As a solutions consultant at RedEye one of the most common questions and concerns I discuss with brands is around how we can ingest data into the RedEye platform.

 
And so I’ll try to explain a few common themes on the topic below to help give you an idea of how we approach the subject when setting up a new client.
 

The key to a successful marketing automation strategy is the data

 
Without a quality dataset your campaigns are less than likely to flourish. Personalisation can become challenging and convoluted; segmentation is non-existent and deliverability rates will plummet.
 
Therefore, your data is the backbone and the more data you have the more targeted you can be, because did you know that 75% of consumers agreed that they are keen on buying from brands that offer personalised digital experiences compared to a standard non-personalised campaign?
 
This is why it’s so important to accurately send ALL of your data streaming into the RedEye platform. Whether that be online and offline data, data from multiple sources or capturing behavioural data as-and-when it happens directly from your website.
 
Unlike almost all other marketing automation platforms, RedEye takes a consultative approach to really understand your challenges around data and your existing digital eco system. This allows us to make sure we’re providing you with the ‘best fit’ solution.
 
So, let’s explore some of the common questions in detail:

What’s the best integration for my digital set up?

 
The typical and somewhat industry standard method of integrating a continual data flow, and arguably the easiest, is to set up an automated feed from your existing system.
 
This will include sending Person (and permits), Transactional and Product data into our system via an sFTP in the form of an CSV/PSV/TSV etc. (other file types are possible, but these are the norm).
 
Before we set your platform live, we will ingest an initial data load to prepare you in building your first segments and campaigns, this again would be sent via sFTP.
 

I have multiple data sources; can I load them all?

 
Yes, and in fact the ability for a marketing automation platform to ingest multiple sources is fundamental to building your powerful single customer view (SCV).
 
If you struggle with many disparate sources RedEye allows you to send all those individual sources into one place to create a complete and unified view of your customer base.

If I have multiple sources could that mean I will have duplicate records?

 
RedEye runs a unique daily de-duplication process on all person records in your RedEye database. This means that if you do indeed have identical records from multiple sources, they will be combined to keep one record with the most relevant data.
 
Additionally, if you have multiple data sources, by using a common unique identifier (for example an email address) RedEye will create a single record with all the data tied together.
 
This means that you will have a database that is continually enhanced with the most up-to-date records as well as removing the possibility of sending duplicate communications to the same contact.
 
This will have a significantly positive impact on your deliverability program and more importantly improves engagement with your end customer.
 

Does RedEye use cookies?

 
Yes, but they are first party cookies, and this is very important. Third party cookies route through a website hosted away from your site, and many browsers are now blocking these by default, as well as users deleting them on a regular basis.
 
Whereas first party cookies track the activity directly from your website, meaning they are far more trustworthy for you to use, and are supported by all browsers.

Can you use cookies to capture behavioural data?

 
If you’re already using Google Tag Manager (GTM) then you’ll have a good idea about how this works. It’s very much the same concept, like Google does, we will provide you with a link that you can place on your webpage to track user behaviour.
 
If you don’t have GTM on your site, or you’ve not used it before, then we can work with you to get you set up. Essentially, we place a small piece of code on your website so that when a user loads the page, the user’s session details are then passed into the RedEye database.
 
This can be, for example who they are, what page they’ve looked at or what items they’ve placed in their basket.
 
This data, captured through tagging, can be the pinnacle of your expertly curated personalised marketing campaigns.
 
For example, for an Abandon Browse campaign, we use cookies to help RedEye pass details of the page the user was interested in. You can then create a segment of users who have expressed an interest in the content on that page to build a campaign around promoting items the user has seen and are interested in.

Can I just use your API?

 
RedEye does offer a powerful API to send data directly from your website or other service provider to the RedEye database. .
 
However, this is typically used for smaller, less frequent payloads (smaller datasets) with the best use case for this being the user Preference Centre.
 
Users can easily update their marketing preferences as they wish on your website, this data will be immediately available to use via the API which we will work with you to set up during your onboarding with RedEye.
 
The API is also commonly used for 1-2-1 service messaging such as transactional order confirmation emails, SMS delivery updates and password reset emails.

I want to integrate with other applications such as Shopify or Trustpilot

 
RedEye offers a dedicated Shopify app providing you the seamless transfer of person, product, and transactional data between the two platforms at the push of a button.
 
This simple yet powerful integration will allow you to directly use your Shopify data to quickly create segments and drive campaigns.
 
RedEye offers more than 20+ third-party integrations such as Trustpilot, Loyalty Lion and Magento.
 
But, more importantly, and another item that sets RedEye apart, is that we (and me) regularly discuss potential new integrations that will benefit your business.
 
Unlike our competitors where it’s as simple as yes or no, we can consult with you to understand your business needs in setting up a new third-party integration and work with you to develop the correct solution you need.
 
 

Enjoyed this article? Sign-up to receive updates