Black Friday and Cyber Monday are critical for retailers looking to boost sales. Each year, shoppers hit the stores and web in droves in search of high quality products at discounted prices. Personalization has become key in helping brands cut through the noise, offering tailored shopping experiences that customers crave. But with privacy laws around the world constantly being updated or created, personalization needs to be balanced with careful data handling and transparency. This post will guide you on how to maintain this balance, ensuring your BFCM campaigns are both engaging and privacy-compliant.
Let’s get into it.
Shift Focus to First-Party Data Collection
With third-party cookies being phased out, now is the time to invest in first-party data strategies. First-party data is collected directly from your customers—through interactions like purchases, email signups, and loyalty programs—making it more accurate and less intrusive than third-party data.
One of the best ways to incentivize customers to share their information with your brand is through rewards or exclusive content. For example, you can offer early access to BFCM sales in exchange for completing a short quiz or preferences survey.
Gaining explicit consent is not just a legal requirement. It’s also a chance to build consumer trust. Ensure you build trust with each customer interaction by being transparent about how you’ll use their data (e.g., "Tell us what you like so we can recommend the best deals for you"). Doing this will not only encourage consumers to share more data with you when they make a purchase on BFCM, but it will also incentivize them to return and make additional purchases after the holiday season.
Implement Permission-Based Marketing
Trust isn’t grown using only the first interaction. Your goal should be to lay a solid foundation from the first time they visit your site through each subsequent interaction. From there, use permission-based marketing to ensure that your audience is opting in to receive personalized offers, especially leading into major shopping events like BFCM.
A best practice for this is to use clear and simple language when asking for consent, making it obvious what customers are signing up for.
Similarly, make sure you provide a visible and easy way to opt-out or manage preferences, either through One Creation’s Digital Preference Wallet, through an easily accessible dashboard, or through a clickable link. A well-managed opt-out process can actually enhance trust and keep people more engaged in the long run.
Personalize Through Context and Behavior
Rather than asking for too much data up front, you can use contextual cues and behavioral data to personalize the shopping experience. Customers respond better to real-time suggestions based on their current actions or past behaviors.
One method might be to implement dynamic landing pages that adjust content based on user behavior. For example, if a customer has frequently viewed a particular product category, show them related items during BFCM.
You can also use email retargeting for abandoned carts. Just make sure to keep the tone helpful rather than overly salesy, e.g., “Looks like you left something behind—here’s a special Black Friday discount to complete your purchase.” Doing this will encourage consumers to complete their purchase without making them feel like your brand views them as just another number.
Use Data Minimization to Reduce Risk
Under existing data privacy regulations, you are encouraged to collect only the data you need for a specific purpose, also known as "data minimization." This practice not only keeps you compliant but also helps you focus on collecting actionable data that directly improves personalization.
During BFCM, focus on collecting only the data that will enhance the shopping experience (like preferred product categories or discount interests) instead of demographic details that may not be useful. Ensure that your data collection methods align with privacy laws by limiting data requests to what is necessary for the transaction or user experience, and make sure you store the data you collect in a way that’s clearly structured internally. If you’re unsure which regulations might apply to your business or how to create your data structure, download our Data Privacy Checklist.
Leverage Anonymized or Aggregated Data for Personalization
Not all personalization has to come from identifiable information. Aggregated or anonymized data can also help deliver relevant offers while still maintaining user privacy.
Group customers into segments based on browsing patterns and purchasing behavior, rather than personal identifiers. One option for this would be to offer similar discounts to users who’ve browsed the same product categories or completed certain actions on your site. Then, use anonymized data for predictive analytics to recommend products during BFCM without requiring personal data.
Adopt Progressive Profiling
Progressive profiling (also known as progressive consent) allows you to build a complete picture of your customers over time, rather than asking for all their information upfront. This approach not only ensures a smoother customer experience but also keeps you compliant by collecting data incrementally, with consent at every step.
Use multiple touchpoints (emails, pop-ups, surveys) to gather preferences over time rather than overwhelming users with a single, long form. For example, you can start by asking for an email address and later ask for more detailed preferences as trust increases.
Tailor BFCM offers to each customer based on the data you’ve progressively gathered, ensuring personalized recommendations without overstepping on privacy.
Ensure Transparency and Security in Data Usage
Being transparent about how you use data is one of the best ways to ensure compliance and build trust with your customers. Security is also a key aspect; customers need assurance that their data is protected.
Make your privacy policies clear and accessible across your website. Ensure customers understand how their data is being used and stored, especially when they’re sharing personal information during BFCM purchases. You should also invest in encryption and secure storage to protect sensitive data. Promote your commitment to data security in your marketing to build confidence with privacy-conscious consumers.
Keep Up With Evolving Privacy Regulations
Data privacy laws are continuously evolving. Failing to keep up with changes in regulations could result in hefty fines or a loss of customer trust, both of which could derail your BFCM success.
Regularly audit your data collection and handling processes to ensure compliance with new regulations like GDPR, CCPA, and emerging ones like CPRA. Designate a team member or privacy officer to stay updated on legal changes and adapt your personalization strategies accordingly.
Leverage Customer Segmentation for Hyper-Personalized Offers
To truly maximize the impact of your Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaigns, use customer segmentation to create targeted, personalized offers based on insights gained from past purchases and shared consumer information. Tools like Segments by Tresl allow you to segment your audience effectively by identifying patterns in shopping behavior, customer lifetime value, and product preferences.
Use a data segmentation tool like Segments by Tresl to divide your customers into specific groups (e.g., high spenders, frequent browsers, recent purchasers) and craft unique offers for each segment. For instance, you might offer VIP early access to top-tier customers or special discounts to repeat buyers. Or if they’re a new customer, provide a welcome discount and introduce them to best-sellers to increase their lifetime value.
Simply put, tailor your BFCM email campaigns, product recommendations, and ads based on these segments to ensure you're sending the right message to the right customer at the right time.
Start Balancing Personalization with Privacy Compliance
Achieving a balance between hyper-personalized marketing and data privacy compliance may seem daunting, but it’s entirely achievable with the right strategies. By focusing on first-party data, gaining explicit consent, minimizing data collection, and using anonymized or behavioral insights, brands can create engaging, personalized experiences for their customers without violating privacy laws. As you prepare for BFCM, prioritize customer trust and transparency, and your campaigns will not only be successful but also compliant.
Ready to get started? Download our Data Privacy Checklist or explore how One Creation can help you supercharge your BFCM campaigns with our one-of-a-kind digital preference wallet.