As a multi-channel enterprise that adheres to a “customer-centric” philosophy, the collection and analysis of user data are regarded as the fundamental activities of a business.

Are businesses still uncertain about multi-channel data collection and management? This article will provide insights on the fundamental activities to effectively leverage data in executing a multi-channel marketing campaign.

What is multi-channel data collection?

Definition

Multi-channel data collection is all customer information across various sales and media channels of the brand. It involves gathering comprehensive customer data, including personal details, contact information, preferences, and purchasing behaviors during a multi-channel purchasing journey.

Data collection process


To construct a comprehensive customer persona, the data collection process should be executed through the following steps:
What – What information do businesses aim to gather?
Before initiating the collection process, businesses must determine the desired information. However, it is not feasible to collect an exhaustive amount of target audience information across every sales channel. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that the number of channels owned will provide sufficient information to construct the most comprehensive customer persona.

When – When should businesses gather data?
The efficacy of data collection hinges on several factors, including the timing of data collection. If customers are prompted to provide information at an inopportune moment, they may become irritated and disregard your brand.

For instance, if a pop-up requesting personal information appears when customers visit a brand’s website, they are likely to exit the website immediately, leading to a loss of trust in the business.
How – How to gather information?
Businesses have various methods at their disposal, such as using survey forms, making phone calls to obtain customer information, and tracking online/offline shopping behavior,… However, in the era of Industry 4.0, businesses should leverage technological advancements in this process.

Conduct data collection
By tracking multi-channel customers, businesses can propose suitable benefits, facilitating customers in sharing information and thereby enhancing the likelihood of collecting customer data.
In addition to automated popup form systems, businesses should establish seamless multi-channel tracking and trigger systems for customer behaviors., enabling the delivery of tailored messages and the development of the most precise customer persona.
Evaluate and systematize data
Once collected, data should be stored in a system (such as Excel or a smart CRM,…). Subsequently, this information must be categorized and mapped to support marketing and customer care campaigns. This is a particularly arduous process, so businesses should utilize automated support platforms to optimize costs and resources.

3 fundamental activities in multi-channel data management

– Lead Scoring
The objective of disseminating information to each customer varies. To encourage customers to make purchases, businesses must cultivate long-term relationships with them, thereby achieving both revenue and customer loyalty goals.
– Customer data mapping
This is a pivotal element that contributes to the success of a multi-channel strategy. Mapping enables businesses to store various customer data from numerous channels, rather than basic information. This data will aid in creating a comprehensive customer persona and reaching their insights, thereby enhancing marketing and customer care efficiency.

– Customer classification
Given that not all customers have identical needs, the classification of customers is crucial for optimizing marketing and customer care strategies. Businesses can streamline this process by utilizing automated tools.

GAPONE

GAPONE – multi-channel management platform for retail businesses
With GAPONE, businesses can efficiently manage multi-channel customer data and excel in the Omni-Channel Marketing model:

Automatically gather and categorize customer information, and integrate this data into the business’s campaign workflow.
Effortlessly collect information by utilizing technologies such as website tracking, pop-up form automation, and multi-channel data integration API.
Recommend automated messaging scenarios that align with the flow on the Zalo social media platform.

Learn more about multi-channel data management and other outstanding marketing methods at Gapit Communications’s Blog.