Summer Series: The Importance of Data in Your Small Biz

The nostalgia is REAL this week, folks! For the continuation of our flashback Summer Series, we’re taking it as far back as we can this week with our FIRST. EVER. EPISODE! 💗💛💜

Episode 001 aired all the way back in May 2019 when we were just two Disney lovers with a dream for this podcast. We love seeing (and hearing!) how far we’ve come, and hope that you’ll enjoy and get inspired by revisiting the beginning of it all with us! 

To recap: Episode 001 talked all about Disney’s data collection skills using their Magic Bands and how our favorite place on earth makes something like *shudders* metrics actually FUN and interesting to study! 

We also pivot from Disney to discuss how YOU could use measurements to grow and understand your business. 

Disney Magic Bands are the hypothetical keys to the kingdom! 🏰🔑✨ But physically, they are used to unlock your magical stay while on your Disney vacation. They do so many things once you’re on Disney property: unlock your hotel room, act as a pass (with no lines!) into the parks, get you onto rides and into attractions quicker, and even act as a personal Disney wallet with a quick card-free transaction for any and all Disney park purchases. 

But what’s so amazing about them from a business perspective? Well, let’s go on a little ride of our own through Magic Band history…

• 2008: A challenge was created to help create “magical ease” when scheduling, planning, and executing your Disney vacation. Disney wanted to streamline the process – less waiting times, easier access to facilities, and an overall better experience for families who had waited so long to experience the magic of Disney World. 
• 2010: A single system was born, seamlessly connecting all park systems together: the Magic Band. A Disney engineer spent six months creating the band so that its design would be inclusive to all guests. Then, the Disney board of directors had to approve the 1 BILLION dollar project in order to put the system in place. 
• 2012-2013: A full-scale demo & public testing of the Magic Band system took place in the parks! At first, people complained! There were obvious kinks to work out. But overall, the niche group of wristband wearers inspired other guests to say “hey, I want one of those too!” (I was one of those guests!) 

The pros of Magic Bands were crystal clear after the public testing, Disney knew they hit the jackpot with this costly venture. 💰 Because the Magic Bands are connected to your hotel room and your debit/credit cards, the cashless system made purchasing in the park so simple and easy that the bill would rack up without the slightest thought. 

Disney’s business intelligence element was flawless, no surprise there! 

The bands created a tracking system that collected data on how guests navigated Disney websites, where they spent their time in the parks, and even what they were buying. All that data was golden delicious in Pooh’s honey pot, Disney was able to use the data to create future plans for offerings & promotions tailored individually to their guests. 

(This is why we use Disney, everyone! Pure genius! 💡)

Disney’s “path to purchase” tool is powerful in its design by not only tracking what a guest will buy, but the pattern that the guest uses before deciding to purchase. 

How can you use this for YOUR business? We know that not everyone has one billion dollars to spare like Mickey Mouse & the gang. But the history of Magic Bands does prove something invaluable: measure, measure, measure! 📐

Use less expensive tools for your website, like Google Analytics, to start tracking your own goldmine of data. Use this tool, and so many others like it, to track where your clients are spending time on your site. 

Metrics is a scary word – but think of it like this, all that it is is information meant to be gathered. Information that you can then take to and turn into leads, purchases, and new clients! 

New takeaways from Ep. 001: 

• Magic Band Madness: So what ever happened to Magic Bands? Well, as of January 2022, Disney stopped offering them as free inclusions with your hotel stay – but they are still available to get for a discounted price! This is because the My Disney Experience app took on a lot of the same features as the bands. This is actually a good thing though – it proves that Disney is capable of keeping up with the shifting tides of technology. Everyone has a smartphone and everyone has access to an app, but still purchasing your own Magic Band gives a unique experience to Disney, and always will. We can’t recommend them enough – despite the changes! 
• Metrics, always! Yes…unfortunately metrics are just as important as when we aired this episode three years ago! Maybe even more so now with the constant changes in the economic world due to Covid. We want you all to remember: data is just numbers! Evaluate it and look at the causes and effects. A bad trend in sales may not continue, and one number doesn’t mean everything. Always look at the BIG picture.