Introduction

Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) is a global leader in providing commercial data, analytics, and insights for businesses of all sizes. With a history spanning over 180 years, D&B empowers companies to make informed decisions by offering solutions in areas like credit risk management, sales and marketing effectiveness, supply chain management, and compliance. Its proprietary D-U-N-S Number, a unique nine-digit identifier for businesses worldwide, is a cornerstone of its data ecosystem, used by organizations globally to identify and connect with businesses.

Key Features

• D-U-N-S Number: A globally recognized unique identifier for businesses, crucial for credit applications, government registrations, and business identification.
• Business Credit Reports & Scores: Comprehensive reports and predictive scores that assess a company’s financial stability, payment history, and overall creditworthiness.
• Risk Management Solutions: Tools for managing supplier risk, identifying fraud, ensuring compliance, and assessing credit risk across various business relationships.
• Sales & Marketing Solutions: Data and analytics for market segmentation, lead generation, prospecting, customer retention, and data enrichment to enhance CRM and marketing automation platforms.
• Data Cloud: Access to one of the world’s largest commercial databases, encompassing millions of businesses globally with deep insights into their operations, financials, and hierarchies.
• API & Integrations: Seamless integration capabilities to embed D&B data directly into existing business systems like ERP, CRM, and marketing platforms.
• Master Data Management: Solutions to improve data quality, accuracy, and consistency across an organization, creating a single source of truth for business information.

Pros

• Unparalleled Data Depth and Breadth: Offers one of the most comprehensive and extensive global business databases available, providing rich insights into millions of companies.
• Reliability and Authority: As a long-standing and respected institution, D&B is a trusted source for business information, widely accepted by financial institutions and government agencies.
• Global Coverage: Provides data on businesses across virtually every country, making it invaluable for international trade and global supply chain management.
• Critical Risk Mitigation: Helps businesses proactively identify and mitigate financial, operational, and compliance risks, leading to more secure decision-making.
• Enhanced Sales and Marketing: Empowers sales and marketing teams with precise data for targeting, segmentation, and personalization, improving campaign effectiveness and ROI.
• Industry Standard D-U-N-S Number: The D-U-N-S Number is an essential identifier that streamlines business processes and facilitates global commerce.

Cons

• High Cost: D&B services can be significantly expensive, making them less accessible for small businesses or startups with limited budgets.
• Data Overload: The sheer volume and complexity of data can sometimes be overwhelming, requiring a learning curve to effectively utilize all features and reports.
• Integration Complexity: While APIs are available, full integration into complex enterprise systems can require substantial technical resources and effort.
• Data Accuracy Variations: While generally high, data on smaller or newer businesses may sometimes be less current or complete, requiring manual verification.
• Subscription Model: Most services are subscription-based, which can be a continuous cost commitment for businesses.

Pricing

Dun & Bradstreet does not publicly disclose a standardized pricing list for most of its services. Their pricing model is typically custom and subscription-based, tailored to the specific needs, data volume, features, and number of users required by each business.

Factors influencing pricing include:

• The specific D&B solution (e.g., credit reports, marketing data, risk management, data enrichment APIs).
• The geographic scope of data required (e.g., national vs. global).
• The volume of data consumed or reports pulled.
• The level of customization and integration needed.
• The size and type of the client organization.

Businesses interested in D&B’s offerings must contact their sales team directly for a personalized consultation and a custom quote. While it represents a significant investment, the cost is often justified for organizations that rely heavily on accurate, comprehensive, and global business intelligence for strategic decision-making and risk mitigation.