Unit 5

Marketing Information and Research

Marketing Intelligence- Internal Company Sources, Competitor Information, Marketing
Information Systems, Marketing Research- Secondary Research, Syndicated Studies,
Primary Research, Importance of Marketing Research, Common Concerns in
Hospitality Marketing Research- Who Are Our Customers, Product Research: What Do
Our Customers Want, Copy Testing, Tracking Studies, The Research Process- Problem
Dentition, Research Design and Implementation, Data Analysis and Interpretation,
Preparation of the Research Report, Consumer Information: Mining the Guest
Database- Tracking Guest Transactions, Frequency Marketing, Using the DBM Program.
 Marketing Intelligence
Definition: Marketing intelligence is the external data collected by a
company about a specific market which it wishes to enter, to make
decisions. It is the first set of data which the company analyses before
making any investment decision.
Marketing intelligence is usually the first data set analysed by a company
about a specific market. It could be related to population age in that area,
infrastructure facilities, spending habits of consumers, state or
government regulations etc. Marketing intelligence is all about gathering
information on various data sets, analysing the information, breaking
down the data into small subsets and the distribution of information to
the relevant department of the company.
Market intelligence is closely associated with market research and can be explained in three simple parts
as follows:
• Competitor Intelligence – Competitor intelligence can be explained as the collection of data about
your competitor using ethical methods such as government databases and public records. For example,
Japanese automotive companies were able to capture the US markets and even dominate them using
competitor intelligence. Understanding the need for high quality, fuel-efficient cars led them to
strategize and penetrate the US market successfully.
• Product Intelligence – Product intelligence is gathering data related to competitor products or similar
products in the market. For example, A telecommunications company needs to monitor the prices of
competitive mobile phones in the same segment. A price drop in the competitor product can mean the
company is introducing a new model in the market. Understanding such information can enable a
company to strategically launch their models at the right time and price.
• Market understanding – Market understanding is knowing the market share of your company, trends
in the market, the size of the market and which is your target market. Understanding the demand in the
market, and customer wants can help a company tremendously to increase their revenues and market
share. For example, A comprehensive market research can give valuable insights to a brand, for
instance, the target market is age 20-40, upper-middle-class family and the trend in the market is for
Crossfit training to get fit and healthy. A particular gym can use this information and provide services
specific to this requirement enabling them to penetrate the market much faster than the usual gyms.
Sources of market intelligence
There are two sources of information from where data for marketing
research can be obtained.
1. Internal sources of marketing intelligence :
These refer to the sources of information within the organisation. In
certain cases internal sources are indispensable without which the
researcher cannot obtain desired results. Internal sources include
accounting information (Trading Profit & Loss A/c and Balance
Sheets of different years), salesmen’s reports, statistics in relation to
advertisement expenditure, transportation costs etc. Information
from internal sources is easily available and no financial burden is
involved in gathering the information.
2.Guest histories and sales data:
For smaller Organization, the design of a management information system is much easier and
many larger organizations have a sophisticated management information system in place.
Within a hotel operation , the minimum records that should be maintained are both individual
and group guest histories within restaurant operation , the record maintained should include
customer counts for each meal period and sales for each menu item over a specified period of
time.
3. Employees and management staff:
Employees represent in hospitality business are excellent source of information. It is good idea
for management to meet with employees on a regular basis to discuss problems and
opportunities.
4. Customer feedback:
The focus of the marketing concept is the hospitality operation’s client. All aspects of the
entire operation should be aimed at satisfying these individuals.The purpose of using an
internal marketing information system is to solicit opinions and comments from the current
client. Customer feedback can be collected by number of ways such as having the manager
talk with a few of customers,frequently use of comment cards.
2) External Sources of marketing intelligence
In order to study marketing problems in detail the need of
external sources of marketing research arises. External sources
are of immense importance and utility in case where research
needs detailed and thorough investigation. External sources data
can be divided with two categories
(a) Primary data : Collected by the researcher from original
sources
(b) Secondary data: These data already existing which has been
collected and published by some individuals or institutions.
Marketing information system(MKIS)
• The Marketing Information System refers to the systematic
collection, analysis, interpretation, storage and dissemination of the
market information, from both the internal and external sources, to the
marketers on a regular, continuous basis.
• The marketing information system distributes the relevant information
to the marketers who can make the efficient decisions related to the
marketing operations Iike pricing, packaging, new product
development, distribution, media, promotion, etc.
• Every marketing operation works in unison with the conditions
prevailing both inside and outside the organization, and, therefore,
there are several sources ( viz. Internal, Marketing Intelligence,
Marketing Research) through which the relevant information about the
market can be obtained.
Marketing Research

• Market research is defined as the process of evaluating the feasibility of a new

product or service, through research conducted directly with potential consumers.
This method allows organizations or businesses to discover their target market,
collect and document opinions and make informed decisions.
• Market research can be conducted directly by organizations or companies or can
be outsourced to agencies which have expertise in this process.
• The process of market research can be done through deploying surveys,
interacting with a group of people also known as sample, conducting interviews
and other similar processes.  
• Primary purpose of conducting market research is to understand or examine the
market associated with a particular product or service, to decide how the audience
 will react to a product or service. The information obtained from conducting
market research can be used to tailor marketing/ advertising activities or to
determine what are the feature priorities/service requirement (if any) of
consumers.
Types of Market Research: Market Research Methods and Examples
Whether an organization or business wishes to know purchase behavior of consumers or the
likelihood of consumers paying a certain cost for a product, market research helps in drawing
meaningful conclusions.
Depending on the methods and tools required, following are the types:
1. Primary Market Research (A combination of both Qualitative and Quantitative Research): 
Primary market research is a process, where organizations or businesses get in touch with the end
consumers or employ a third party to carry out relevant studies to collect data. The data collected
can be qualitative data (non-numerical data) or quantitative data (numerical or statistical data).
While conducting primary market research, one can gather two types of information:
• Exploratory:- Exploratory research is open ended, where a problem is explored by asking 
open ended questions in a detailed interview format usually with a small group of people also
known as sample. Here the sample size is restricted to 6-10 members.
• Specific research, on the other hand, is more pinpointed and is used to solve the problems that are
identified by exploratory research.
As mentioned earlier primary market research is a combination of qualitative market research and
quantitative market research. Qualitative market research study involves semi-structured or
unstructured data collected through some of the commonly used qualitative research methods like:
• Focus groups: Focus group is one of the commonly used qualitative research methods. Focus group
is a small group of people (6-10) who typically respond to online surveys sent to them. The best part
about focus group is the information can be collected remotely, can be done without personally
interacting with the group members. However, this is a more expensive method as it is used to collect
complex information.
• One-to-one interview: As the name suggests this method involves personal interaction in the form of
an interview, where the researcher asks a series of questions to collect information or data from the
respondents. The questions are mostly open ended questions and asked in a way to facilitate
responses. This method is heavily dependent on the ability and experience of the interviewer to ask
questions that evoke responses.
• Ethnographic research: This type of in-depth research is conducted in the natural settings of the
respondents. This method requires the interviewer to adapt himself/herself to the natural environment
of the respondents which could be a city or a remote village. Geographical constraints can be a
hindering factor in conducting this kind of research. Ethnographic research can last from a few days
to a few years.
• 2. Secondary Market Research: Secondary research uses information that is organized by
outside source like government agencies, media, chambers of commerce etc. This information
is published in newspaper, magazines, books, company website, free government and
nongovernment agencies and so on. Secondary source makes use of the following:
• Public sources: Public sources like library are an awesome way of gathering free information.
Government libraries usually offer services free of cost and a researcher can document
available information.
• Commercial sources: Commercial source although reliable are expensive. Local newspapers,
magazines, journal, television media are great commercial sources to collect information.
• Educational Institutions: Although not a very popular source of collecting information, most
universities and educational institutions are a rich source of information as many research
projects are carried out there than any business sector.
Syndicated research/Studies
A research study which is conducted and funded by a market
research firm but not for any specific client is called a syndicated
research. The result of such research is often provided in the form
of reports, presentations, raw data etc. and is made available in
open market for anyone to purchase.
In syndicated research the research problem and scope of research
is formulated by market research companies based on their
experience and methodology. Thus they often need refinement
when you want to use them in lieu of custom market research.
Now let’s try to understand various factors related to syndicated
research like why it’s conducted, what’s its use, who should use it,
when to use it and so forth.
Why syndicated research is conducted?
Syndicated research is conducted by market research companies for
various purposes:
1.To update their knowledge base on key industries on which they
specialize or wish to specialize.
2.To utilize human resources during slack period.
3.To improve visibility of their company by using syndicated research as
means to get publicity.
4.To show-off the skills of the company.
5.To update industry tracker and databases provided to their clients on
subscription.
These are the major reasons why a market research company invest its
funds and time in conducting a syndicate research without any assurance
of recovering its cost.
When syndicated research is used?
Syndicated research is often used during exploratory research which follows an
unstructured format.  It is also used in following cases:
1.When you want to find information about a market before making a plan for
full scale custom market research.
2.When you want to use data pointers and charts during presentations and
have no-time to conduct custom research.
3.When you want to create an investor pitch and need various data pointers on
short notice.
4.When you are running short on your research budget.
5.When you need information for use in your research thesis.
6.When you are working in news agency and want data for your article or news
story.
7.You are a venture capitalist or investor and want to be updated about trends
happening in various industries, markets and companies of your interest.
Importance of marketing research/Why is market research important?

1. Identifies new products or services

Market research can help you to discover what new products or services the market needs and how
you can provide that. Key issues with developing a certain product or services can be identified and
it can help you to avoid expensive mistakes with its development. It also helps you establish the
factors that are most important to customers and how you can incorporate those factors into what
you want to bring to the market.
2. Identifies potential customers
Demographic data such as gender, age, income, occupation and lifestyle can help you to understand
your customer base more in-depth. If you know what your current customers look like, you can
now who to market your products or services to in the future. Marketing to the wrong type of
customer can lead to the product performing poorly.
3. Establishes viability of a product or service
If your company is already planning on bringing a new product or service to the market, you need
to first establish whether the market is open to it. Will the product be welcomed? Is the product
needed by the customers you are targeting? Will it be viable and what is its potential to succeed?
4. Anticipates and discovers future market trends
By knowing your market and the trends that are arising in the future, you can develop
strategies that will help you counteract any downward trends that may affect your
business. Upward trends can, in turn, be utilized to progress your business.
5. Keeps your company ahead of competitors
Comparative studies are great for tracking the progress of your competitors in
comparison with your company’s progress. If they are moving far ahead of you, it is a
great opportunity for you to learn what they are doing differently to you. Business
strategies can be developed to move ahead of your competitors.
6. Decides best marketing strategy
Research is great for establishing what medium or channel is the best way to reach
those who are truly interested in what you have to offer. If you can discover that your
customer base frequents a certain medium more than another, it stands to reason that
your efforts should be focused there and not somewhere else. Resources are valuable
so putting them where success is guaranteed is a no-brainer.
7. Reduces risk and increases profitability
Having the right knowledge can help you reduce the risks your company takes and if need be, help you
understand what risks are worth taking based on past information and future predictions of market
trends. Market research helps to establish market viability which reduces the risk of failure. Knowing
your customer needs is also essential to reducing risk. Reducing risk also helps to increase profitability
at the end of the day.
8. Identifies threats and opportunities
Many of you may have heard of the SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats. Market research can help to determine all four of these areas. Where do your
company’s strengths and weaknesses lie? What opportunities are available for your business on your
market? What threats/risks do you need to overcome or avoid in order to be successful?
9. Helps to understand existing customers
Market research can help you to understand existing customers on a deeper level. Your customers are
complex and what they may have needed before may not be what they need now. To be successful
you need to check the pulse of your customer base regularly. What are their immediate needs? Are
there new needs that your company can fulfil? What are their thoughts on your company and
products?
Market research also helps to establish customer satisfaction levels. If you discover their satisfaction
levels to be low, you can find out why and fix it. If it is high, you can establish why they are high and
learn how to maintain that level.
10. Assists in realistic goal setting
Real-time data about your market and your customer base can help you to set goals that are
attainable. Establishing a growth pattern over time lets you know what you can expect in the future
and what plan you can implement in order to gradually expand that growth in a realistic manner. If
you set unattainable goals, you will overexert your resources, fail before you’ve even started and
miss out on goals that are better for your company in the long run.
Common concern in hospitality Marketing
Research
Now a days, the focus of marketing has shifted from products and selling
to the customers. Competition among the firm is intense with the focus
now on innovation and successful customer relationship. In this
scenario , marketing has become a very tough job these days. Ever
marketer is facing challenges in one way or other.
Who are our customer?: Organizations use market research to find out
what customers think and what they want. Understanding your
customers and their buying habits can help you to sell goods or services
accordingly. To understand customers servey is a direct way of collecting
quantitative or numerical information and qualitative or descriptive
information.
Product research: What do our customer wants
Product research is the marketing research that provides information on the desired characteristics of a
product or service. Product research helps companies to understand what the customers really want, so
that the product can be tailored to match the needs of the customer. This research can help to refine new
product ideas.
Product research is a very important activity in new product development – it can be carried out at several
stages of new product development. In the initial stages, product research can be carried out to identify
and screen new ideas. This testing will help reduce costs by avoiding product development costs in the
discarded ideas.
In the later stages of product development, product research can help companies to identify which
features are important and hence retain them and which features can be discarded. A newly developed
product is also tested with customers, to identify any changes to be made to packaging etc. Once the
product is launched, consumer satisfaction with the product is tested. Most common techniques used in
product research include focus group discussions, interviews and surveys.
• Product research is one component of market research, which is an essential step in
developing and launching any product. Market research involves gathering valuable
information about your target audience and buyer personas, including their needs, wants,
and where they like to shop.
• Specifically, product research helps you test product concepts, evaluate ideas, examine
competitors, price your product, and avoid expensive mistakes. Even after your product
launches, ongoing research allows you to gauge customer satisfaction and make
improvements.
Copy testing
Copy-testing is a comprehensive approach used as part of marketing
research to test the effectiveness of an advertisement based on responses
prior to it being aired. This form of pre-testing will be beneficial for the
company to understand whether an advertisement carries a strong-enough
message.
Copy testing is a specialized field of marketing research that
determines an advertisement's effectiveness based on consumer
responses, feedback, and behavior. Also known as pre-testing, it
might address all media channels including television, print, radio,
outdoor signage, internet, and social media.
The main purpose of copy-testing is to fix ads which may not connect with the
audience. If consumers are not able to connect with the ad, they might get a wrong
message.

To overcome this challenge, companies often enroll marketing research firms to

conduct these studies. The advertisement is shown to a small group of people to
measure their response.
By conducting this experiment, the responses can be quantified to give the company
a more meaningful feedback. Here, analysts can analyse real-time response from the
respondents after watching the advertisement.

The analysis could be done around various things such as how respondents felt after
watching the ad, their facial expression. A wider survey, post the ad, can provide
more information about how they felt and their feedback.
Often changes are made when an ad is shown in different demographics to connect
with the audience of that particular area. Copy testing also evaluates ad on
demographics.
Tracking studies
A tracking study analyzes the changing views of a single group of
consumers, making it an effective tool for market research. Tracking
studies allow business owners to measure brand awareness, monitor
customer satisfaction, study consumer sentiment concerning a new
product or service, or analyze the effectiveness of a particular
marketing campaign.
 Tracking study is longitudinal, which means it examines the changing
views of the same people over a period of time. In contrast, a
latitudinal, or cross-sectional, study analyzes views at a single point in
time. While you can perform a series of latitudinal studies, any opinion
changes you uncover might be due to the fact you’re studying different
groups of people. In other words, a tracking study gives you confidence
that shifts in consumer sentiment reflect actual changes, because
you’re asking the same people the same questions at different times.
The marketing research process
With constant change being the norm in marketing and business, one thing
remains the same: the need for marketing research. Marketing research is a
helpful tool for organizations to better identify marketing strategies and
evaluate business decisions using data. Just as you wouldn’t go on vacation
without making any plans, you shouldn’t design marketing strategies
without backing them with research and data. In short, the marketing
research process is the backbone of informed business and marketing
decisions. 
5 Steps on the Marketing Research Process
There are five steps in the market research process that will enable you
to gather and understand the information that is needed to determine
how best to meet your needs.
 
Step 1 – Locating and Defining Issues or Problems
This step focuses on uncovering the nature and boundaries of a situation or question related to marketing strategy or
implementation. In defining the issues or problems, the researcher should take into account the purpose of the study,
the relevant background information, what information is needed, and how it will be used in decision making.
Step 2 – Designing the Research Project

This step is focused on creating a research plan or overall approach on how you are going to solve
the issue or problem identified.  A research plan or approach is a framework or blueprint for
conducting the marketing research project. It details the procedures necessary for obtaining the
required information, and its purpose is to design a study that will test the hypotheses of interest,
determine possible answers to the research questions, and provide the information needed for
decision making.
The research design involves the following steps:
1.Secondary data analysis
2.Qualitative research
3.Methods of collecting quantitative data (survey, observation, and experimentation)
4.Definition of the information needed
5.Measurement and scaling procedures
6.Questionnaire design
7.Sampling process and sample size
8.Plan of data analysi
Step 3 – Collecting Data
This step revolved around obtaining the information that you will need
to solve the issue or problem identified.  Data collection involves a field
force or staff that operates either in the field, as in the case of personal
interviewing (in-home, mall intercept, or computer-assisted personal
interviewing), from an office by telephone (telephone or computer-
assisted telephone interviewing), or through the mail (traditional mail
and mail panel surveys with recruited households).
Step 4 – Interpreting Research Data
This step is focused on examining the data and coming up with a
conclusion that solves the problem.
Step 5 – Report Research Findings
The final step is to report the research findings to those who need the
data to make decisions. The findings should be presented in a
comprehensible format so that they can be readily used in the decision-
making process. In addition, an oral presentation should be made to
management using tables, figures, and graphs to enhance clarity and
impact.
Preparation of research report

Research report is a medium to communicate research work with

relevant people. It is also a good source of preservation of
research work for the future reference. Many times, research
findings are not followed because of improper presentation.
Preparation of research report is not an easy task. It is an art. It
requires a good deal of knowledge, imagination, experience, and
expertise. It demands a considerable time and money.
A research report is a reliable source to recount details about a
conducted research and is most often considered to be a true testimony
of all the work done to garner (gather) specificities of research.
The various sections/components of a research report are:
1. Create a title page
2. Table of content
3. Summary
4. Background/Introduction
5. Implemented Methods
6. Results based on Analysis
7.Deliberation/thoughts
8. Conclusion
• Create a title page: Include the title of the report, nature of business.It should look clean,professional and aesthetically
pleasing.
• Table of content: It will serve as a useful tool so client can skip to areas of interest without having to read the entire
report.
• Research Report Summary: The entire objective along with the overview of research are to be included in a summary
which is a couple of paragraphs in length. All the multiple components of the research are explained in brief under the
report summary. It should be interesting enough to capture all the key elements of the report.
• Research Introduction: There always is a primary goal that the researcher is trying to achieve through a report. In the
introduction section, he/she can cover answers related to this goal and establish a thesis which will be included to strive
and answer it in detail. This section should answer an integral question: “What is the current situation of the goal?”.
 After the research was conducted, did the organization conclude the goal successfully or they are still a work in
progress –  provide such details in the introduction part of the research report.
Research Methodology: This is the most important section of the
report where all the important information lies. The readers can gain
data for the topic along with analyzing the quality of provided content
and the research can also be approved by other market researchers.
Thus, this section needs to be highly informative with each aspect of
research discussed in detail. Information needs to be expressed in
chronological order according to its priority and importance.
Researchers should include references in case they gained information
from existing techniques.
Research Results: A short description of the results along with
calculations conducted to achieve the goal will form this section of
results. Usually, the exposition after data analysis is carried out in the
discussion part of the report.
 Deliberation/Research Discussion: The results are discussed in
extreme detail in this section along with a comparative analysis of
reports that could probably exist in the same domain. Any abnormality
uncovered during research will be deliberated in the discussion
section. While writing research reports, the researcher will have to
connect the dots on how the results will be applicable in the real world.
Research References and Conclusion: Conclude all the research
findings along with mentioning each and every author, article or any
content piece from where references were taken.
Consumer Information

Consumer Information means any record about an individual, whether in paper, elec-

tronic, or other form, that is a consumer re- port or is derived from a consumer report and
that is maintained or otherwise pos- sessed by or on behalf of the bank for a busi- ness
purpose. Consumer information also means a compilation of such records. The term does
not include any record that does not identify an individual.
Consumer information is any record about an individual, whether in paper, electronic, or
other form, that is a consumer report or is derived from a consumer report. Consumer
information also means a compilation of such records. Consumer information does not
include information that does not identify individuals, such as aggregate information
 or blind data.[1
Consumer information can be derived from mobile networks, devices (including 
smartphones and tablets), operating systems, and applications. In addition, resellers may
obtain personal information from the profile or public information areas of websites,
including social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Twitter, or from 
information posted to blogs or discussion forums. Depending on the context, information
 from these sources may be publicly available or nonpublic."[2]
Data mining of the guest / Mining the guest database
• As part of the hospitality industry, hotel accumulates an incredible amount of data about guests. Little nuggets of
information are generated every time a guest interacts with your brand in some way. When each nugget of data is
looked at separately, it may not provide a lot of value. Put that data in the hands of a skilled marketer who has the right
analytical tools and hotel guest data mining experience, however, and you gain powerful intelligence that can
revolutionize your hotel’s operations.
• Most of our clients are already capturing their guests’ data in some way. While you can realize some benefits from
delving  into data mining in a limited form, Travel Tech Strategies dives much deeper, focusing on data-mining your
existing data based on customer behaviors, transactions, demographics, social media relationships, and geo-location,
among other methods. Through thorough analysis of this deeper data, we can help you to market to your customers
much more effectively. Hotel guest data mining allows you to refine your marketing strategies so you can
communicate with your guests in more relevant ways, which leads to positive results to your bottom line.
• Hotels that grasp and develop Big Data strategies are able to deliver a better, more relevant travel experience to their
guests. The positive results of this strategy are clear to see –the improved relevancy gives guests an increased
incentive to stay, which can lead to an upswing in repeat stays, a significant gain in market share, and an increase in
profits. This relevance can be challenging to cultivate without some advanced knowledge of guest data mining
techniques, however. That’s where Travel Tech Strategies can help.
• The analytical experts find creative ways to collect, manage, and analyze a tremendous volume of data in a reasonable
amount of time. This allows us to present hotel owners with a solution that is relevant to their travel needs. We
interpret the data so you can gain a better understanding of the complexity and volume of guest data that you have. We
can then help you apply this information to implement key strategies that will ensure your business goals of
profitability and return on investment are met. Take a look at some of the ways that Travel Tech’s guest data mining
services can help your hotel:
1.Guest data base
Most hotels have a guest database in some form or another. But as we
discussed in our post on arrivals reports, they often fall short of the needs of
the modern hotelier. Today’s travelers expect a high level of personalization,
and millennials, in particular, 
don’t respond well to generic email marketing blasts. However, they are
much more responsive to email marketing messages that feel more targeted
or personally relevant. To get higher ROI on their marketing dollar, hoteliers
need to start collecting more information on their guests so they can deliver
communications targeted to guests’ personal preferences and expectations.
Your guest database is one of your most valuable assets. A well-
maintained database includes not only demographic information, but
purchase behaviors, guest preferences and survey feedback. You can then
use this information to develop marketing strategies to reach your customer
base.
Your property management system should include previous reservation information about your guests such as:
• Past stays
• Room and floor preferences
• Meal preferences
• Bed choices
• Type of room booked
• Reservation dates
• Demographic information
• Revenues
Here are a few of our suggestions on how to build out your database.
1. Capturing guests’ email addresses accurately.
2. Engage on social media and review sites
3. Record purchase history in your guest database
The host should be able to download the database of the guests he has hosted till now along with their
photographs and identity proofs. If there is any enquiry by any government agency or police the details of the
guest they are asking for. The host should have proper data base along with the identity proofs of all the
guests.
2.Tracking guest transaction/Financial sale transaction
The financial success of a business depends on selling goods or services
to customers or guest. The more goods or services sold, the more
income the business makes.
The monetary dealings between customers, guests or clients are called
financial sale transaction i.e guest transaction. It ensure the security of
guest payments , business implement systems to process financial
transactions. These will vary from establishment to establishment.
There are two types of account maintained by front office.
i. Guest Account
A guest account in front office accounting system is to record of financial
transaction between a guest and the hotel. It is created when the guests
guarantee their reservations or during registration. The front office
usually seeks payment for charges during the departure and settlement
stage of the guest cycle.
ii. Non-Guest Account
A hotel may extend in-house charge privileges to local businesses or
agencies as a means of promotion or to groups sponsoring meetings at
the hotels. The front office creates non-guest accounts to track these
transactions which may also be called house accounts or city accounts.
Frequency marketing
Frequency marketing is a promotional strategy designed to reward
regular customers as well as those who buy in large quantities. The
rewards vary but may include discounts and merchandise prizes. The
main goals of a frequency promotional program are repeat sales and 
customer loyalty. There are many ways companies use frequency
marketing to prompt customers to buy more of their products.
Many airlines offer a frequent flier program (FFP) to encourage
customer loyalty. Since many airline companies often service the same
locales, airlines with good frequency marketing reward programs can
often get a larger market share than their competition. 
Retail stores as well as restaurants and department stores often give customers
“scratch and win” cards as part of their repeat sales customer reward
programs. The prizes are usually free products or a percentage saved off a
future purchase. Since the cards are given on one visit and usually can't be
used until another time, the frequency rate of customer purchases can rise as a
result of this type of card program. Some types of frequency marketing
promotional cards are stamped each time the customer makes a purchase.
After a set number of purchases, the next one is free.
Loyalty programs are another name for frequency marketing promotions.
The sales strategy is to keep customers buying more products to get the
reward offered in the hopes they will become long-term buyers. Companies
often have to use specific marketing strategies to help inspire customer
loyalty if they have strong competitors. The more customers keep buying
their product, the greater chance they will purchase less of the competitor's
brand.
Using the data base management (DBM) programme :
 A database is an organized collection of structured data that eases
accessibility and management of data. The purpose of a database is to assist
in organizing and storing large volumes of data, which ultimately improves
data accessibility. Hence, you can improve your data analysis and get
actionable insights without any delays by using database software. Data can
be quickly and efficiently found in a database; this allows multiple users to
access and modify it accordingly. 
Now that we know what a database system is and what databases are used
for, let’s move ahead towards the DBMS meaning and why data organization
software exists. The volume of data is increasing rapidly worldwide, making it
difficult for companies to manage their data and gain valuable insights. Thus,
making database management an absolute necessity. But, what does
database management mean? Simply put database management refers to
the manipulation of data by an organization to meet company objectives.
This gives rise to the need for a database management system. 
DBMS Definition: What is Database Management Software (DBMS)?
A Database Management Software or DBM software is used for storing,
manipulating, and managing data, such as format, names of fields, and
record and file structures in a database environment. Users can
construct their own databases using a DBMS to satisfy their business
requirements. For example, dBase was one of the first DBMS for micro-
computers. Database design also supports the creation, design,
implementation, and maintenance of an organization-wide data
management system.
To interact with a database, a DBMS package generally uses SQL
queries. It receives a command from a database administrator (DBA)
and prompts the system to perform the necessary action. These
instructions can be about loading, retrieving, or modifying existing data
in the system.