Want to know how to collect, manage and activate your customer data? For every company, this is a gold mine waiting to be tapped! To make the most of it, find out everything you've never been told elsewhere about collecting customer data - and which SaaS software can manage both collection and activation. As an added bonus, at the end of the article, you'll find 13 successful tactics for collecting much more customer data!
Quick access: 13 tactics for collecting customer data
The definition of a customer database is simple. It's a file containing all the information on a company's customers. It usually also includes potential customers, leads or prospects.
A good customer database is more than just names and emails. Depending on the quality of the data collection, it also includes demographic data, interaction history, customer preferences, habits, etc...
Collecting customer data (and making the most of it) can complement more traditional approaches: in fact, there's no universal law, as every store or restaurant is different! What is certain is that customer data is a serious turbo for taking control of your customer relations in a multitude of ways:
In a nutshell, customer data enables us to convert simple visits into lasting relationships. This is the speciality of Hey Pongo, experts in customer data collection and activation: to find out more, schedule your demo with the link below.
The RGPD requires total transparency on data use and processing. Storage is framed and limited in time. Another important step is opt-in: every customer must give their consent before receiving messages by email or sms.
Finally, the RGPD rules concern the merchant, but also the subcontractors of its customer data. If you use an automated solution to feed and manage your customer database, you need to ensure that the service provider complies with the RGPD.
For many people, it may seem a delicate matter to ask customers for data. However, there's a very clear trend: customers are very willing to give up their personal data if there's a clear quid pro quo.
This is what we see at Hey Pongo, where our customers enroll up to 30% or 40% of visitors in their loyalty program, and therefore in their customer base! The La Famille restaurant collected the customer data of 4 out of 10 people, i.e. 1164 customers in 6 weeks.
Ideally, the first bonuses should be accessible and fall due shortly after enrolment. In addition to presenting the benefits in return, you can explain why you want this data. Here, ergonomics and the presentation of the program at the time of enrolment are crucial. In addition, collection must also be easy: there's no question of creating a traffic jam at the checkouts!
There are many customer data platforms on the market. These are sometimes referred to as "Customer Data Platforms": solutions that not only centralize and access customer data, but also enable it to be activated via a number of marketing levers.
In online comparisons, they are sometimes associated with CRM software. This is the case when the software enables you to interact with the customers in your database, and activate them through various marketing levers.
There is a wide range of [.is--yellow-highlight]customer database software[.is--yellow-highlight]. Among the most popular and comprehensive are Scal-e, Easyence, Twilio, Blueshift, Segment...
Only one software package specializes in both omnichannel collection of your customer data AND its activation with powerful marketing levers, Hey Pongo.
This customer database software has perfected customer data collection. Originally designed for small retailers, a sector where it's difficult to know who your customers are, Hey Pongo has developed know-how that extends to all your contact points.
Website or ecommerce, physical point of sale, pop-up store, telephone, social networks: Hey Pongo lets you collect data wherever your customers are. This is made possible by an omnichannel loyalty program and a " booster" competition, a gift wheel that creates engagement on all your web and physical channels, both of which enroll your customers and prospects in an enriched, easily-activated database.
For activation, Hey Pongo can give you powerful marketing levers to boost all stages of your sales funnel, from acquisition to activation to loyalty.
Vous voulez en savoir plus ? Découvrez comment Hey Pongo vous permettra de collecter une base de données client enrichie et activable, planifiez votre démo.
A customer database is more than just lines in a file. The interface lets you visualize its contents. Here's an example with the database Hey Pongo offers its customers (shops, restaurants, websites...). Customers are enrolled in a variety of ways: loyalty programs, online ordering, contests... Above all, Hey Pongo offers a highly ergonomic dashboard. Here you can discover who your typical customer is (gender, age, frequency of visit...), and a whole host of enriched data. Below is an example of an easy-to-implement customer database, suitable for all types of business:
Customer data is accessible to you every day via your store, but also via the web if you have an online presence. This mix of web and physical store is enriched by the digitalization of points of sale.
Outside your walls, contact points can also be made via simple channels: SMS, website, booking module, social networks... If you're worried that this will take up too much of your time, don't panic: automation brings the strategies described below within the reach of independent stores and restaurants.
Data collected online and offline come together in the customer database. This enables data to be cross-referenced and the database to be segmented.
If you want to know what to do with your customer database, we'll talk about that in another article. Here, we'll focus on how to feed it, grow it and enrich it, all with very little investment.
Loyalty programs are probably the best strategy for collecting customer data... Why? Direct rewards are a powerful incentive to participate. This type of initiative will enable you to enroll a large number of customers, whether you're an independent restaurant, a café, a boutique, a store... The advantage is that you don't just collect contact data, but also preferences, favorite products, consumption habits... In short, high value-added customer data.
Everyone loves competitions, especially in the form of gift wheels! This type of virtual game attracts a very high level of participation. What's more, each participant can automatically join your customer base! Such is the case with this contest developed by Hey Pongo. To spin the wheel, all you have to do is leave your telephone number (or e-mail address, if you prefer). The wheel can be accessed from anywhere, via a simple QR code that you can share everywhere: at the point of sale, on your website, stapled to your Uber Eats or Deliveroo delivery bags, on your pagers, etc...
More than just a medium, touchscreen tablets are so effective that they almost constitute a strategy in themselves. A kind of connected kiosk that' s easy to install, they're the ideal medium for encouraging customers to join a loyalty program, but also an event, a competition, etc. The fun, customizable aspect effectively boosts data collection.
Competitions and sign-up promotions are exactly the same as give-and-take tactics. It's a strong incentive method thanks to rewards. In exchange, customers must leave their personal details. The one-off nature of these campaigns encourages impulsive participation. These time-limited initiatives should be rolled out across all your online, social networking, SMS and point-of-sale channels.
Whether online or by telephone, table reservations are the oldest way of collecting customer data for a restaurant. This enables the collection of contact data and consumption habits, for a high-value-added customer base.
The newsletter strategy goes far beyond restaurants and stores. It allows you to collect customer emails and communicate inexpensively by presenting your news and events. Above all, it's a highly customizable medium that's ideal for conveying your brand image or "mission statement". The customer data collected via the newsletter should be cross-referenced with other data sources, to go beyond the simple one-way message.
Surveys are the best way to enrich and qualify your customer base. They enable you to collect "preference data". This is what your customers like: whether they prefer chocolate or red fruit, cheese or dessert, meat or vegetarian, etc. It's very easy to set up a survey if you have a Hey Pongo loyalty program. Respondents are rewarded with points, automatically generating a very large volume of preference data in your customer base.
If you don't have a website, you can run an online satisfaction survey from your social networks. It's an inexpensive way of finding out about your customers' consumer preferences. Ultimately, it enables you to adapt your offer and develop customer satisfaction.
The website and app are your connected showcase. They allow you to create many points of contact and offer all kinds of content, which can be unlocked by registering or entering your email address: newsletter, white paper, guide, recipes, competitions, VIP club, invitations to private sales, etc...
Creating an event is a highly effective way of collecting customer data. There are many things going on in your establishment: a new collection, a new menu, special evenings... When an event takes place, it's possible to offer participation in exchange for personal data, such as an email (and possibly, depending on the case, a quick questionnaire).
Social networks are an inexhaustible source of points of contact with your customers. It's advisable to choose the right social networks for your customers. With the anonymity of certain networks, the data is not necessarily exploitable. But often, the information is of very high added value, as on Facebook.
Connected cash registers offer the possibility of sending an alternative receipt by email. This has many advantages for customers - especially if you want to return an item to the store 3 months later, and you can't find the paper receipt! On the retail side, the receipt is an important source of customer data, with the email address, the product purchased, the name, the average basket...
Several of these strategies (competitions, loyalty programs, events, etc.) can be carried out jointly with a colleague, ideally in the same area. If you share the same potential customers, it's in your best interest to pool your efforts to increase your database, and share the information you gather.
Once collected, you can segment, enrich and activate customer data to boost your sales!
