As the amount of data available to marketers has grown, the industry has had to become more savvy about what parts of it are likely to prove most useful when devising a single customer view.
Using data to create offers that will appeal to shoppers in a split second has boosted Sainsbury's growth and justified its decision to poach Andrew Mann, its director of insight and loyalty, from Tesco.
Permission may be the fuel of email marketing, but it is relevance that sparks it alight. And what any marketer can learn in a hurry using this channel is that, unless you convert that precious consent into an interesting message, it can rapidly be withdrawn.
Interest is reviving in the concept of the database as an asset that can be valued on the balance sheet. With the potential return of heat to the equities market, investors are looking for new places to put their money. Companies that can demonstrate a strong data-driven culture that generates profitable customer relationships could mark themselves out as a target.