Customer Onboarding: An Opportune First-Party Data Collection Moment 

In our last post, we discussed the importance of developing a first-party data strategy ahead of the transformative shift away from third-party cookies. This strategy requires finding and creating opportunities to reach the right audiences within contextually relevant moments, made possible by more robust and reliable first-party data collection.

The onboarding experience (a more modern product registration experience where product owners find value in engaging after purchase) is a well-timed opportunity to collect first-party data. When a customer first opens the product packaging their engagement level is high, making them more open to connecting with the brand. It is through this onboarding experience, ideally, a digital experience, that brands can begin to capture owner data and collect opt-ins for future communications.

Onboarding builds a valuable first-party data set

During onboarding brands can collect high-value product owner information, including accurate contact details and owned product data. Additionally, the onboarding experience streamlines the collection of sought after opt-ins. This first-party data grows a brand’s marketing database or customer data platform (CDP) and can be applied in audience development for marketing promotions while eliminating the need to source such data elsewhere, at a lower confidence level.

Owner engagement during the onboarding experience also creates an opportunity to ask customers for additional data points through surveys presented during the experience. These surveys can help a brand capture even more customer-reported data with consent such as preference, future purchase intent and interests.  Paired with owned product data, the combined data can be activated for engagement campaigns and the development of audiences to reach look-a-like customers for improved return-on-advertising spend (ROAS).

In addition, the onboarding experience allows a brand to immediately display relevant offers to each individual while they are engaged, versus retargeting the current product owner in other, less effective mediums and platforms historically controlled by tech giants such as Google, Apple and Amazon. Offers that perform well during onboarding include product protection plans, memberships and subscriptions, and accessories related directly to the product the consumer has just registered. This strategy results in conversion rates three to five times higher than other efforts.

A blueprint for first-party data success

Industry leading personal fitness brand iFit knew that product registration was a cost-effective and efficient way to build its first-party data for use across their entire organization. In partnership with Registria, the brand focused on innovative approaches to get more new equipment owners to register their products, resulting in a three-time increase in owner data captured – direct from customers.

With this richer ownership data, iFit focused on growing post-purchase revenue and increasing subscriptions through predictive modeling for better campaign performance.

Additionally, with better ownership data, call center agents were enabled to recognize owners and their products as they called in for support, offering a better support experience and a 33% reduction in average call handling times by service agents.

Future-proof your brand with powerful first-party data

In today’s challenging climate for durable product brands -- including the eventual loss of third-party cookie data and ever-evolving privacy regulation changes – the good news is that opportunities also abound. Shifting the brand’s focus to collecting first-party data is a strategic decision to help future-proof your brand against these and other threats.

Registria has helped many brands leverage the opportunity to build a valuable first-party data asset that can be activated across many company functions. We are eager to work with your brand to develop your own first-party data success story!

If collecting more customer data is a strategic initiative for your company, contact us and we’ll share best practices for better and more first-party data collection.