River Island is a beloved high street retailer that has brought leading fashion trends to UK shoppers for over sixty years, with both a digital and in-store presence.
When the brand began building a marketing and analytics data technology environment with only a Single Customer View (SCV)— a single record that merges all customer data– available, they recognised the need for a SaaS solution that would be able to perform real-time identity resolution on customer data.
The Challenge
Bringing the entire SCV in-house posed a significant challenge to River Island, having to terminate many data feeds and re-evaluate incoming and outbound data that lacked clarity. The original data feeds were also set up by employees who had since left the business, resulting in a trial by fire with their SCV.
The Solution
CACI configured ResolvID, a cloud native solution hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud infrastructure, to supply River Island with data cleansing, standardisation, identity resolution and deduplication. Developed with a Microservices architecture, the bespoke platform offers significant advantages through its scaling, resilience and flexibility when rapid changes and improvements are required.
ResolvID comprises horizontally and vertically scalable Microservices that perform different functions with a seamless interface to enhance River Island’s accessibility. The solution leverages advanced deterministic name and address matching techniques in conjunction with digital and non-digital identifiers specific to River Island customers and their data. As part of this initiative, CACI took a three-step approach to effectively perform identity resolution on River Island’s customer data.
The Results
Leveraging ResolvID has resulted in many tangible benefits for River Island, including the creation of various customer dashboards to monitor more targeted figures and generate better, more timely data that bolsters targeted customer campaigns. There have also been noticeable improvements in workload efficiencies, such as cutting down the time required to action workloads to increase the team’s focus on refining their future strategy of doing more with their data to retain oversight on customer performance.
Once we swapped to ResolvID, the numbers we got were close enough to give us confidence that the deduplication received from ResolvID worked better than our previous managed service.
Ben Anderton, Technical Lead at River Island, shared how this real-time capability now enables the confident and immediate actioning of data and customer signups to produce effective campaigns based on genuine buying behaviours and generate accurate results.
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If you have any questions or want to learn more, please get in touch with us to discuss what strategies and solutions that our team of experts can help you deliver.
For over 30 years, South West Water (SWW) has been supplying reliable and high-quality drinking and wastewater services to customers throughout South West England.
When the business was tasked with developing an affordability model for their customers, they set themselves a target of getting customers out of water poverty and onto the right support tariffs where necessary. While their own data and customer insight could act as a starting point, SWW recognised the impact that pairing this with CACI’s Ocean data would have on achieving their desired outcome.
The Challenge:
Higher financial strain due to the cost-of-living crisis, coupled with the industry-wide ambition of eradicating water poverty by 2025, made it imperative for customers who require and are eligible for support to be proactively identified and lifted out of water poverty through SWW’s holistic affordability toolkit.
The Solution:
Understanding the SWW brief, challenge and previous models used by the industry, a bespoke and granular dataset was created to supply a unique and current perspective into equivalised income at a 6/7-digit
postcode level, in conjunction with the wider validating characteristics of these customers, the complete SWW household customer and the property base.
South West Water built a model which combines this data with their own billing data at a customer level, enabling them to calculate the percentage of equivalised income from their customers’ current spend on their water bill at a property level. They can further combine this with OBR forecasts of income, housing costs and bill profiles to 2030 to model water poverty and wider outcomes into the future.
The Results:
From July 2022 to September 2023, over 15,000 customers were auto-enrolled onto support tariffs and brought out of water poverty. The affordability model enabled SWW to directly engage with these customers, build their trust and encourage further contact and conversation, particularly where customers may be entitled to or require additional support or services.
The use of the full range of our affordability toolkit remains critical to our ambition, we are now able to a high degree of confidence identify and, subject to further validation, engage with and auto-enrol customers onto our tariffs and bring them out of water poverty. These customers are often the struggling silent and hardest to reach who — without the data provided by CACI and the wider inputs into the model — we would not have had the capability to lift out of water poverty or achieve our commitment of eradicating water poverty which we are on track to achieve and is at the heart of our approach.
John Huxtable, Customer and Recovery Data and Insight Manager at SWW
Read the case study
You can access and download the full case study here. If you have any questions or want to learn more about CACI’s solutions, please get in touch with us.
In this fourth blog of our series looking at balanced locations, we’re travelling to Worcester, a captivating city in the heart of the West Midlands known for its storied history and architecture, triumphant sports and social culture and vibrant community gatherings.
Worcester is packed with hidden gems and old haunts, medieval heritage sites and palatable dining options. These are a few of the many driving factors behind Worcester earning its place on our list of perfectly balanced places to live per our report, “Six Pillars of Success: Building Resilient Places”.
While many larger chain retailers like Primark, New Look, The Body Shop and Boots can be found in Crowngate Shopping Centre, plenty of independent retailers are situated in the heart of Worcester, especially on Friar Street. From clothing shops and bridal studios like You Boutique and Perfections Bridal Studio to pet shops and toy shops like Paw & Co and The Entertainer, there is no shortage of retailers catering to the community’s unique needs.
Pillar 2: Uniquely tailored offline experiences
Events are a big deal in Worcester– from open-air concerts to community festivals, there is always something happening to engage and entertain visitors of all interests.
The Victorian Christmas Fayre is one of such examples. A beloved annual event that captures the essence of Victorian England by transforming the streets of Worcester into a scene reminiscent of the era of Queen Victoria, the Fayre fills the city streets with market stalls that offer traditional festive treats and crafts. Several historic buildings throughout the city also take part in the celebration, opening their doors to guests to awe at the Victorian era’s opulence.
In the summer, locals and horse racing enthusiasts flock to Pitchcroft Park (otherwise known as Worcester Racecourse), a renowned thoroughbred horse racing venue. The annual Worcester Fringe Festival also brings theatre and arts aficionados to the city in the summer to revel in over 60 events dedicated to theatre, music and comedy at various venues. The musical fun doesn’t stop there— Worcester Fake Festival is returning to Pitchcroft Park this summer to deliver a tribute-based music event to local music lovers.
Throughout the year, historical events paying tribute to Worcester’s rich history such as the Civil War Soldier School at The Commandery also offer children an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Civil War soldiers.
Football and cricket also form important parts of the city’s sports culture. Football is one of the most widely followed and played sports in the city, and cricket becomes particularly popular during the summer months.
The High Street, Friar Street and New Street are also brimming with cafes and coffee shops (both independent and chains), pubs and restaurants. In fact, a recent initiative to renovate the Worcester Foregate Street railway station arches, The Arches, has brought together a new cluster of trendy restaurants, coffee shops, breweries and even axe throwing.
Friar Street and New Street are also home to two of the city’s oldest, most historic pubs. The Cardinal’s Hat Inn on Friar Street is the oldest in the city, dating back to the fourteenth century. The King Charles House on New Street has a special tie to British history, as the home that King Charles II fled after defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, aided by New Street’s residents holding the Cromwell army back for the King’s successful escape.
Pillar 3: Engaging community infrastructure
In terms of amenities and services, Worcester’s High Street features large chain supermarkets like Tesco, banks like Barclays, NatWest and Lloyds, pharmacies like Boots and a Post Office. Neighbouring Friar Street and New Street house a number of barbers and hairdressers, as well as beauty salons.
Worcester Cathedral in the heart of the city dates to the 12th century, showcasing the grandeur of English Gothic style. It not only serves as a place of worship, but as a cultural hub that hosts many events throughout the year.
The Hive, a modern, high-tech library with rooms to hire and a cultural programme that sits alongside more traditional library resources, is also a thriving community resource accessible by university students and the public.
Pillar 4: Support social cohesion through optimised residential design
At £44,246 per annum, household incomes in Worcester are in line with the UK average. Housing costs align with average earnings, with a range of affordable options from historic city centre properties to more modern developments beyond the centre available. With the average price of a home being £254,728 (5.8x the average earnings) and private rentals hovering around £701 PCM (19% of average earnings), Worcester’s affordability compared to most places of its size is evident.
Pillar 5: Sufficient & accessible work opportunities for the local population
With 9.6% of Worcester’s adult population being full time students (above the national average, and likely a result of the University of Worcester’s presence), both educational and working opportunities are easily within reach.
The city’s prominent manufacturing scene has created many job opportunities in sectors like engineering and logistics. Full and part-time employment rates (at 45% and 14% respectively) sit above the national average. 2.3% of the population is unemployed but looking for work, a rate slightly below the national average.
This year, the Worcestershire Skills Show will also be taking place, exposing Year 7 to 10 students to an array of industries to help them understand what businesses are looking for in future employees and determine the necessary skills and qualifications to pursue their future career goals.
Pillar 6: Appealing open spaces for the community to dwell in
Worcester’s green open spaces provide an escape from city life while also encouraging gatherings.
For those interested in exploring the city on foot, daily walking tours are offered by guides from Discover History, Worcester Walks and Faithful CityWalk. For the adventurers, self-guided tours and trails of the City’s Guildhall, the Worcester Heritage Walk and more are available.
Britain’s longest river, the River Severn, runs through the city and offers walkways along the water with plenty of surrounding open spaces to spend time in. In the warmer seasons, boating enthusiasts can be seen rowing boats or canoes, and anglers can be found on the riverbanks. Those opting for a leisurely stroll or vigorous jog can utilise the pathways.
For a serene escape just a stone’s throw from the city centre, locals and visitors will find Gheluvelt Park, offering expansive green space and captivating landscapes, opportunities to hire paddleboats or row boats on Barbourne Brook, or play tennis. The park holds more significance than just its beauty— it memorialises the Battle of Gheluvelt, a defining moment in World War I that helped secure victory for the Allies.
Stay tuned for our next pick of a ‘perfectly balanced’ place to live in our upcoming blog.
To learn how our six property pillars can help ensure you are creating resilient places, please speak to one of our Placemaking and Property experts.
Away Resorts is a holiday park operator specialising in holiday homes, luxury lodges, caravans and home lettings and ownership across the UK. Having grown recently from six parks to 27 after a substantial acquisition, the business hypothesised that there may be new customer groups across their wider portfolio of sites. This presented the team with an opportunity to decipher these customers’ demographics and continue to grow the business through engaging and relevant communications.
The challenge
Laura Miller, Head of Marketing at Away Resorts, highlighted three major challenges that Away Resorts needed to overcome to find out what their customers wanted to get out of their holidays and where the optimal locations for the acquisition of future parks would be:
Reassess how to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their marketing spend.
Develop a future capital programme that would be backed by a genuine understanding of what customers want from their bookings, their desires when looking for a holiday park, and which amenities to prioritise investing in.
Attract the right customer demographic by refreshing existing marketing communications and channels.
The results and benefits
These insights helped Away Resorts gauge where marketing spend should be focused to target specific segments, how best to distribute campaign spending and how to switch strategic gears to deliver more effectively executed campaigns, including the introduction of new media channels.
“It’s never just been about the project; it’s about wanting a deeper understanding of where we felt like we could go a level down to the market to get more owners. We’ve very much looked at our holidaymakers and those who potentially move from some of our key holidaymaker segments into potential holiday homeowners and we’re supporting all kinds of revenue streams within the diversity that makes up a holiday park.”
Hayley Collins, Commercial Systems Manager at Away Resorts
Plus, it has been particularly beneficial during executive board meetings, where tangible, easily comprehensible customer insights can now be shared with the wider business to bolster decision-making.
“Rather than what you might get from one or two surveys and a gut feeling, there’s tangible data that I can go in and explain my reasoning as to why we should choose a specific piece of media for upcoming planning. That’s the bit I’ve never been able to quite do before – giving the certainty and confidence to the executive level that we’re doing the right things.”
Laura Miller, Head of Marketing at Away Resorts
This deep dive into customers has enabled Away Resorts to adapt their customer feedback survey on holiday motivations and needs to be met by including questions on customers’ specific interests. The business has confidently leaned into an ‘exploration’ narrative based on the findings, which suggested that their target segment wants to explore beyond the park—partaking in walks, bike rides and other activities.
The outcomes and the future
In the coming years, Away Resorts is keen to explore larger-scale data-oriented projects with the help of CACI. Additional data acquisition drilling down into more locations along with the possibilities of what can still be done with the business’ existing data to grow and refine their segments remain a priority. Along with the business’ additional data sources, Away Resorts will continue to monitor changes through the segmentation data to enrich and grow their existing data to grow and maintain their core audience.
Read the full case study here. Or for more information on how CACI can support you with your customer data insights and strategies, please get in touch and one of our data experts will happily arrange a time to talk.
The latest findings from our Cost of Living consumer survey are in, and we’re taking a look at the insights through the lens of the leisure industry.
With over 2,000 respondents surveyed in November, we asked consumers about their thoughts and priorities in the lead up to Christmas to help brands understand how their customers may be behaving. For companies in the leisure space, being able to predict the movements, intentions and spending patterns of customers is key at this time of year, especially in the current economic climate.
So, what did we find?
Nearly half of consumers still want to socialise and spend despite the impact of the Cost of Living
With 46% of respondents agreeing that the increased Cost of Living will not impact their intended Christmas social plans (up from 40% in 2022), leisure brands can expect to benefit from people wanting to attend and spend on events out of the home this year.
While this is reflected in general financial fears dropping since the late summer, there seems to be a generational divide with Gen X, Millennials and Boomers feeling more confident. Gen Z, on the other hand, reached a new peak of concern at over 50%.
Their concerns relate to their personal finances as opposed to family finances or the national/global economy, which could affect brands reliant on young adults to boost their seasonal profits.
Energy fears remain high as the cold moves in, leading to potential cost-cutting in other areas for some groups
With energy costs becoming more of a focus as temperatures drop, some demographic groups are having to cut down on other costs to keep warm this winter – with one in three among the Low Income Living Acorn category expecting to have to do so.
The impact decreases as we climb the affluence scale but remains fairly significant, with over 20% of the Established Affluence category also considering cost cutting for this reason.
Spending on food and drink at home remains a priority, but the importance of entertainment and leisure at Christmas is growing
With a significant 79% of people considering spending on food and drink at home to be important this festive period, there is further optimism for the leisure industry as our latest survey has also detected a shift back towards entertainment and leisure as a source of importance.
While consumers report that most other areas of spending are reducing in importance, entertainment and leisure is trending in the other direction, with 59% of consumers surveyed classifying entertainment and leisure as either somewhat or very important to them this year, which is up from 53% in 2022. This is supported by 47% of respondents identifying that socialising outside of their homes this year is important, which is a slight increase from 2022.
Overall, the social planning picture is a lot less negative than last year
When we consider the contrast between pre-pandemic and Cost of Living crisis behaviours versus consumer attitudes now, it’s fair to say that people continue to exert caution in the lead up to Christmas. Nonetheless, we’re seeing less negativity year-on-year, which shows that there’s opportunity for leisure brands in the coming weeks.
Brands may still want to consider how different demographic groups are going to drive success this Christmas, as levels of concern and caution seem to be directly related to affluence. The findings show that the Established Affluence category appear to place the most importance on maintaining their food and beverage spending and socialising this year.
When taking age into account, we found that a surprisingly large pocket of younger respondents actually prefer New Year’s Eve to Christmas Day as a celebration. So, this could be something to consider when rolling out engagement strategies post-Christmas.
Apply these insights to your consumers and stay in the loop as you strategise
We work with a range of market-leading brands in the leisure industry, helping them to identify, understand and locate their customer base to drive value for their businesses and inform successful estate optimisation and growth. If any of our demographic or location-focused data is of interest to you, or if you’d like to dive deeper into our survey results, please get in touch to discuss this with us.
In this third blog of our series looking at balanced locations, we shift our focus to Skipton, a picturesque market town in North Yorkshire known for its rich history and breath taking countryside known as “the Gateway to the Dales”.
With its 900-year-old medieval castle forming a centrepiece that overlooks the town and its charming, cobbled streets, traditional shops and vibrant markets, Skipton has retained its historic character while also providing modern amenities and a welcoming atmosphere for residents and visitors alike. These key contributing factors have earned Skipton its place on our list of perfectly balanced places to live per our report, “Six Pillars of Success: Building Resilient Places”.
Skipton’s historic High Street is home to an array of independent shops, boutiques and local businesses, which are complemented by national retailers such as M&S and WHSmith, clothing retailers like Next and Phase Eight, and health and beauty retailers like The Body Shop and Boots.
On the cusp of Yorkshire Dales National Park with hiking and cycling trails galore, the High Street of this historic market town also offers an array of outdoor clothing and equipment specialist retailers such as Chevin Cycles,Trespass,Regatta Great Outdoors and Mountain Warehouse.
Pillar 2: Uniquely tailored offline experiences
One of Skipton’s standout features is its weekly farmers and crafts market that offers a variety of locally sourced, traditional produce and handmade goods. All the stalls are run by local Yorkshire businesses, which generates a lively community atmosphere in and around the town. On Saturdays, locals can stroll through Skipton Market lining both sides of the High Street, establishing itself as a vital player in the town’s overall shopping experience and offerings.
History aficionados can also visit Skipton Castle, a remarkably preserved medieval castle where the Fattorini family— jewellers and creators of the Football Association Challenge Cup— continue to live to this day. Plaza Cinema is also popular with cinemagoers—a century-old, art deco, single-screen cinema that is the sole survivor of the town’s cinemas.
Skipton is also home to many small cafes and coffee shops (both independent and chains), pubs and restaurants.
Pillar 3: Engaging community infrastructure
In terms of amenities and services, Skipton houses nearly everything that would be expected from a town of its size, including both small and large supermarkets like Grape Tree Skipton and M&S, banks like Halifax, Barclays and NatWest, dry cleaners, furniture shops, charity shops and estate agents.
Skipton’s town hall is also situated near the castle, with a museum and gallery, a library and a small music amphitheatre just off the High Street.
Skipton Station is also a major force in the town’s infrastructure, with regularly scheduled direct commuter trains travelling to both Leeds and Bradford, and several London-bound trains daily.
Pillar 4: Support social cohesion through optimised residential design
Skipton features a wide variety of properties that are suitable for several types of people, ranging from large, detached houses to converted mill apartments, with terraced houses being especially prominent in the town. Families with children will find excellent educational opportunities available in the area, with several prestigious schools such asboys’ and girls’ grammar schools in the vicinity.
Pillar 5: Sufficient & accessible work opportunities for the local population
Although theSkipton Building Societyiscurrently the largest employer in the area, the town’s largest industry is likely to be tourism. Train line connections to Leeds and Bradford have opened many additional job opportunities as well.
Pillar 6: Appealing open spaces for the community to dwell in
Being the gateway to the Dales, Skipton is home to plenty of green spaces. From inviting woodlands and walking paths situated behind Skipton Castle to impressive views accessible within a half-hour drive, Skipton and its vicinity has something for outdoor enthusiasts.
In the heart of the town is Aireville Park, a large open space packed with sporting facilities suited for football, tennis, netball and basketball, a wheel park catering to BMX, skateboarding and rollerblading, children’s play areas, a treetop high ropes course and a café. The park is also home to Skipton’s weekly parkrun and annual triathlon, Yorkshire and Humberside’s largest pool-based triathlon.
Fans of the Harry Potter film franchise will be pleased to know that scenes from “The Deathly Hallows” were shot at the top of Malham Cove, a short drive from Skipton, showing views across Malhamdale, down to Malham Village and Kirkby Malham. Scenes from the 1992 version film adaptation of Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights” were also shot in Malham Cove.
In the opposite direction and of similar driving distance, the renowned Brontë sisters’ home in Haworth can be found. It is now one of the oldest literary societies worldwide and was converted into the Brontë Parsonage Museum in memory of the celebrated authors of classic literature.
Saltaire, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built in the mid-19th century as a model Victorian village depicting life for workers in Sir Titus Salt’s textile mill, can also be reached from Skipton within half an hour’s drive. Visitors will find ornate and well-preserved houses, a church and public buildings surrounding a park to stroll through, with the namesake mill, Salt’s Mill, at the epicentre of the site.
Stay tuned for our next pick ofa ‘perfectly balanced’ place to live in our upcoming blog. To learn how our six property pillars can help ensure you are creating resilient places, please speak to one of our Placemaking and Property experts.
In this second blog of our series looking at balanced locations, we focus on Reigate and Fleet. These two enchanting towns are brimming with rich history and exceptional greenery. A blend of nostalgia, tranquillity and friendliness, they are south of central London in Surrey and Hampshire counties, making them the closest to London on our list of balanced locations outlined in our report, “Six Pillars of Success: Building Resilient Places”. While inhabitants of both towns are proud to call them home, the criteria they achieved in our report reiterate the reasons why we consider them wonderful places to live.
Reigate and Fleet both feature a myriad of national chains and independent retailers that take part in annual local activities and events.
In Reigate, national retailers like M&S and Boots are complemented by a range of independent retailers like The Vineking, a wine tasting and dining experience independent merchant, Art of Living, a family-run cook shop and showroom, and a handful of boutique gift shops like The Lemon Tree. Day-to-day convenience shopping is also supported by a large high-street Morrisons, which offers free parking.
Just under an hour from central London, you will find the town of Fleet, an ideal travel connection town for those who regularly commute into the city. Fleet Road, the town’s high street, features an array of independent shops and a mix of both independent and chain restaurants. Hart Shopping Centre houses several known brands and independent retailers. It hosts monthly craft markets that bring the community together to support local, independent businesses.
Pillar 2: Uniquely tailored offline experiences
Reigate has more restaurants than any market of its size, all of which are successful staples in the area. Just off Reigate High Street, you can find the Pilgrim Brewery, an independent retailer that is actively involved in our community’s sports teams and events, and is known among locals as a wonderful spot to gather and socialise.
Pan Asian chain restaurant, Banana Tree, recently opened its door to the Reigate community, joining the likes of Bills, Nando’s and Wagamama on the High Street to further enhance Reigate’s food and beverage offerings. Monte Forte also took up a fixed residency on Reigate High Street after trading from a pizza van that visited the town. After a cozy dinner or a day spent shopping on the High Street, locals can also catch a film at the local Everyman Cinema. With several independent pubs and even a couple of late-night venues catering to the night owls, Reigate’s independent retailers have something for everyone.
Reigate High Street is also involved in several national events throughout the year, from artisan, food and street markets to Pillage the Village around Halloween, an annual Christmas Fayre on Church Street, and most recently, Tom Kerridge’s Pub in the Park, which featured food stalls, live musicians and renowned chefs from around the country.
Popular cuisine in Fleet tends to be Italian and Indian, with several restaurants a notable hit with locals. For vegetarian options, The Greenhouse Fleet is an independent vegetarian cafe/restaurant with a strong environmental emphasis and diverse selection of palatable meals.
Zinc & Popworld and a variety of local pubs form Fleet’s leisure scene. For a cozy lakeside view and nautical atmosphere, locals can visit the Heron on the Lake pub. The recently redeveloped Hart Leisure Centre now offers a sports facility that doubles as a community gathering spot. For the town’s younger population, a recently opened virtual gaming experience arcade, Chimera VR, has quickly gained popularity.
Pillar 3: Engaging community infrastructure
Reigate’s array of yoga and Pilates studios along with a centrally located gym appeal to locals looking to stay in shape. Many companies or large groups also make use of Priory Park for outdoor fitness classes. To cover local essentials,Reigate houses a Royal Mail delivery office to the north of the High Street, a couple of dry cleaners and a key cutting shop, all of which cover local essentials. A launderette is also situated south of the High Street within a small parade of separate shops, and a Busy Bees nursery can also be found in this vicinity.
For a town of its size, Fleet’s array of amenities and services cater well to the needs of all ages of the local population. It’s home to a large leisure centre that comes with a pool, spaces for squash and indoor sports and a gym. Many of its eco shops like Fleet Scoop, a ‘Zero Waste’ community spirited and environmentally conscious shop along with other local gems that opened just before the Covid-19 pandemic have been warmly embraced by the community and have continued to perform well post-pandemic. There are also plenty of smaller rows of shops outside of the High Street, along with a number of hairdressers and nail salons catering to its residents’ beauty needs.
Pillar 4: Support social cohesion through optimised residential design
Housing in Reigate and Fleet is affordable for those that live in the area, as the higher than national average prices are reflected by respectively higher-than-average earnings. With plenty of private rentals to choose from and hundreds of newly built homes going up in the last few years.
At £1,147 per calendar month, private rentals in Reigate are 24% of average earnings, a smidge below the national average of 25%. Private rentals in Fleet equate to £1,095 per calendar month (or 21% of average earnings), also below the national average of 25%. Fleet has also seen 815 new homes built in the last five years– a growth rate of 4.8% which sits above the national average of 3.8% in the same period.
Fleet has experienced organic growth and periodic development in its housing market. Approximately every 20 years, a new housing development has emerged, including the likes of Ancells Farm Nature Reserve, Zebon Copse, Church Crookham, Elvetham Heath, and the currently under construction Edenbrook. Each estate has brought new retail and food & beverage opportunities with it, such as pubs, community centres, supermarkets, parks and cafes.
Pillar 5: Sufficient & accessible work opportunities for the local population
Reigate and Fleet’s economies are both active, with only 1.7% of the population in both towns being unemployed (below the national average of 2.5%). Fleet Services also employs many locals and acts as a stopover for those travelling from London and the East.
Fleet is home to many managers, directors and senior officials, with over 50% of the population in managerial, administrative and professional occupations. While it has historically been home to many commuters to London, it now houses several business parks, primarily occupied by Information Technology (IT) companies.
In Reigate, 46% of the population are in professional and technical occupations, with a higher-than-average 17% in service industries. There are thousands of companies and hundreds of medium-large-sized businesses that locals can work for, including the UK and European head offices of Willis Towers Watson, Kimberly-Clark and Pfizer. While most local employers operate in the private sector, there are public sector opportunities available in the local Council and NHS Trust.
Pillar 6: Appealing open spaces for the community to dwell in
Reigate’s Priory Park just off the High Street offers a great open space to tire the kids out either at the skate park, playground or by strolling along the lake or through the woods. The park hosts many events, including a free park run every Saturday morning that draws in upwards of 200 locals each weekend. It also hosts sporting events like local kids’ football teams, bringing together the community to the town centre.
Fleet’s lush greenery similarly draws in locals– at the heart of the town lies Fleet Pond, connecting various parts of Fleet. The town’s younger population is also catered to through open spaces such as a skatepark in the local park, The Views.
To learn how our six property pillars can help ensure you are creating resilient places, please speak to one of our Placemaking and Property experts.
In our previous blog, we explored some of the most common challenges that have arisen in the travel sector in 2023 and how you can leverage digital marketing and personalisation to tackle them.
In an era where the Cost of Living is placing pressure on consumers’ budgets, the significance of precise, targeted marketing and aligned messaging cannot be overstated. Moving towards the end of the year and the holiday-booking surge that happens in January, marketers will need to be aware of timely shifts in behaviour and expectations to capitalise on customer intent at the right times.
Through our recent Cost of Living consumer survey, we have identified important shifts in travel spending habits that will influence the January booking window, and have pinpointed the demographic groups experiencing the most significant adjustments:
Travellers are more frugal than they were, but still want the best experience they can afford
Travellers will spend more time than usual researching to try and find the best the value options
Travellers may be more sceptical about convenient booking options and package deals still offering the best available value
Solo travellers, travellers without children and families are all being hit differently, and will therefore have different needs and expectations when it comes to researching and booking.
Despite these shifts, there are still plenty of opportunities for travel businesses to keep customers interested in going away. Below we have detailed some of the tactics that can help:
Consumers’ travel spending will continue—with exceptions
Many travellers may have set expectations in their minds around what a ‘good trip’ looks like, such as having to be a certain distance away or for a minimum number of days. Our findings concluded that despite the ongoing Cost of Living crisis, holidays remain a priority for consumers of all ages, and they are determined to find ways to make them happen.
In fact, 57% of consumers surveyed have or will be making changes to their holiday habits to save money and get more for their money.
Respondents expect to cut their expenditure on their next holiday, with 45% saying they will either find a cheaper destination, travel option, accommodation, do fewer activities or simply reduce their trip length. Which means that they will most likely spend more time researching their holidays and trips. Equally, this may affect the package holiday market as consumers compose their own holidays by booking their own flights, hotels and transfers.
The most affluent Acorn demographic groupsexpect to cut their holiday expenditure in this way more than other groups, as do millennials and Gen Z respondents. 22% of respondents are also taking fewer breaks compared to previous years.
To continue to encourage travellers to go away, travel businesses will need to shift the focus from larger packages and holidays and instead start spotlighting the benefits of closer destinations and shorter trips or weekend getaways. Their focus language will need to be around ‘doing more with less’ to ensure travellers continue to see the value in getting away no matter the length of holiday. Travel businesses can promote this throughout the year as well, as shorter breaks are far more flexible and can happen at any time.
Gen Z are spending the least on travel this year
Younger holidaymakers—particularly Gen Z— appear to want to spend as little as possible to keep travelling this year.
When it comes to cheaper destinations and accommodation, more than 1 in 5 respondents of younger age groups have opted for these. Younger men surveyed are particularly determined to continue to take breaks as they have before. Just 14% of Gen Z men expect to take fewer breaks compared with previous years, yet that rate more than doubles among Gen Z women, 29% of whom reported that expectation.
To combat this, travel businesses that speak directly to traveller concerns around value will build their trust in the options they’re being presented with. For travellers that are wary of costs and will expect to be researching for longer periods of time to seek the best value, curated options and direct, value-based messaging will help to make their concerns feel acknowledged and will offer a faster and more convenient option for them to browse.
Family holidays are being cut…
Respondents that have children appear to be affected to a greater extent than those without. The appeal of cheaper destinations rises from 14% among those without children to 24% among those with under 18s in their household. Bearing this in mind, more price-sensitive families can be a stronger focus for value-based messaging and cheaper travel options from travel businesses.
…while solo travellers are on the rise
The results show that independently living, single travellers are taking the most advantage of getting away on holiday this year. In fact, rates of those cutting back on holiday expenditure are nearly 1/3 lower among those who live alone. This includes reducing spend in other areas to make room for travel and shortening the length of trips compared to previous years. To maintain interest across all pricing options, travel businesses should target more expensive and premium options towards solo and non-children couples.
How can CACI help?
As a trusted partner to major brands within the travel industry, our team is highly experienced in supporting strategic targeting by leveraging the necessary data and technology to understand customers and their behaviours as innately as possible and being able to design marketing strategies to target these groups.
CACI partners with global brands to harness and enhance customer data, enabling them to identify and prioritise the most valuable customers. Insights are then activated through strategic CRM initiatives and acquisition strategies, ensuring targeting is precise and relevant. This approach is pivotal for brands seeking to align their products with consumer needs and foster long-lasting brand loyalty, repeat bookings and maximising share of wallet.
To find out how we can support your business strategies or operations by enhancing your customer understanding, or to find out more about the products and services we offer, please get in touch.
Ever since helping an automotive client launch their first all-electric vehicle into the UK a few years ago, I’ve had a growing interest in sustainability and the environment. Now, as part of CACI’s internal working group on Climate Change and Decarbonisation, I’m involved in several exciting initiatives where CACI is using data to drive sustainability.
Everyone has a role to play
Climate change and what governments, brands and individuals are doing about it has become a constant in the news cycle and data is proving to be a powerful asset in identifying and meeting key sustainability targets.
Governments need to support their communities
At a local level, governments must understand their communities and provide support via adequate infrastructure. For example, councils are already working with a wide range of data to understand demand and develop strategies for residential EV charging points. Working with CACI means that council-held data can be enhanced through consumer and geospatial data to further define community needs for EV infrastructure or even green space development.
Strong brands are those taking environmental responsibility
The last five to ten years has seen the rise of new, innovative brands that are disrupting their industries. Among my favourites are a company using flexible solar cells to create solar powered remote controls and headphones, and a packaging company being recognised by Prince William and the Earthshot Prize for using seaweed to replace plastics in food takeaways and hospitality.
In more traditional industries, environmental responsibility is arguably even more important if we are to have a sustainable future. B-Corp certification is a widely recognised way of measuring a company’s social and environmental impact, and being certified tells consumers a company is serious about their commitments. The CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) is a not-for-profit charity that enables companies to disclose and take accountability for their environmental impacts – a key first step in positive action – something many of our clients are signed up to.
Away from these more well-known programmes, we’re working with clients who have clearly stated environmental goals of their own and who understand that all departments have a responsibility. This includes Facilities Management assessing how to cut energy consumption, Logistics optimising their routing to reduce CO2 emissions, and Marketing implementing paperless processes and better segmentation to make communications more efficient.
Individuals support net zero goals
A survey by CACI at the beginning of September shows that 84% of consumers support the government’s goal of achieving net zero by 2050. Consumers are actively looking for brands that have strong environmental policies, with half of respondents seeking brands that set their own, earlier net zero targets.
Fig. 1 Support for Net Zero goals from CACI State of the Nation Update consumer survey (September 2023)
How CACI is making a difference
Data is at the heart of everything we do at CACI, and we’re encouraged to think of innovative ways to use it. One example is Ocean, a database of the UK population containing over 600 attributes across demographic, digital and attitudinal characteristics. Our Green Lifestyle attributes include attitudes to recycling, reducing energy use and dietary choices, and can be used to profile and understand your customers’ attitudes to inform targeting audiences and messaging.
Further evolving this, we’ve developed an ESG score, that drills deeper into Environmental, Social and Governance issues and can help brands gauge which customers are likely to pay a premium for sustainable products and services.
Fig. 2 Example Environmental Score pen portrait
In addition to these attitudinal variables, we’ve been looking at carbon emissions and developing innovative ideas and solutions that include:
Carbon footprint of Household and Travel: Identifying and measuring the impact of consumer behavioural choices on carbon emission. This will help consumers understand their impact (based on property, travel and consumption) and improve local governments’ understanding of their communities.
Carbon footprint of Fulfilment: Helping commercial property owners and retailers assess the carbon impact of acquiring customers and fulfilling orders. This could be used to inform parking, EV charging infrastructure and determine whether click & collect is better than delivery.
Carbon footprint of Logistics: Evolving CACI’s Pin Routes route optimisation software to support the electrification of fleet and distribution services. Our algorithms help reduce mileage, vehicle count and CO2 emissions, cutting valuable costs and reducing your carbon footprint.
Carbon footprint of Marketing: Measuring the carbon emissions from different marketing campaigns and channels to enhance businesses’ understanding of their environmental impact. This enables marketing teams to balance sustainability with sales and optimise campaign strategies to improve both.
CACI is registered to the Social Value Portal and is actively working towards achieving social and environmental goals aligned to the National TOMs framework.
We’re passionate about using data and technology to create more sustainable businesses, so if you’d like to discuss how we can help you, please get in touch.
The travel sector has faced turbulence over the past few years. From the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, to the cost of living crisis and ever-changing travel norms, the sector finds itself navigating a host of challenges.
A holiday purchase is often one of the largest purchases that a family will make in a year, withan average UK family spending roughly £4,000 per annum. With ever-inflating costs and even higher customer expectations, providing an exceptional customer experience is critical to your long-term success.
In this blog series for the travel sector, we will be exploring how you can harness the power of data and modern marketing technology capabilities to overcome and even exploit these challenges.
What are the most common issues in the travel sector in 2023?
Changed travel behaviour
The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis have left their mark on the travel sector. Travellers are more cautious, often opting for cheaper domestic or localised trips over international adventures. Health and safety have become paramount, leading to a new set of expectations from travel providers.
In fact, 25–34-year-olds were reluctant to make holiday plans this year, instead waiting to see how the cost of living crisis evolved.
Moreover, ¼ of those aged 55+ made no plans to travel this year.
With different demographic groups approaching their holiday planning in different ways, applying the right segmentation techniques to target those who are most likely to travel is crucial.
Environmental concerns
There’s also a growing call for sustainable travel. Tourists and travellers are more eco-conscious than ever, wanting to reduce their carbon footprint and seeking eco-friendly options. The consideration of travelling sustainably is especially a factor for 18–24-year-olds, where 22% say this is important to them.
Over-tourism
Popular destinations from Venice to Bali faced issues of over-tourism, where local ecosystems and infrastructures have become overwhelmed.
Complex travel policies
With countries having their own quarantine measures, vaccine mandates and travel advisories, there’s an increasing complexity in international travel logistics.
Trust deficit
After numerous flight cancellations (UK flight cancellations are up 39% in 2023!), changing regulations, strike disruptions and refund issues during peak pandemic times, travellers are more sceptical about committing to bookings.
How can digital marketing & personalisation save the travel sector?
Digital marketing and personalisation have emerged as two tools that can address several of these issues:
Tailored travel options
Through advanced AI and lifestyle and behavioural data analytics, travel companies can now provide tailored packages and ancillaries for individuals. If a user has shown interest in eco-friendly destinations or prefers secluded spots, personalisation and decisioning tools can offer suggestions accordingly. This not only enhances user experience, but can also divert traffic from over-crowded tourist spots.
Building trust through transparency
Customer Experience Platforms (CEPs) like Adobe Journey Optimiser and Braze can provide customers with real-time updates on disruption, travel policies, health and safety measures and reviews. An informed traveller is a happier traveller. That happiness will lead to greater trust, and an increased likelihood of future bookings.
Educative marketing: Digital and content-rich campaigns focused on educating tourists about the importance of sustainable travel can be instrumental. From tips on how to be a responsible traveller to highlighting the less-explored destinations, digital content can shape travel behaviours. It’s worth noting that according to our recent Cost of Living consumer survey, 17% of people believe that they will do most of their travel via sustainable methods by 2030.
Feedback mechanisms: Personalised feedback options and rapid data ingestion help companies understand the unique needs of each traveller, leading to improved offerings around ancillaries, personalised and targeted to the right customers via mobile channels, making holiday purchases easier.
Loyalty programmes & retargeting: CDPs and data-driven marketing allows travel companies to launch personalised loyalty programmes. With retargeting strategies, companies can re-engage potential customers, offering them custom deals based on their search and booking history.
Despite the many challenges faced by the travel sector in 2023, the digital and data tech revolution offers an array of solutions. By adopting well-planned digital marketing and data-driven personalisation, the sector can not only provide enhanced customer experiences, but also address broader issues such as over-tourism and environmental concerns. It’s a transformative era, and travel companies at the forefront of these digital innovations are poised to chart a smoother course ahead.
How can CACI help?
CACI is already a trusted partner to major brands within the travel industry, developing strategic customer journeys to increase frequency of bookings and ancillaries’ revenue through the effective use of data, technology and targeted marketing.
If you would like to discuss your needs in any of these areas, or to find out more about the products and services we offer, please get in touch.
The travel sector has faced turbulence over the past few years. From the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, to the cost of living crisis and ever-changing travel norms, the sector finds itself navigating a host of challenges.