We already get Google usage reports regularly and they’re pretty much comprehensible and it’s interesting to see how we spend our time with GMail.

But just now I got two different examples of what data means to marketing and information. The first is from Transport for London (TfL):

They know that I recently commute to Kew Gardens, so why not updating me with some interesting info about wifi ?

The second is from EasyJet:

They know how I travel with them, so why not giving me some stats about it ?

That’s just two examples of how customer data is driving business and how they reach their consumers. Right now is just pure relational and statistical information given, but how long will it take for them to provide me with real interesting deals and alerts ? (TfL already does the later)

So, when you think about ‘big data’, think about this and how useful it might be for your business to reach your consumers with relevant details. It’s imperative that you gather as much data as you can from them – hence the ‘big data’ issue – and use proper analytic tools to get results out of it.

Some might freak out about it – due to privacy issues, while I just think as something useful and necessary.