According to American satirist Mark Twain, “Prophesy is a good line of business, but it is full of risks.” At RevelX, we take this maxim to heart. We look into the future, but try to do it based on cold, hard data.
The time is over that a mere gut feeling is enough to make a business decision. A more modern way to create a forecast of the future is with predictive analytics. This technique uses data, predictive models, mathematical algorithms, and machine learning to discover patterns. Predictive analytics can offer companies many advantages. Below I describe 5 great applications, each illustrated with an instructive case study.
1. Optimize the Customer Journey
Predictive analytics solutions can help you find out when a customer is in the mood to buy a certain product. You can send an effective message exactly at the right moment during the customer journey. In other words, you’re at the right place at the right time.

Case Study: Amazon
Amazon.com stores the search behavior of customers on its website and uses data to create a tailor-made offer via email.
According to a case study by Juvlon, there are 2 types of recommendation emails that Amazon sends out. The first is generated when a customer has viewed a particular product multiple times but without making a purchase. The second one is a list of products that are related to their browsing patterns.
As an avid Amazon customer myself, I know how relevant these emails are. Many times, they are the last push to make me buy something I had considered before. These are products I really would like, so everybody wins.
2. Improve Your Product
Products themselves can also be developed or iterated on the basis of customer data. Historical data can be used to predict consumers’ future behavior: will they like this new product, or not?

Case study: Netflix
Executives at Netflix knew director David Fincher’s TV series House of Cards would be a hit. Of course, the viewing public’s preferences are fickle, so in showbiz, nothing is really certain. But Netflix had dived deep into its data and, using this, bought a show their audience would love.
In a great piece for The New York Times, journalist David Carr wrote:
“Netflix, which has 27 million subscribers in the nation and 33 million worldwide, ran the numbers. It already knew that a healthy share had streamed the work of Mr. Fincher, the director of The Social Network, from beginning to end. And films featuring Mr. Spacey had always done well, as had the British version of House of Cards. With those three circles of interest, Netflix was able to find a Venn diagram intersection that suggested that buying the series would be a very good bet on original programming.”
Carr also spoke with Rick Smolan, writer of the book The Human Face of Big Data. Smolan had the following insight to offer: “Netflix and Amazon know when you stop and start a program, whether you wanted the whole thing, all of that. Programmers have been wandering out and shooting a shotgun into the night sky and hoping they hit something, and I end up paying $150 for channels full of nothing I want to watch. These guys know what they are aiming at.”
3. Optimize Your Customer Lifecycle
Predictive analytics can show which customers will be the most valuable in the coming years. This is very important, because roughly 20% of customers are responsible for 80% of a business’ profit. Likewise, a predictive solution can tell you which customers might expire.
Case Study: American Express
The Australian arm of American Express looked in its customer data for indicators that could predict loyalty. Subsequently, advanced predictive models were developed to predict customer expiration. AmEx believes it can identify 24% of Australian accounts that will close within the next four months. The goal is, of course, to take action in time.
4. Optimize Your Processes
On the basis of historical and real-time data, algorithms can help with the efficient execution of tasks. This will result in lower costs.
It’s often the same data streams that can be used for predictive maintenance: you will receive a notification when maintenance on a device is required. This prevents downtime, which means lower costs, too.
Case Study: Imbema Group
The Imbema Group is a group of technical trading companies in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. One of their products is the Flamingo app. This solution identifies and validates vital hose connections that are used in port operations. This results in a more efficient process. But that’s not all. The collected data also predicts when a hose has to be replaced.
5. Make Your Human Resources Planning Smarter
Predictive analytics are also useful in the field of human resources planning. By combining various data (sick reports, work assessments, and employee satisfaction), staffing could be optimized. A smart HR solution is also able to predict who is planning to resign. The goal in both cases is to look for a replacement in time.

Of course, the privacy of employees has to be respected, so a prudent policy has to be drawn up before these plans can be carried out.
Case Study: Xerox
Global corporation Xerox invests thousands of dollars in the training of each new call center employee. To make that investment worth it, the company wished to cut down the turnover rate at its 48,500 call center jobs.
They assessed their hires and combined that with information about their background and personality types. The surprising outcome? Creative types stayed longer at the company than analytical types.
Since this research had been done, Xerox began targeting employees that were more creative as opposed to inquisitive. This was ascertained through personality tests. The turnover rate within the Xerox call centers decreased by 20 percent.
Are these the kind of results you would like to achieve, too? At RevelX, we develop and implement winning growth strategies that are insightful, innovative, and practical. Do you want to grow your business?
Jeroen van der Vlugt
Recognized as a trusted advisor. Expert in stakeholder management in complex (political) environments. Specialist in issues at the intersection of business and technology. Also competent in developing and implementing the right sourcing strategy.
Related Posts
January 22, 2021
Disappointed by your innovation success rate?
Disappointed by your innovation success…
January 7, 2021
Strategies to counter disruption or to become a disrupter yourself
We see the same things happening in the…
November 3, 2020
Why Innovation is Crucial to Your Future Success
You don’t want the competition to take…
October 1, 2020
3 Winning models for Innovation Brainstorms. Part 3: Innovation Ambition Matrix
This post is the final of three that…
September 24, 2020
3 Winning models for Innovation Brainstorms. Part 2: Four Lenses of Innovation
This post is the second of three that…
September 10, 2020
3 Winning models for Innovation Brainstorms. Part 1: Ten Types of Innovation
This post is the first of three that…
August 13, 2020
5 Growth Mindset Examples That You Can Use in Your Job Tomorrow
People who believe their success is…
August 13, 2020
First-Mover Disadvantage: 9 Reasons Why Being First to Market Doesn’t Pay Off
Strongly popularized during the last 25…
August 6, 2020
5 Ways to Become an Innovator in Your Industry
July 23, 2020
Why Lean Startup Doesn’t Always Work in Corporates as it Does in Startups
Over the last few years, Lean Startup…
July 16, 2020
How to define your North Star and why does it matter?
In order to create something new for…
April 22, 2020
Why customer lifetime value analysis is now more important than ever
Over the course of the last weeks we,…
April 16, 2020
Making data driven predictions about the spread of COVID19
How will the COVID19 spread? How many…
April 15, 2020
The three stages of growth: Initiate – Create – Scale
When we took a closer look at the…
April 10, 2020
Leonardo da Vinci – the quintessential growth entrepreneur
Leonardo da Vinci blended intense…
April 1, 2020
Innovation needs its fair share of realism – the flipside of creativity
The adventurer immerses himself in…
April 18, 2019
How to Design Winning Business Models in a Digital World
The five main take-aways to become a…
March 27, 2019
What Is a “Big Hairy Audacious Goal” (And Why Should You Know)?
Spoiler alert: a BHAG will inspire your…
March 13, 2019
7 Cognitive Biases and How to Use them in Marketing & Sales
Consumer behavior is shaped by the same…
March 4, 2019
9 Psychological Tricks to Influence Consumer Behavior (and Grow Your Business)
As marketers and salespeople, you…
March 1, 2019
How To Work As a Lean Startup in a Big(ger) Organization
The Lean Startup approach can give big…
February 27, 2019
4 Reasons Why Startups Are Great Investment Opportunities
The partnership between bigger, mature…
February 22, 2019
What I Learned From Amazon’s Jeff Bezos: How To Stay Customer-centric
Amazon is known as one of the most…
February 20, 2019
What is the North Star Metric and Why Does It Matter?
Sean Ellis defines the North Star…
February 15, 2019
7 Business Revenue Models That Will Inspire You
A smart revenue model is the core of…
February 13, 2019
Atomic Habits: How to Get a Little Better Every Day
There is much that business leaders can…
February 11, 2019
The Top 7 Podcasts That Help You Grow Your Business
There are many examples of podcasts…
February 6, 2019
What Is Reviewification, and Why Is It Changing Consumer Behavior?
Customer reviews are all around us and…
February 4, 2019
How 3 Businesses Thrived by Applying Lean Startup
Lean Startup really works. Meet these…
January 25, 2019
The Readability Rulebook: How to Write More Effective Copy
Your online copy's readability is…
January 23, 2019
If You Want To Boost Organizational Growth—Do This!
If you want your organization to grow,…
December 24, 2018
You Want to Create a Partnership or Joint Venture? Read This Checklist First!
For a big corporation, a partnership…
December 17, 2018
Want to Optimize the Customer Journey? Try These Tools!
The concept of the "customer journey"…
December 12, 2018
So You Want to Buy a Startup? Don’t %$@#! it Up!
When acquiring a startup business,…
December 10, 2018
How I Used a Go-To-Market Plan to Innovate Home Decoration
This is an inspiring example of a…
November 27, 2018
How To Build a Growth Roadmap; a Step-by-step Approach
At RevelX, we believe in the advantages…
November 19, 2018
How Your Business Benefits From a Growth Roadmap
A growth roadmap is a document in which…
November 15, 2018
How To Accelerate Your Performance Management
Performance management can be described…
October 22, 2018
8 Inspiring Examples of a Minimum Viable Product
How Amazon, Google and BDRThermea used…
October 9, 2018
Why Multi-disciplinary Growth Teams are a Necessity for Business
Best-in-class innovators recognize the…
October 8, 2018
Ideation Process Was Awesome, But Don’t Let It Sit on the Shelf
The ideation process feels sometimes as…
October 1, 2018
Why You Need a Go-To-Market Plan (and How to Create It)
Just launching a product can result in…
September 26, 2018
Experimentation Culture: What I Learned from the Beatles
The Beatles knew that creativity is not…
September 25, 2018
What Is the Platform Economy (and Why You Should Care)?
"Digital matchmakers" such as Amazon,…
September 10, 2018
10 Types of Innovation, 3 Horizons of Growth, and How To Use Them
Innovation models can help your…
September 5, 2018
How Value Proposition Design Makes You a Winner
Many teams struggle with defining a…
August 29, 2018
What Is a Growth Mindset (And Why Should You Know About It)?
“Growth mindset” is a concept from the…
August 3, 2018
Jeroen van der Vlugt on Why Sports Innovation Is Important
"Sports innovation never stops, that is…
July 30, 2018
How Augmented Reality Improves the Shopping Experience
Augmented Reality is changing the way…
July 25, 2018
So You Want to Innovate? Here are 8 Drivers for Success!
What makes the difference between…
July 23, 2018
Before You Start Growth Hacking…Fix the Plumbing!
Before you start growth hacking, there…
July 17, 2018
3 Ways External Data Can Help Grow Your Business
We’ve all heard that we should be using…
July 10, 2018
How “Minority Report” Predicted the Internet of Everything
Today, individuals, devices, and…
July 6, 2018
4 Reasons Why Algorithms Are Crucial To Today’s Businesses
Search engines, social media and…
July 2, 2018
Accelerator versus Incubator: 5 Differences that Will Impact Which Model You Should Choose
Accelerator and Incubator programs both…
June 29, 2018
7 Tools that Offer Direct Scheduling to Instagram
For years, scheduling Instagram posts…
June 22, 2018
How to Deal with the Industrial Internet of Things (and Why You Should)
The adoption of IoT in industry is just…
June 20, 2018
3 Industries that Will be Disrupted by Blockchain Technology
Cryptocurrency and blockchain…
June 13, 2018
Vanity Metrics vs. Actionable Metrics: Measure What Matters
Measuring and analyzing data is one of…
June 7, 2018
Inside-out or Outside-in? 4 Reasons Why Your Business Has to Change
In the old days, a business model was…
June 1, 2018
How Amazon, Google, and Belsimpel Perfected the Customer Journey (And How To Apply These Lessons)
Some companies confuse the different…
May 30, 2018
Raphael Nouwen (Triodos Bank): This is Why Investors Say ‘No’!
"Remember, 'no' is not necessarily a…
May 16, 2018
Business Strategy: 4 Steps to Win the Innovation Battle
To innovate successfully, you will need…
May 9, 2018
Fail Hacks: 6 Amazing Tricks to Kill Your Conversion Rates
Read these amazing “fail hacks” that…
May 7, 2018
Digital Growth Hacker Marketing: The Ultimate List of Amazing Case Studies
24 inspiring examples of growth-hacker…
April 30, 2018
Artificial Intelligence Is Not the Answer To All Marketing Challenges (and That’s OK)
The possibilities of artificial…
April 24, 2018
4 Amazing Tips to Optimize Your Landing Page and Generate More Leads
To generate a maximum number of leads,…
April 17, 2018
4 Trends That Shape the World of Digital Marketing (and how to apply them)
To keep ahead of your competition, you…
April 13, 2018
Checklist: 3 things to cover privacy issues when using website conversion pixels
Setting up conversion pixels are useful…
April 11, 2018
Digital Ballgame: Why A/B Testing All Day Long Works!
The more you test, the better you will…
April 9, 2018
5 Reasons Why You Need Content to Enhance the Customer Experience
Excellent content is a must for every…
April 6, 2018
Innovation is the Key to Keep Healthcare Accessible for Everyone
Saturday, World Health Day is…
April 4, 2018
The Internet of Things is Everywhere – When Do You Step In?
Many businesses still don't take…
March 26, 2018
Futurism Is No Longer a Trend; It’s a Necessity
Due to continually changing markets, it…
March 21, 2018
Transportation in 2049: Even More Awesome then in Blade Runner
Did you like the new Blade Runner…
March 20, 2018
3 Examples of Failed Commercial Performance (and What to Learn From Them)
The chain is no stronger than the…
March 19, 2018
Learn from the Best: 5 Habits that Grow Your Business (Part 2)
In the first installment of this…
March 16, 2018
Learn from the Best: 5 Habits that Grow Your Business (Part 1)
Successful individuals and companies…
March 15, 2018
Futurism: 5 Must-read Blogposts on Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain
We have curated the best blogposts…
March 14, 2018
Low-hanging Fruit: 9 Growth Hacks You can use TODAY
For real growth, a long-term strategy…
March 13, 2018
Why Big Corporations Should Partner with Digital Startups
What do the CIA, Microsoft, and…
March 12, 2018
What I Have Learned From YouTube: How to become more customer centric
YouTube is one of the biggest successes…
March 9, 2018
Futurism: 4 Trends that are Disrupting the Manufacturing Industry
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is…
March 8, 2018
Quantum Computing: The Disruption that will Disrupt Other Disruptions
The supercomputer is coming! This…
March 5, 2018
Partner Vision: Eric de Groot on Customer-centricity
“If I have a couple of CEOs in the…
February 19, 2018
3 Reasons Why Consumer Behavior is Changing (and What to Do About It)
This is not the time to wait patiently…
January 18, 2018
How 3 Classic Business Principles are Updated by Big Data
September 11, 2017
Growth and Onboarding: the 3 best tips for successful user onboarding
10 common misconceptions on writing…
February 2, 2017
3 Ways to Innovate Consistently – Without Spending a Fortune on R&D
Each industry has numerous…
January 30, 2017
Steal like Apple: 4 Perspectives on Innovation via Idea Theft
How did Apple manage to continue…
January 6, 2017
How to grow your business without the ‘Big’ in front of ‘Data’
Big Data to improve commercial…
December 12, 2016
10 Perspectives on Building a Culture of Innovation
The business case for stimulating…
December 8, 2016
How NASA is Getting Their Ass Kicked by SpaceX
For years NASA was the backbone of and,…
October 20, 2016
7 Neuromarketing Basics to ‘Hook’ New Customers
In the past, neuromarketing was limited…
September 26, 2016
10 irrational tips for writing winning proposals
10 common misconceptions on writing…