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A LevelBusinessAQARevision Notes7. Analysing the Strategic Position of a Business (A Level)7.2 Assessing the Internal Position of a BusinessUsing Marketing Data

Using Marketing Data (AQA A Level Business): Revision Note

Exam code: 7132

Lisa Eades

Written by: Lisa Eades

Reviewed by: Steve Vorster

Updated on

Sources of marketing data

  • A range of marketing data, from inside and from a range of external sources, can be used to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a business

    • These data can be analysed over time to determine whether performance is improving or worsening

    • They may also be compared with the performance of similar firms

Sources of marketing data

Data type

What it shows

Example

Sales and revenue data

  • Which products or services sell best and overall revenue trends

  • Weekly till roll reports reveal a brand's eco-range brings in 30% of total sales revenue

Customer purchase data

  • Repeat purchase rates, average order value and lifetime spending

  • An online fashion store discovers 40% of customers buy more than once, signalling strong loyalty

Web and digital marketing analytics

  • Website traffic, click rates, bounce rates, conversion rates and email metrics

  • Google Analytics shows a high bounce rate on a business's mobile site, indicating poor usability

Marketing campaign performance

  • Return on investment and promotional cost per sale

  • Facebook advert reports show a £5 cost per new subscriber

Market research surveys

  • Customer needs, brand awareness and satisfaction

  • A soft-drink focus group finds 70% of teenagers prefer fruity flavours

Competitor benchmarking

  • Competitors’ pricing, promotions, product ranges and market positioning

  • Mystery-shopper visits reveal rival cafés offer loyalty cards

Social-media listening & sentiment analysis

  • Public opinion and emerging trends through online mentions, particularly on social media

  • Brandwatch data shows a spike in negative product mentions after a change of packaging

Industry reports & market-share data

  • Overall market size, growth rates and market share against key rivals

  • A report from market Nielsen indicates a snack bar has only 5% market share in the health foods sector

Case Study

BloomBox Natural Cosmetics

Business overview
BloomBox is a fast-growing UK-based company that sells organic skincare and haircare products via its website and selected boutique retailers. Its customer base includes eco-conscious millennials and Gen Z buyers

Table analysing BloomBox challenges: high mobile bounce rate, low email open rate, market unawareness of ethics, and competitor promotions.

Analysis

  • The high bounce rate indicated many visitors left the mobile site before browsing products—possibly due to slow load times or poor design

  • Email performance was poor, showing the campaign failed to engage new leads effectively

  • Low brand awareness of BloomBox’s ethical values meant the business wasn’t leveraging its strongest differentiator

  • Competitor analysis revealed that marketing tactics were outdated compared to trendier, engagement-driven approaches used by rivals

Business response

  • BloomBox redesigned its mobile website for faster navigation and better checkout usability

  • The marketing team launched a brand storytelling campaign focusing on ethical sourcing, with new packaging and blog content

  • It partnered with eco-conscious influencers and introduced a loyalty points system to reward returning customers

  • Email sequences were reworked using segmentation and personalised content to boost engagement

Outcomes (within 6 weeks)

  • Mobile bounce rate dropped to 39%

  • Email click-through rates improved to 3.8%

  • Sales rose by 17% month-on-month

  • Online customer surveys showed a 40% increase in awareness of the brand’s ethical mission

Evaluation of the use of marketing data

  • Using marketing data to assess financial position can provide real data to make marketing decisions

  • However its usefulness depends on its quality and context, and the effort/cost required to collect it

Advantages and disadvantages of using marketing data

Advantages of using marketing data

Limitations of using marketing data

  • Provides data-driven insights

    • It shows exactly which products, channels or campaigns are working well

    • Decisions can then be made, e.g. which products to redesign or withdraw

  • Data quality issues

    • Errors or gaps data entry or sampling bias can give a false picture of performance

    • Skilled data analysts that may reduce this can be expensive to employ or consult

  • Identifies strengths and weaknesses:

    • Highlights top-performing customer segments and underperforming ones

    • This can help a business decide where to focus promotional activities

  • Lacks context

    • Data alone do not explain customer motivations, brand perception or wider market forces behind the numbers

    • Further research and consultation of other data (e.g. operations) may be needed

  • Enables benchmarking and trend-spotting

    • It allows comparison over time or against competitors to spot emerging opportunities or threats

    • Businessses can then take action to protect market share

  • Resource intensive

    • Collecting, organising and analysing data requires time

    • Specialist marketing reports can be very expensive to purchase

    • Insights may be outdated by the time they’re ready, especially in fast-moving markets

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    Author
    Reviewer
    Lisa Eades

    Author: Lisa Eades

    Expertise: Business Content Creator

    Lisa has taught A Level, GCSE, BTEC and IBDP Business for over 20 years and is a senior Examiner for Edexcel. Lisa has been a successful Head of Department in Kent and has offered private Business tuition to students across the UK. Lisa loves to create imaginative and accessible resources which engage learners and build their passion for the subject.

    Steve Vorster

    Reviewer: Steve Vorster

    Expertise: Economics & Business Subject Lead

    Steve has taught A Level, GCSE, IGCSE Business and Economics - as well as IBDP Economics and Business Management. He is an IBDP Examiner and IGCSE textbook author. His students regularly achieve 90-100% in their final exams. Steve has been the Assistant Head of Sixth Form for a school in Devon, and Head of Economics at the world's largest International school in Singapore. He loves to create resources which speed up student learning and are easily accessible by all.