6 ways to collect 0P data for better segmentation

There’s a huge privacy shift happening right now. Starting from GDPR and CCPA to iOS updates to Google deprecating cookies now, there’s a severe limit to the data that can be tracked.

With reduced browser tracking, brands only have an abstruse picture of who their audience is. Numbers turn into approximations and our ability to rely on past data collection methods are no longer effective.

As first-party data is no longer a reliable option for customer segmentation, there’s an increased need to collect zero-party data–the data that a visitor shares voluntarily. 

Brands need this data to understand their audience and be relevant in their messaging. This will help you build a complete profile on your shoppers and allow you to personalize their buying journey.

Examples of 0P data

There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to what kind of 0P data to collect for your store. You need to ask what you’re trying to accomplish with that data–are you trying to personalize their journey or are you trying to identify patterns.

Here are some examples of zero-party data:

• Interests
• Product Interests
• Preferences 
• Birthday or anniversary information
• Goals and objectives
• When they’re ready to buy 

If you 0P data by industry, download this PDF. You’ll find what kind of data to collect for different industries.

How to collect 0P data

There are several ways you can collect 0P data, progressively profiling a customer throughout their journey. Let’s take a look at some.

Opt-in Popups

Popups, flyouts, or embedded forms are one of the best ways to collect 0P data. Most eCom brands stop with just Name and Email+Phone Number. 

But, this part of the customer journey is ripe for getting a ton of additional data that signal buying intent as well as help you build a robust customer profile. Most brands focus on asking for more personal details, names and birthdays, and that’s just it. 

A name, birthday, or other like information is not a buying signal. These details enrich a customer’s profile but do not give insights into the buying intent or serve to improve the customer journey. Get a mix of data that’s both actionable when applied to other aspects of your business and augments the customer journey.

Here are a few questions you can ask during this stage:

• What products/collections are you interested in?
• When are you looking to purchase?
• What’s your shopping preferences?
• Are you purchasing for yourself or someone else?
• What’s your #1 goal or problem you’re trying to solve?

The key is to not go overboard with a lot of questions, or you risk them leaving the form incomplete. Of late, I love the multi-step form approach where you get micro commitments and progressively fill in the details. Like this 👇

Pre-purchase Quizzes

Quizzes are pre-intent actions. They’re best used at the stage when a visitor is curious about your brand or the products you sell but they’re not ready to buy yet. 

Let’s take our good ol’ hipster coffee brand for example.

They can set up a quiz that helps shoppers choose the perfect coffee. They can ask questions like roast preferences (light, medium, dark), if they like it bitter, how much caffeine they like, etc.

The data from quizzes help you understand a potential buyer’s motivations, goals, and preferences. When used to inform your marketing strategy, this will help you create a better, more personalized shopping experience. You can send them relevant information and recommend the right products.

Post-Checkout

The Thank you/Order Confirmation page is prime real estate for getting answers to a few quick questions. You can ask them to rate their buying experience, why they chose your brand, what other products they’re interested in, etc. 

Remember, the shoppers hasn’t used your product yet and likely brimming with buyers’ remorse. Your quiz/survey/popup needs to assuage their fears and reaffirm it’s the right choice. 

The kind of questions you ask needs to help you create a personalized post-purchase experience. It also varies for each niche. 

Here are some for you to draw inspiration from: 

• How would you rate your purchasing experience?
• What are your expectations regarding the product? 
• How did you learn about our product? 
• What factors influenced your decision to purchase from us?
• Did you consider any alternative products before choosing ours?
• Do you feel the price of the product is fair?

Post-purchase surveys 

Once a shopper has received their order and had the time to use the product for a while, you can follow-up on your previous survey. You can collect various types of zero-party data to gain insights into their experiences and preferences like product usage habits, satisfaction, product effectiveness and more. 

All these data points that will help you drive repeat purchases.

Questions you can ask:

• Would you consider purchasing from us again in the future?
• Would you recommend our product to others? 
•  How often do you use the product? 
• On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with the product?
• Has the product delivered the expected results?
• What aspects of the product do you like the most?

Again, just like the post-checkout survey, you need to know what you’re trying to achieve by asking these questions. 

Email Flows

Your Welcome email, to abandoned carts, to win-back sequences–can all be personalized with 0P data as well as be used to gather more data. It’s a perpetual engine when used correctly.

Let’s take the abandoned cart flow for a fictitious melatonin roll-on brand, for example. 

The first two emails are gonna be straightforward–reminding them that they have left items in their cart. The third email can ask the shopper what other solutions they’ve tried (with options like sleeping pills, other brands, Pain relief medication, nothing). 

They can then use this data to personalize the next email in the AC sequence. 

Sleeping pills -> Sleeping pill side effects

Other brands -> Brand Comparison

Pain relief medication -> Yoga stretches before bed

Nothing -> Benefits of the roll on 

Contests and Giveaways

I’m not a huge fan of these because you attract a lot of people who’d never buy anything from you. The amount of junk data you’d receive will mire your actual data. But again, what do I know?! Try and let me know.

As we move toward a privacy-first web, the only differentiator between a great brand and a good brand will be how well they collect 0P data and how well they use it. With progressive profiling, comes a deeper understanding of your audience and you’ll be in a better position to deliver amazing shopping experiences. Ultimately that’s what every shopper wants.