Matthew Dunn at Experian, looks at cross channel consumer challenges and how it integrates with big data.
Big Data is vital to modern marketing. However, its exponential growth, and the plethora of channels it comes from means it doesn’t come without its challenges. There’s so much information out there now, it can be difficult to identify individuals across channels. So what can organisations do to combat this and better track the full customer journey?
Many channels and silos, both on and offline, now feed into Big Data. Before the days of digital, when customer data records related to an address or postcode, it was easier to marry separate data streams relating to the same person.
Nowadays, it’s a different story. Linking data which an individual generates across their offline and online journey is challenging. The volume of channels has impacted the range and volume of information available, while simultaneously compromising an organisation’s ability to connect with their customers. While there may be greater opportunities for engagement, it’s become more difficult to deliver consistent personalised experiences and meaningful touchpoints.
Linking identities
‘Linkage’ is becoming more and more important. It involves identifying users by their device or internet connection, and linking their identities across each interaction together to create the single customer view marketers need. Attaining this view means they can accurately engage with them across multiple channels, both traditional and digital.
This linking empowers marketers to achieve a holistic view across multiple data sources, a capability which will continue to grow in demand as more activity shifts to the digital sphere.
Understanding the cross-channel consumer
A unified, cross-channel view of the consumer is crucial to business success in today’s digital world. As consumers move between social media and traditional media to desktop browsing and in-store shopping, their expectation of a seamless experience doesn’t change. Brands have to provide consistency, regardless of the choice of channel and device. The challenge for businesses is understanding exactly what they want, and at what stage of the journey they want it.
A single customer view is about achieving an in-depth understanding of an individual through the online and offline journey they make, irrelevant of where they are interacting and transacting.
Data holds the key to unlocking this.
Once marketers have cracked the customer view, they need to tailor their marketing content in consideration of previous encounters and preferences, ensuring that the customer’s experience is always as seamless as can be. And all of this must be done flexibly and at scale.
Four in five (81%) businesses still report challenges in getting this view. Technology provides its own challenges, from the way it necessitates real-time work, to using data from multiple sources, and accessing insights that sit elsewhere within the business. This represents everything from storage, to data blending and accessibility.
Looking at the business as a single unit, information linkage and the single customer view will address a growing business requirement across all sectors. Change won’t happen overnight but it will come and, when it does, it will completely transform the relationship between business and customer.
By Matthew Dunn
Experian