Capital One's success is powered by our unique information-based strategy (IBS).
One of the USPs which we read about often is Capital One's IBS. Although we are not expert on banking or financial structures, we can assume that other organisation do not just test the wind before making a multi billion pound investment.
However, aside from removing the creative, IBS has served Capital One very well, the evidence (or information) is in the companies rapid growth and major acquisitions.
Capital One has exploited an innovative approach to targeted marketing, based on customer profitability analysis, to achieve impressive performance as a leading credit card issuer. It is sustaining its advantage through investment in infrastructure and personnel, and through constantly improving its expertise through a practice known as test-and-learn. Moreover, it is attempting to generalize this information-based strategy to other industries.
"Using scientific testing on a massive scale, we gather huge amounts of information to help us tailor products and services to the individual consumer, rather than simply offering one product to broad socioeconomic groups. We don't believe that 'one size fits all'.
This is all indicative of our policy of putting the customer at the heart of everything we do. We’ve often done what other card companies haven’t been able to: we help people who don’t have a credit history get their finances back on track, and offer assistance with payment that helps them manage their money more effectively.
Accounts can be custom-fitted to the individual's circumstances. We apply our knowledge about our customers to build and design specific products and then market to our customer's needs, their personal passions, and their stages in life. Our Lifestyle cards and range of credit limits across the full credit spectrum are great examples of this strategy in action.
We are constantly striving to break new ground and innovate – in 2004 we launched a new credit card offering a single flat rate on purchases and balance transfers – the lowest in the UK marketplace. With this approach we’ve set the credit card industry alight (not literally) and created explosive growth for Capital One businesses around the globe.
Our constant programme of testing enables us to explore cost-effectively many more possibilities than we would otherwise be able to. It also allows us to see and understand the likely results of the products and programmes we roll out before we engage in full-scale marketing. As a graduate recruit you could play a real part in helping us generate and shape these ambitious plans.
Outside our card business, the Diversified Businesses team researches other areas of business to which we can apply our information-based strategy. The team constantly investigates new products, markets and industries both within the UK and Europe. We already have actively pursued opportunities in the savings and secured and unsecured lending markets to great effect. Our continual journey to diversify is a global effort, with Capital One having made or announced a number of significant acquisitions in non-credit card markets, moving into the banking sector in the US."
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