Why We’re Going Freemium

As one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the UK right now, some people have asked me why we’ve decided to embrace a freemium business model and give some of our data away for free. Here’s my answer.

We believe in the value of audience profiling.

Audience profiling isn’t just about getting insights to guide better communications. It’s about shaping audience-centric brands.

We know that if you can quantify consumer perceptions and behaviors, you can drive marketing that works, because we’ve helped our clients do it.

With data that gives you a better understanding of your audience than any other, targeting is simple.

That means bigger impact, for less.  

We believe in the value of GlobalWebIndex data because we’ve seen the result. Now, we’re giving as many people as possible the chance to see it for themselves.

We’re not just another data provider.

Our business metrics  consistently outperform those of others in the subscription economy. We retain 93% of contracts on an annual basis and grow the average account by 54% year-on-year. For us, this is the clearest indicator of product/market fit that you could ever hope for.  

This is why we’re confident that giving away some of our data for free is the right move.

We know our customers want to embed themselves more deeply with us over time.

Our clients love our data because we listen to what they want, and we innovate to make sure we’re helping them break new ground in marketing communications. That is the fundamental reason they keep coming back for more.

We’re allocating extensive resource to our free customers so that our new clients can benefit from this customer experience, and to show the world we’re not just another data provider – we genuinely care about creating flexible, powerful  solutions that are the right fit for our clients.

We know today’s SMEs are the enterprises of tomorrow.

We’re committed to helping businesses grow, and we take pride in helping companies take the next step. We also know the value that lies in building lasting relationships with clients big or small – something our unique client retention rates are a testament to.

As the digital landscape grows more complex, for small businesses to compete, they need ready access to insight that will power this growth.

Our freemium model gives them a chance to take that first step, with our expert teams showing them first-hand how sophisticated data can make a visible difference to every aspect of their business.

We’re dedicated to helping individuals, SMEs, charities and nonprofit organizations as equally as we are to the world’s leading brands, agencies and publishers, because we know what they can do with the right tools.

We’re a challenger brand.

Our main competitors are decades old, a couple of whom are not far off their centenary years. For us, this is a good thing; it restricts their ability to innovate, either because they’ve lost the hunger to disrupt or are too cost-heavy to manoeuvre quickly and embrace technological change.

That said, they enjoy very high awareness levels within the global marketing industry, which as a newer entrant, we need to address.

Our data set spans over 40 countries and we have customers in 80.

While we continue to cement our position as the premier audience profiling provider in most markets, in some territories we still encounter prospective clients who have never heard of us. Our new freemium model will reduce barriers to adoption, helping us drive rapid user growth, in turn accelerating awareness of our data globally.

It also means we’ll get more of the valuable input we need to continue challenging the status quo and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.