Rather than using a mix of CRM and data management experts to protect customer data, e-tailers can consider external CIAM platforms
Customers across the region have grown increasingly comfortable with e-commerce and contactless payments. In fact, many are now digitally savvy and highly discerning, expecting seamless, tailored, safe experiences.
The retail sector now depends more on experiences than it does on merchandise to persuade customers to choose a brand. Retailers who are able to recognize their customers as soon as they interact with a digital property have an advantage over those who are unable to.
The real question for retailers is: how can they offer a seamless and frictionless experience that is also secure and private?
Three factors to consider
Personalization and convenience have rapidly become must-have features for any digital store. In simpler terms, customers vote with their wallets, and the more friction there is during transactions, the more likely it is that they will reconsider sealing a transactions.
To thrive in this competitive environment, business need to meet three main expectations of online customers:
- Convenience: Consumers want simple, easy-to-use websites and applications that let them quickly access desired goods and services. Therefore, retailers need to invest in well-designed digital assets that provide a consistent and engaging user experience on all devices.
- Security: It is imperative that retailers always guarantee the protection of customer data so that customers do not unnecessarily feel wary of sharing it.
- Privacy: There is always a risk of data falling into the wrong hands, and preventive steps must be taken to reassure customers. Multiple layers of protection are necessary, including deleting information when it is no longer required — in accordance with prevailing data protection laws.
Using Customer Identity Access Management
In response to the need to meet their customers’ complex digital retail preferences, some business have chosen to adopt external platforms that offer Customer Identity Access Management (CIAM).
These platforms offer to safely record and handle consumer identity data while regulating access to applications and services. A well-executed CIAM system creates smooth online customer engagement with different parts of a business without the need for customers to repeatedly verify their identity. At the back end, CIAM combines multiple client systems and apps into a streamlined ecosystem. Other benefits include:
- Streamlined account creation: CIAM platforms can ensure that a shopper’s first contact with a brand is a positive experience, by simplifying account creation, providing several registration choices, including social network integration and compatibility with alternative identity suppliers. Such platforms also enable simple identity verification to strength client profiling that will benefit future interactions.
- Seamless sign-ins: CIAM solutions make it easy for returning customers to access their accounts. Today, many CIAM solutions let users log in using Single Sign-On and passwordless methods, thereby reducing the chance of creating user frustration during sign-ins. Features such as multi-factor authentication are standard to improve security at important touchpoints, but without burdening customers any more than necessary.
- Controlled access: Once logged in, customers must be able to access important sections of the website without additional hurdles. CIAM platforms can make fine-grained access control, making the user experience feel natural and logical. This facilitates retailers in providing a uniform and customized transactional environment by centralizing permissions and using context-aware strategies.
- Privacy and consent management: CIAM platforms can also be used to ensure data regulation compliance, by mandating consent and privacy choices at several touchpoints. Consumers will be empowered to own their data, so they can choose which data to disclose, in addition to who can access it, and how it is shared. This transparency can build long-term consumer confidence and relationships.
Organizations that find CIAM solutions suitable for their business strategy will be in a better position to cater to digital-first consumers without sacrificing performance or security — well into the future.
(Editor’s note: Organizations may also find related solutions and methods for their customer data management needs, such as data management platforms; customer data platforms; Customer Relationship Management Systems; Privacy and Consent Management platforms; Behavioral Biometrics and Adaptive Authentication solutions; Federated Identity Management and Single Sign-On solutions; Decentralized Identity Solutions based on blockchain or distributed ledger technology; and AI/ML customer personalization solutions.)
