Oracle, Linux and digital marketing (page 1 of 3)

In Turkey, banks and retail businesses can now get closer to their customers using Paro, the country's first real-time digital marketing service for targeted intelligence about consumer buying habits.

Since Tani Marketing and Communication Services--Istanbul-based specialists in using marketing channels to reach consumers--launched Paro in January 2003, more than 100 of the country's leading businesses have signed up for the service.

Paro generates personalized incentives and discounts designed to encourage customer loyalty. Consumers may register to receive Paro promotions with the swipe of a credit or debit card at 5,000 ParoPODs located at points of sale in banks, supermarkets, hotels, gas stations, restaurants, and other retail businesses.

Each time the customer of a Paro subscriber makes a purchase, the transaction data is electronically transmitted to Paro's database. Paro, which owns the customer data, transmits information relevant to the sale of particular products or services to its member retailers, who use this information to learn about each consumer's shopping patterns and offer individualized discounts and incentives on future purchases.

Merchants can also instruct Paro to make instant offers to customers at the point of sale through ParoPOD, a 10-inch screen device and a thermal printer that faces the consumer. Incentives could be an immediate discount on the goods being purchased or a reduced price if the customer purchases additional items as part of the same transaction.

"Paro's dynamic system of profiling each customer guarantees a high return for merchants through a detailed understanding of each customer's buying behavior," said Engin Oytac, vice president of marketing and sales at Tani. "It maximizes cross-marketing and revenue-generating opportunities without requiring a technology investment from participating businesses, and it turns customer knowledge into competitive advantage."

Paro's revenue is set to grow by 50% during 2004, and by 25% to 30% annually through 2009. Paro's business intelligence solution is built on Oracle Database with Real Application Clusters and Oracle Application Server (OracleAS).

High-Level Project Goals

- Roll out scalable, reliable digital marketing infrastructure
- Achieve highest performance at lowest cost
- Manage rapidly growing data volumes without increasing overheads
- Implement sophisticated analytical and data mining capabilities
- Develop and execute highly targeted end-user campaigns
- Make the technology available at all retail outlets in Turkey
- Extend the concept to Western Europe and the United States

Why Oracle?

Tani selected Oracle for its scalable, high-performance technology, the expertise of its consultants, and its support for Red Hat Linux.

"Oracle is the leading database provider in Turkey and was the first supplier to deliver a high performance internet platform and integrated applications," said Mehmet Ali Neyzi, general manager at Tani

"Oracle's consistent development path and commitment to developing and supporting its products ensures that our infrastructure can be upgraded as more merchants and consumers join Paro."

Tani also wanted the assurance of support before, during, and after implementation. "Oracle Turkey provided local support at every stage, from scoping our requirements to technical expertise and assistance with implementation," said Tugrul Fadillioglu, vice president of technology and operations at Tani.