What is a single customer view?

A single customer view (SCV) is a unified, 360-degree view of a customer and their data, including all interactions, transactions, and touchpoints between the company and that customer.

This data is drawn from multiple sources, such as CRM systems, marketing campaigns, customer service, point of sale systems, and web analytics.

A single customer view provides an accurate and current picture of where a customer is within the customer lifecycle. It allows marketers to deliver more accurate personalized, omnichannel campaigns that accelerate customers from first purchase to loyal shoppers.

Which data sources are commonly used to create a single customer view?

  • CRM systems
  • Web analytics
  • Marketing automation tools
  • Advertising campaigns
  • Social media platforms
  • Email marketing campaigns
  • POS (point of sale) systems
  • IoT (Internet of Things) devices
  • Customer loyalty programs
  • Contact center

What are the challenges marketers face when creating a single customer view?

Data from Multiple Sources

Gathering and combining data from multiple sources is perhaps the biggest challenge marketers face when creating a SCV. Siloed data from disparate sources such as CRM systems, web analytics, and marketing automation tools needs to be cleansed, de-duplicated, and unified into one cohesive view, in order for marketers to activate it effectively.

Constant Changes in Customer Data

Creating a single customer view is also difficult because customer data is always changing and evolving. This is where Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) and Customer Engagement Platforms (CEPs) play a critical role in automating the process of continually monitoring and updating the Single Customer View in order to ensure accuracy.

Regulations such as GDPR

Regulations such as GDPR necessitate that marketers take extra steps to ensure that customer data is being handled responsibly. This adds yet another layer of complexity when it comes to assembling a comprehensive Single Customer View.

Incompatible Formats or Systems

Technical issues can further complicate the process of creating an accurate Single Customer View – if different formats or systems are incompatible with one another, it may not be possible for marketers to effectively aggregate all necessary information into one source of truth.

Poor Data Quality

Finally, poor data quality can be an issue. Marketers need access to high-quality data in order to create an accurate SCV and should strive for constant improvement in the area of data collection, storage, and analysis.

Attaining a single customer view with Emarsys

Emarsys works with leading brands like PUMA, Pizza Hut, and Nike to increase acquisition, purchase frequency, average order value, and retention by using a rich set of customer, sales and product data to create a Single Customer View.