Consumers are less willing to share their personal data. Yet this data is key to brands' ability to offer personalised recommendations and more effective marketing. It is therefore in the interests of marketing professionals to be transparent with consumers in order to restore their confidence. And to turn the protection of their customers' personal data into a means of creating value.
In the United States, Sephora had failed to disclose to consumers that it was selling their personal information to analytical or advertising service providers. The result: a fine and bad buzz, with the risk of a negative impact on business.
Today's consumers are more than ever demanding transparency from their favourite brands. And this is a trend that is spreading throughout the world. More than two-thirds (67 %) of consumers say they are more vigilant about how their data is used online.
It's up to marketing departments to react and learn about best practice. They are on the front line when it comes to collecting and processing personal data. Their objective: to improve the conversion of their website and, consequently, the profitability of their business, while offering customers the guarantee that their data is in safe hands.
Bringing your marketing strategy into line with the RGPD and new regulations
Previously, the collection of personal data did not have to comply with any specific regulations. Unwittingly, this collection was carried out at the expense of users' privacy. But those days are gone, thanks to the adoption in recent years of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
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The RGPD in 2 key points
Since its introduction in May 2018, the RGPD has supplemented the French Data Protection Act of 1978, which regulates the processing of personal data. |
In parallel with these new regulations, Google has warned that its Chrome browser will soon no longer support cookies third parties.
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What are third-party cookies? These are text files that are installed on the Internet user's device and created by the sites visited. They store browsing data such as the number of visits to a consumer's website, their geolocation, etc. |
For years, these trackers had been used for predictive marketing, via Google Analytics. Nearly 80 % of website administrators used Google's flagship free programme. This made it easy to track key indicators for a website or mobile application, by collecting information via these advertising cookies. These cookies will no longer exist in 2024.
Data confidentiality: building a privacy-first marketing strategy
The end of third-party cookies means that marketers can no longer rely on third-party data to develop their web audience targeting strategy. Hence the exploitation of new data such as first party data. This is data collected directly from its audience, and on its own channels (website, mobile application, platform, etc.). This data provides information about the behaviour of web users and their actions. Here are a few tips for collecting first-party data: brands can encourage the creation of accounts, organise webinars or collect consumer opinions.
There is also zero party data, which consumers agree to share with an organisation on their own initiative. This data, which is generally the most extensive, is obtained in particular via studies or surveys.
However, all this data first needs to be integrated into a tool to bring it together and make it easier to read and use: the Customer Data Platform (CDP). This tool centralises all proprietary data and activates it easily. The result: marketing teams can optimise their investments and obtain actionable insights to feed their next digital advertising campaigns.
Beware: transparency in the collection and use of data is essential. Internet users must understand what information is collected, how it will be used and what 'value' they will receive if they authorise brands to use their data. It's all a question of motivation. Users will be more inclined to hand over their data if they receive something in return. A discount coupon, for example, in exchange for their e-mail address.
Mastering the new web audience measurement tools
Google Analytics has often been criticised for not complying with measures to protect users' personal data. Google Analytics 4 (GA4) will replace it. Not only will this platform anonymise the Internet user's IP address, it will also no longer store IP addresses. In other words, it will no longer be possible to make the link between the data collected and the identity of users.
But this migration of web audience measurement tools does not happen overnight. Above all, we must not forget what is at stake: being able to analyse data over time and compare it with a given previous period. This means anticipating the change of tools internally and preparing well in advance of the deadline so as to have a reference year for historical comparison.
Of course, there are other tools for collecting data from website traffic. These include Plausible Analytics, Simple Analytics, Piwik PRO and Contentsquare. They all take into account the entire customer journey to provide comprehensive data, while guaranteeing respect for users' privacy.
Read also: Web marketing 2021: trends and tools
Anticipating the future for more targeted marketing without compromising privacy
Marketers have no choice but to prepare for the imminent arrival of a world regulated by data protection. The years ahead promise to be increasingly intransigent in terms of data protection. Brands that take an active approach to privacy now will undoubtedly be the ones that perform best in the future.
Especially as the development of metavers and other virtual spaces does not bode well for the future: advertising is hyper-targeted and sponsored content is the main source of revenue. Clearly, data will be key in these new worlds.
Given that the rise of all these data flows within companies is bound to be accompanied by the growth of cyber threats. Marketing structures must not overlook this. Non-compliant practices and failure to take account of cyber security will have a direct effect on the value and e-reputation of companies.
Key point: marketing professionals need to adapt their marketing strategies when it comes to the confidentiality of customer data. In short, they need to make their digital marketing more responsible. This means first and foremost complying with new regulations (RGPD) and taking account of new practices, such as the end of third-party cookies announced by Google. Hence the exploitation of new data such as fist party data. It also means mastering new web audience measurement tools such as Google Analytics 4.
