Callcredit Information Group is overhauling its prospect databases in response to regulatory changes and new rules from the Information Commissioner's Office over electronic marketing to ensure they stay ahead of best practice guidelines.

As part of the move, the firm has suspended the sale of data for prospecting by telephone, email and SMS from its Define database until it meets this new standard. 

Clients will still be able to continue to use Define for marketing communications where they hold consent by other means, customer management communications, communications by direct mail as well as for analytics and insight purposes.

The move follows a ruling by the First-Tier Information Rights Tribunal, which effectively outlawed the use of third-party information unless it can be proved prospects have opted in to receive marketing from other brands.

The analysis of its permissions has been assisted by independent industry consultants and an extensive period of consumer testing. The purpose of this testing was to refine its model for so-called "fair processing notices" and privacy policy wording.

The firm believes this will enhance the strength of consents obtained from consumers by ensuring individuals are empowered to make more informed choices about their preferred channels of communication and sectors of interest.

The company has shared the new model with its existing data contributors and is working with those providers to adopt the new formula as soon as possible in 2016, and by no later than the end of March 2016. 

After this date, Callcredit will no longer accept data from any contributor who is unable to comply with the new standards of good practice. 

Callcredit managing director of marketing solutions Will Lowe said: “Direct marketing has a significant role to play in linking consumers to the products and services that interest them. However, direct marketing practices must constantly evolve and what has been common practice in the past is no longer regarded as good practice today.   

"As an industry we need to adapt to providing more of what consumers want, which includes how they want to be spoken to and what is of interest to them at a specific point in time. Knowing this will allow brands to engage with more relevance for better results.”