Our Global Head of Digital Sales, Pablo Monge, shares the steps to managing customer data with hyper-personalization.
For some years now, the use and analysis of data in multiple industries —such as tourism and hospitality— have become our strategic allies to develop innovative solutions and strengthen the client-brand relationship.
Understanding current and potential consumer behavior allow us to continuously personalize their experience through campaigns or initiatives designed with customized content, messages, and offers delivered promptly on each channel and at every step of the journey. This results in enhanced engagement with the brand and, therefore, increases the return on investment thanks to optimizing resources.
To achieve these results, marketers and digital sales professionals must remember that understanding and managing customer data doesn’t mean random use. The goal is only to leverage behavioral knowledge and avoid being invasive with leads to prevent an undesired effect.
How can companies develop a hyper-personalization strategy based on data?
According to a Salesforce study, 66% of consumers expect companies to understand their unique needs and expectations, and 52% expect personalized offers. Therefore, it’s necessary to achieve balance and avoid being invasive while hyper‑personalizing information and offers.
Here are some critical steps to achieve that goal:
1. Responsible and transparent data management
Companies in the hospitality industry, from large chains to small boutique and independent hotels, need to develop a direct relationship with their customers. However, it’s essential to consider the way each customer chooses to obtain information. In other words, the customer decides how to inquire about and purchase the services and products offered by brands. That’s why it’s vital to focus on having the right technology for responsible and transparent management of customer data consent.
Responsible management goes beyond requesting permissions properly: you also need to use precise language, avoid pre-checked boxes, and offer the possibility to choose the type of data requested and its purpose. The goal is to facilitate customers’ ability to check the given consent and make sure that the objectives have not changed, so it’s also important not to punish users with limitations on content and functionality if they wish to adjust their preferences. Also, your customer record needs to stay updated and comply with applicable local and international regulations.
2. Rethinking organizational models
To successfully implement a strategy, companies in the tourism industry must analyze whether their business and work models are ready to integrate the necessary data management technologies and implement them properly. Therefore, they need to rethink their organizational models and promote agility among their employees to allow them to access and use new digital capabilities.
For example, they can combine artificial intelligence with apps and a cross-device experience to engage with customers at different times and through various software. Also, it’s key to include privacy and consent management models in the strategy, combining technology with marketing tools in real-time to help manage identity resolution and its use in campaigns.
The MarTech (Marketing Technology) and AdTech (Advertising Technology) ecosystems, which are constantly evolving, are the ultimate enablers of proper customer knowledge management and exploitation according to business needs and digital sales strategy. This effort can deliver 5x-8x the current ROI.
3. A personalization strategy with well-defined goals
Companies should connect their personalization strategy with their primary business goals —such as increasing open market acquisition, cross-selling products or services during the stay, or raising the average ticket. In other words, they need to work on marketing initiatives to enhance the experience while contributing to the company’s strategic and sales goals.
Globant, a strategic partner
Globant’s Digital Sales Studio, with its strategic and technological expertise regarding the MarTech and AdTech ecosystems, offers an additional layer of advanced management of customers’ “digital identities” to understand who is engaging with the brand at each given moment and what content they should send in each situation.
In addition, the Studio is highly specialized in the deployment and implementation of guest-invisible technologies that respond to users’ demand for personalization by offering a positive experience tailored to their needs, respecting the limits of their consent.
With the right technology, capabilities, and talent, we can make sure that personalization strategies in digital and physical channels significantly impact campaign results and the positioning efforts of brands and businesses, taking the customer experience to the next level.
