In a recent InternetRetailing webinar, Protecting personal data while enhancing customer engagement, in association with Akamai, we heard from Akamai’s Mayur Upadhyaya, global senior director identity cloud, and Tara Bartley, senior manager industry marketing on managing the challenges associated with customer identity and data. We also heard from Liz Morrell on the findings of an InternetRetailing/Akamai white paper, Protecting personal data while enhancing customer engagement.
Here’s a bulletpoint overview of the webinar.
Mayur Upadhyaya on customer data and identity
- Customer data and identity: sharing information is a contract of trust that’s at the heart of a customer-centric approach.
- How customers can now take control of their data: awareness growing following GDPR.
- Importance of thinking about customer demographics – and expectations raised by digital brands.
- Delivering value for the data collected: omnichannel experience, IoT, personalisation.
- Expanded definition of personal data: making sure it fits the intent and purpose with which customer gave you the data.
- Half the world’s population now online, many with multiple devices: challenge of data governance – and how we protect data.
- Solution: reach customers at the right time based on preference and behaviour.
- Maintaining trust: balancing CX and security.
- Bring our own identity: the role of customer choice in interacting with retailers.
- From there customer can then choose how much to share with retailer, as relationship develops.
- Challenges for retailers: multiple logins introduce friction, maintenance of homegrown solution, silos mean hard to tailor info.
Liz Morrell on retailer attitudes
- How InternetRetailing worked to understand retailer attitudes to protecting customer data in an InternetRetailing/Akamai white paper: Protecting personal data while enhancing customer engagement.
- Four key areas: collecting and storing data, interacting with data (need for a clear aim), commercial operation and the impact of regulation changes, the future.
- Collecting data: more important than ever to both collect and store correctly. 93% say customer data is vital – getting the right data builds loyalty, but there are “huge” consequences of breaching data privacy.
- Interacting with data: shift away from collecting for collections sake towards a greater value exchange. Having a clear purpose and clean data is important.
- Commercial operation: 16% felt they were falling behind competitors. One in four positive about impact of privacy changes. 85% said concerns about security were a factor.
- The future: protection of data remains key, differentiating inspiring trust is paramount.
Tara Bartley on retail industry trends
- What data do you really need for personalisation? Birth year not generally needed – so no need to collect it. “The less you collect the less you need to protect – and this is something you really need to give thought to.” No longer a trend to get lots of information.
- Loyalty programmes: work well and boost business. But getting on board needs to be simple.
- Gather information through the purchase process, not upfront.
- Engage with meaningful content: “Look at what my browsing history and serve me up products I might be interested in. Don’t point me to sale items that aren’t my size.”
- What does the future hold for regulation? We don’t know, but regulations are not going to get easier. Going the extra mile helps to prepare for the future.
- 10 strategies for success: from loyalty to using data.
The webinar ended with a Q&A session. To see the webinar in full, including the slides, speakers and Q&A session, visit the Akamai webinar page. To explore InternetRetailing’s previous webinars, click here.
