DraftWorldwide officially launched its DraftDigital division in the U.K. this week at the International Direct Marketing Fair here.
The division provides integrated database and digital solutions to financial services, consumer and business-to-business clients. An alliance with CRM vendor eWare was also announced at the fair.
EWare provides software that allows access from any Web-enabled device. Claire Middleton, business development director with DraftDigital, noted that very few U.K. companies are really taking advantage of wireless technologies to build relationships with consumers. But there are a few that are getting close.
First Direct Bank is using text messaging to let customers know when their accounts are about to be overdrawn, noted Middleton. And the Blue Water shopping mall notifies shoppers by text messages when they walk past a shop in the mall which sells an item they've entered on a shopping list on their mobile.
"The trick is to give people a useful reason to give you their e-mail address or wireless number," she said. "You need to make it work on a personal level."
