Why Contactability Is the Missing Link in Retail Strategy

Welcome to dunnhumby's The Science of Shopping newsletter where we look at the trends shaping the future of retail and share the top insights that matter most to retailers and CPGs. In this month's edition, Simone Annunciato C Pereira covers how retailers can improve the effectiveness of their “contactability” capabilities.

Retail runs on data. Each transaction, visit, and interaction now leaves a trail – from sales volumes and basket sizes through to purchase frequencies, page views, opens, likes, and more.. Every day, these signals help to shape decisions across marketing, commercial, sales, procurement, and beyond, and with good reason.

Retailers that use this data to build mature communications and loyalty strategies can lift their annual sales by as much as 2.5% .

But data alone isn’t enough. Insight only matters if you can reach the customer behind it. Reliable contact information turns strategy into real engagement. With that in mind, here are four ways retailers can strengthen their contactability and build more effective communication strategies.

1. Make registration easy and smart

Getting customers to share contact information is often the first hurdle. Keep forms clear and concise. Request only the information that truly helps your business. Long or overly detailed forms increase drop-offs without delivering real value.

Remember that some data points are time sensitive. Asking about a hobby or marital status might backfire if it becomes outdated or inaccurate. Use registration as a starting point, not a finish line.

2. Validate contact data early and often

Decide which data must be validated and when. Let your business strategy guide those decisions, not just technical capability. If SMS or WhatsApp is your main channel, validating phone numbers with real-time codes is essential. If email is critical, make sure to validate that too.

Validated contact data is also useful beyond direct messaging. It helps improve matching in cross-channel campaigns such as social media.

3. Consolidate data across your channels

Many retailers collect customer information from multiple sources: app, website, in store, call centre. Without integration, inconsistencies and duplication creep in.

Build processes and systems that unify data capture, updates, and validation across all touchpoints. This alignment fuels better customer communications.

4. Treat your contact database as living

A contact database is not “set and forget.” Over time, data decays. People change numbers, emails go dormant, and preferences shift. Without upkeep, campaign performance deteriorates and fixing things later becomes costly.

 Schedule regular cleaning, run refresh campaigns, and build proactive checks. These actions protect the long-term health of your contactability strategy.

Why weak contactability hurts

Failing to maintain healthy, accurate contact data has ripple effects. Engagement drops. Personalisation falls apart. Your ability to monetise media and build competitive advantage weakens.

When personalised experiences matter more than ever, retailers who see their contact database as a core asset, not a side tool, will be ahead. Even small changes in how you collect, validate, integrate, and refresh data can shift outcomes.

Ready to explore how loyalty and personalisation are evolving in today’s AI-driven retail landscape? Get a copy of our latest global report, How to Keep Hold of Your Customers, featuring insights from senior retail leaders across Europe.