Last time we talked about major life events which can generate data. Things like marriage, divorce, death, and even births. These types of data generally have court records or public filings attached to them.

This time we’ll explore the world of minor life events. These minor events are typically used for marketing purposes but can be used in all sorts of ways outside of that. They can be generated by anything from moving to a new home to getting a new job. So, let’s dive in!

Relocation Data

Moving indicators are usually broken down into two groups: pre-move and post-move.

The pre-move indicators are generally less reliable – they’re things like your internet browsing history, your shopping habits, and perhaps your activity on certain real estate websites. These are all traceable and are very useful to an advertiser who wants to sell you internet service in your new home – or perhaps a truck rental service for your moving day.

Post-move indicators usually come from an address being updated somewhere. This can happen when you file for Change of Address (NCOA) with the post office, when you update your billing or shipping address with online retailers, or when you inform your financial institutions of your move.

Knowing when and where a person is moving can be incredibly valuable for a business that wants to conduct some targeted marketing campaigns. Think of all the things you end up purchasing during a move: an untold number of cardboard boxes, a rental truck, new internet connection, maybe some new furniture, and don’t forget the endless trips back and forth to the hardware store. If you’re Home Depot or U-Haul, this is great data to have at your fingertips!

That’s not to say that all of these lifestyle change indicators are used for advertising purposes. Many companies (your utilities, for instance) will not furnish your data for marketing purposes. Instead, they may provide the data to credit reporting agencies, credit bureaus, and other legitimate businesses which can later use the data for identity verification purposes.

New Job? New Car? New Baby?

It might shock you how closely a new car, new job, and new baby are related when it comes to lifestyle indicators. There’s a fair degree of certainty that when someone in their mid 30’s gets a new job, they’re on their way to getting a new car and possibly having a baby. The job did not directly cause the car purchase and the baby did not generate a new job (though some parents might disagree) – it’s just that these changes typically occur at the same time in someone’s life.

A person’s mid-30’s is usually the time in their life when they’re most upwardly mobile and they are starting to settle down as an adult. They’ve usually finished paying off student loans, they’re rising in their careers, and they may have more disposable income than they did previously. Many marketers call these people DINKs (Dual Income No Kids).

In Conclusion…

At the end of the day, there are more indicators generated in your day-to-day life than most people have ever considered. The tricky part is how you aggregate them and model them.

If you’re interested in marketing data and how lifestyle indicators might be able to help you reach your audience, give us a call! Our data specialists would love to walk you through our data offerings and help you make a decision.