Consumers are more protective of their personal data than ever. When someone shares their email address or browsing behaviour with your business, they’re putting their trust in you. And that trust has to be earned, and kept.
It’s not just about collecting data, but also about handling it with care. First-party data is a powerful tool, but it has to be used responsibly. When people know their information is safe and being used to improve their experience—not just to sell to them—it becomes more useful, more accurate, and more respectful by design.
For ANZ retailers, there’s a clear opportunity to stand out. Once they understand the value of first-party data, they can apply smart strategies supporting their goals, whether those are stronger customer relationships, better campaign performance, or long-term growth.
Offer value in exchange for first-party data to gain deeper insights
Consumers won’t hand over their data for nothing. Around three in five consumers (62% in Australia and 60% in New Zealand) are open to sharing their data if it means they can enjoy better value and more personalised experiences.
Take preference centres for example, which allow customers to control how they interact with a brand. At face value, this practice should mean lower opt-out rates and higher click-throughs. But it also empowers customers to share more, and more detailed data with brands – which fuels smarter segmentation and more effective marketing. Loyalty programs can have the same effect. Offering something of value encourages customers to continue buying products or services from the same brand over and over again while providing another touch point for collecting valuable data.
Growth Gurus, a full-service e-commerce marketing agency, aims to gather insights through multiple touchpoints, including micro-surveys, preference centres, and engagement tracking across email, SMS, and ads. Turning everyday interactions into useful insights helps the business use customer data wisely, and ensures that they’re able to send the right message at the right time across email, SMS, and ads.
Activate your data to deliver personalised experiences that drive conversions
Consumers expect brands to understand their preferences and respond in a way and moment that feels relevant. Personalisation isn’t just about offering discounts, it’s about sharing content that speaks to each customer’s needs and interests. Using segmentation, automation, and tailored content keeps messaging relevant every time.
Segmentation allows for crafted campaigns that resonate on an individual level. Chronos, a multi-award-winning growth agency specialising in lifecycle marketing, uses segmentation strategies like Recency, Frequency, and Monetary (RFM) analysis to ensure consumers receive the message they seek.
Automation is the next step. Chronos uses automated flows that adapt to individual customer behaviour—displaying recently browsed, abandoned, or related products to keep the shopping experience seamless and highly relevant. This way of tailoring experiences sets the foundation for the next level of personalisation: dynamic content.
Dynamic content ties a bow on it all, allowing specific elements of a single campaign to change based on the customer’s profile or preferences—like images, offers, or product recommendations. For instance, during a storewide sale, all customers might receive the same promotion, but men would see “40% off menswear” while women are shown “40% off womenswear”, making every interaction feel more personalised without the manual effort. Delivering seamless, highly relevant experiences while streamlining operations boosts conversions and encourages long-term loyalty.
Use transparent data practices to foster long-term customer engagement
Australians are becoming increasingly discerning about how their data is collected and used, with over 82% wanting assurance about how their personal data will be used. Retailers can build trust by openly sharing information about how the business collects, manages, and uses data.
When retailers offer plain English privacy settings and consent options for specific use cases, it sends the message that their privacy matters. And that goes a long way in building loyalty. Adopting best-in-class privacy practices now can also future-proof retailers against regulatory changes, such as the evolving Customer Data Right.
Megaphone, a leading digital agency, helps clients navigate this trust-building journey by focusing on privacy and data ownership. Their approach to first-party data collection directly addresses the industry’s shift towards privacy, driven by changes like Apple’s Tracking Transparency and the decline of cookie-based tracking. By leveraging ethically collected first-party data from email and SMS, they create more accurate and personalised customer touchpoints.
This means enhancing tracking and attribution while staying compliant with the industry’s privacy-first shift. By respecting your customers’ data and treating it with care, trust that lasts is built.
First-party data offers a powerful opportunity – it’s a shift from transactional to relational, where retailers can reinforce trust and add value. It isn’t just about having the right data—it’s about using it with purpose.
Anthony Capano is the regional director for Asia Pacific at Intuit Mailchimp.