Desktop, Mobile, and Beyond: 3 Ways to Activate Customer Data From Every Touchpoint

Data Any Time, Anywhere

No marketer worth their salt relies on anything but data to craft their content. Whether it’s collecting  zero-party data for retargeting emails or using first-party data for automated triggers, behavioral data is what unlocks a memorable customer experience.

However, marketers need to keep in mind that each piece of data is only a small slice of who that customer is. While every data point is a step in the right direction, marketers need to activate all of their customer data at once to drive content that truly reflects every facet of a customer. Data from a single siloed source may help marketers score some brownie points with a customer, but it’s bound to quickly grow irrelevant and erode brand loyalty.

Forming a data-driven picture of every customer is critical, but accessing data from any source and any location is a tall order for most marketers. But with these three comprehensive tools, marketers can cut through the data complexity and trade disconnected information for a cohesive, holistic view of each customer.

The Web Pixel

Marketers' websites are one of the primary sources for gathering behavioral data. They are often the initial point of contact between a customer and your brand and provide a straightforward starting place for data collection. By simply adding the Web Pixel to the website, marketers can automatically collect key information to help lead customers down their data-driven journey:

• Browsing is a treasure trove of insight for marketers, and using the Web Pixel makes it an easy, accessible source. Understanding what products customers avoided and which ones they clicked on—or better yet, added to their cart—provides a valuable look into their preferences.

• Search patterns are just as crucial as browsing history, if not more so. By evaluating which products customers are intentionally looking for, marketers can understand their first priority. This data also creates the perfect opportunity for marketers to respond with relevant content, whether that be the exact products searched for, or similar items that customers have yet to explore—setting the stage for a perfect surprise and delight moment.

• Purchasing behaviors not only reveal what customers ultimately bought, they also uncover the previous actions that led to a conversion, such as a promotion, a basket builder, or seasonal timing. Analyzing these behaviors will also highlight what may have slowed down the purchasing process, such as irrelevant messaging or counter-intuitive landing pages.

While this data is a healthy start, marketers can’t stop here. Customers today are constantly switching touchpoints, which means only looking at web data will still leave marketers short of several puzzle pieces. To gain a fuller picture, marketers need to look at customers' favorite device: their mobile phone.

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The Mobile App SDK

By the end of 2024, mCommerce is expected to reach $558.29 billion, which means that customers are spending a lot of time shopping on their mobile devices. Marketers must follow the mobile data trail before it grows cold if they want to activate that information into relevant content.

As these interactions typically happen within branded apps, marketers will need a Mobile App SDK to access mobile data efficiently and effectively. A powerful SDK will make it a simple process to understand customers’ activity within the ecosystem of your branded app. With this tool, marketers can find and activate all of the same activities that they do on websites such as browsing, searching, and purchasing patterns.

Tracking mobile-specific actions is arguably the most critical part of our Mobile App SDK. App downloads, preference center activity, and loyalty profile information all reveal valuable customer information.

When the Web Pixel and the Mobile App SDK are working in tandem, marketers can natively follow  customers’ activity, no matter what device they choose and fit content to their specific needs and journey.

The Customer Data API

The finishing touch to this trio of tools is API automation. Via a CDP, the Customer Data API can automatically pull in specific data from various sources for each customer. Whether it’s a data transfer, streaming customer behavioral events, or combining multiple data elements into a single creative, API automation is marketers’ one-stop-shop for data-driven prowess.

Additionally, all of these benefits are especially impactful for brands that already have robust data infrastructures in place, such as those that work with extensive partner networks and CDPs or have data mapped. Instead of ripping and replacing existing data sources, they can be further enhanced.

Further Applications for the Trio of Tools

What about events that don’t fall under the traditional categories of browsing, purchasing, or even app downloads? Across industries, marketers need to look at a never-ending list of actions: retailers may want to see what products were added to customers’ wishlists, while a streaming service tracks saved shows and episode progress. For industries that need to follow different events and have stricter data collection parameters, such as financial services, it’s an entirely different ball game.

To track unique actions, all three tools can be used to automatically pull in specific event data for every customer. Whatever custom events that marketer needs to track, they can set those ahead of time and watch the data stream in. If there are any out-of-the-box actions that marketers want to analyze, especially to look at activity pre-conversion, this trio of tools is a must.

Universal Data, Unlocked

With the data-driven tools of the Web Pixel, Mobile App SDK, and Customer Data API, marketers can get a 360 view of every customer’s journey. With that data on hand, marketers will be able to deliver content that truly resonates, drives high-value actions, and ultimately solidifies lasting loyalty.

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