[1] To some extent, data collection from customers intrudes into customer privacy, the exact limits to the type and amount of data collected need to be regulated.
The data collection is thus aimed at insights into customer behaviour (buying decisions, etc.)
and, eventually, profit maximization by consolidation and expansion of the customer base.
[4] In the internet age, a prominent method for collecting customer data is through explicit online surveys,[5] but also through concealed methods like measurement of click-through and abandonment rates.
[6] A possible classification of business customer information was proposed by Minna J. Rollins, who distinguished the levels a) market b) organizational c) business unit, and d) individual.