The Hidden Cost of Storing Data You Will Never Use

Data is supposed to be your brand's most valuable asset. But what if most of it is silently draining your budget, your bandwidth, and your potential to grow? 

As digital storage becomes cheaper and more accessible, many DTC brands have fallen into the trap of "keep everything, just in case." And yet, the reality is sobering: 

The Data No One Touches 

• 70–80% of stored enterprise data is never used (Gartner, 2024). 

• 90% of stored data becomes obsolete after just three months, turning into digital waste that adds zero value (IDC, 2025). 

• Up to 73% of enterprise data isn’t used for any kind of analysis (Forrester Research, 2024). 

These aren’t just abstract numbers. They reflect a deeper issue: the disconnect between the data brands collect—and the data they actually leverage. 

Why It Matters Now (More Than Ever) 

For growing DTC brands expanding across Amazon, Shopify, and international marketplaces, data multiplies fast. From performance dashboards and creative testing results to ad campaign exports, SKU-level reporting, and customer behavior logs—every tool adds to the pile. 

But without a system to clean, structure, or contextualize that data, it becomes noise. 

Here’s what that noise costs you: 

• Budget Waste: Storing unused data can eat up to 30% of your IT spend (Veritas, 2024). 

• Lower Productivity: Teams spend more time looking for data than acting on it. 

• Environmental Impact: Data centers already consume 4% of global electricity—a figure expected to double by 2030, driven by poor data hygiene (IEA, 2025). 

Real Example: Logistics Company Reclaims Its Stack 

A logistics firm with 800 employees discovered that they were spending $52,400/month on cloud storage—with only 37% of disk space actively used. By implementing AI-powered data optimization, they: 

• Cut storage costs by 20% 

• Streamlined data access for faster decision-making 

• Allocated budget toward product and ops, not waste 

At HatchEcom, we’ve helped clients audit their data stack and uncover similar opportunities. In many cases, we didn’t need more tools—we needed better use of the ones they already had. That meant: 

• Identifying what data truly fuels growth 

• Sunset reporting rituals no one reads 

• Consolidating dashboards and vendors 

• Automating visibility across performance layers 
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A Leadership Gap—Not Just a Technical One 

Many CEOs and CMOs we work with know there’s untapped value in their data. But the default is either to over-engineer the solution or ignore the problem until it hurts. 

Here’s the truth: If your team can’t access clean, relevant data in under 60 seconds, they’re not operating at full speed. And if your storage bills are creeping up without insight growth, something’s off. 

You don’t need a massive data warehouse. You need a system that aligns data with real business questions. 

Questions to Ask Before Q4: 

• What percentage of your stored data supports current goals? 

• How many tools are collecting—but not processing—data? 

• Could your team move faster if the signal was clearer? 

What’s Next? 

For brands at this stage, the goal isn’t to become a data company. It’s to become a smarter brand—with leaner systems, faster feedback loops, and better cross-functional clarity. 

That’s why we’re exploring new ways to help DTC brands handle data better. Tools that reduce noise, increase relevance, and give decision-makers the right inputs at the right time. There has to be a better way to store, read, and act on the data you already have. 

Let’s make space for that future.