First party data is the data you collect from your customers themselves, such as names, addresses, phone numbers, and so on. This in itself will be able to help you improve the customer experience, but you’ll need more if you really want to make the most of it.
Here’s how you can enrich that customer data, and use it to inspire brand loyalty within your customer base. Getting just another layer of info about your customers can do a lot for you, so let’s see what can be done.
Collecting The Right Data
Before you can do anything, you need to determine what information you need about your customers. When they purchase goods from you, they will give you basic data like their name, address, and contact details. That’s a good place to start, but if you want to improve their experience, you’ll need more.
For example, if you want to send them birthday gifts that they can use on your site, you’re going to need their birth date. If you’d like to send them more details about products they may be interested in, then you can collect data on what they’re looking at and buying.
“Having this information is the crucial first step” says tech writer Addison Jones, from Write My X and 1 Day 2 Write. “When you have this, you’ll be able to get a bigger picture of who they are.” With that information, you’ll know what you can offer them.
How To Enrich That Data
Now you know what data you need, you’ll have to think about how you’re going to get it from them. How can you get a customer to give you the information that you need?
There are lots of different ways you can go about this. One popular way of doing so is to use pop up lightboxes at checkout. These can ask for some extra optional information, such as date of birth, gender, and product preferences.
There’s also the option of creating a loyalty scheme, with the idea of collecting extra data. That scheme can give out things like exclusive discounts and first looks at new lines, and you’ll have the extra data you need to improve the experience further.
When doing this, be sure to show the customer the benefit of adding this info to your files. What will they get from you for doing this?
Creating Loyalty Experiences
Now you have that data, you’ll be able to create customer loyalty experiences with them. What does this mean? At the very basic level, it means creating experiences that improve the base experience they have with you as a customer.
You can add value to the experience in so many different ways. “A very popular customer experience improvement is to add them to newsletters, and send out subscriber only discounts” says Graham Jackson, a journalist at Origin Writings and Brit Student. “When you do this, they’re getting something special that not all customers will get, improving their experience.”
Whenever you implement a strategy like this, you’re giving your customers something special, that elevates the experience they typically have with you.
Using Your Data To Improve Customer Experiences
So if you have that first party data, how can you use it? With the right data, you can really improve the experiences that your customers have with you. For example, take the birthday example from above. If you have a date of birth, you can send a gift code to be used on your site. It’s an extra gift they wouldn’t expect, and they’ll have a great experience with you.
The loyalty scheme is another great way of improving the experience. You can create schemes that give customers better rewards, the higher up the tiers they go. That encourages them to buy, and you can use the data to customize the products they’re offered. It offers prestige, and again will be something that regular customers won’t have.
These are just a couple of ways you can use first party data to improve the customer experience. That data can be used in many ways, to show the customer they’re important to you and keep them coming back for more.
George J. Newton is a business development manager at Write my literature review and PhD Kingdom. He helps businesses improve their marketing strategies. He also writes for Custom coursework.
Photo by Lucija Ros on Unsplash
