrong hands could have devastating consequences, particularly if it contains confidential customer information.

Many companies now use some form of web-based CRM system to manage prospect and customer information. But who else can access this information, or what happens if the provider goes out of business?

As more prospect data suppliers move to online systems, some of them are putting their customers at serious risk by having their prospect software written and managed by third party companies, who can easily access confidential client data. What’s more, what happens if either the data provider or the third party software company goes out of business, or the two companies have a trading disagreement? Suddenly your business could be left “high and dry”.

Customers who subscribe to the Insight database access data via Salestracker, Insight’s own web-based CRM software. The software is written and managed by Insight’s in-house software team under strict security guidelines, and customer data is stored separately within a high-security data centre in London, with a mirrored back-up system for disaster recovery purposes. The database is protected by a host of security and firewall systems.

Protecting your data is a serious matter. You don’t want it to fall into the wrong hands, and you don’t want to be left exposed if your data supplier or their software provider have a disagreement or cease trading.

Choosing a financial strong and stable company such as Insight Data, who have developed their own software in-house and who take your data security very seriously, will ensure your data is both secure and accessible at all times. Other data providers may provide a cheap solution, but is it worth the risk?

For more information on Insight Data visit www.insightdata.co.uk, call us on 01934 808293 or follow us on www.twitter.com/insightdata

Increased volatility in the window and conservatory market in the last year has led to a surge in the number of companies changing their details, swapping suppliers and changing staff.

“Last month alone 1,090 companies changed some element of their business and the rate of change is accelerating. Keeping your finger on the pulse in this fast-moving market is essential.” explains Insight’s Data Analyst David Lewis

To cope with this increase, Insight has now expanded its research team to eight staff, all of which have intensive telemarketing and product training. “It is no longer possible to maintain the level of detail and accuracy of the window industry database with just a few researchers, and by expanding our team we continue to research and update our database more frequently that other data providers, ensuring our clients have the very latest market intelligence.”

Clients access details of 14,000 fabricators and installers online in real-time using Salestracker, Insight’s web-based CRM system. As a researcher updates or adds new records clients can act on this information instantly. The research team uses a sophisticated Voice over IP (VoIP) phone system linked directly to Salestracker with capacity for some 500,000 calls per annum, while a system to monitor data accuracy ensures records are updated correctly.

“With so many window companies changing their details every month, it was essential we invested in the latest technology as well as new staff. We now have 20 people at Insight Data engaged in helping our customers find and win new customers, and this number is expanding as we launch new databases for the building industry” concludes David.

For more information contact Insight Data on 01934 808293, visit http://www.insightdata.co.uk or follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/insightdata